diff --git a/doc/sf/hypergeometric.qbk b/doc/sf/hypergeometric.qbk
index 556e41d31..c4332c017 100644
--- a/doc/sf/hypergeometric.qbk
+++ b/doc/sf/hypergeometric.qbk
@@ -420,16 +420,16 @@ are destroyed by cancellation.
    namespace boost { namespace math {
 
    template <class Seq, class Real>
-   ``__sf_result`` hypergeometric_pFq(const Seq& aj, const Seq& bj, const Real& z, Real* pNorm, const Policy& pol);
+   ``__sf_result`` hypergeometric_pFq(const Seq& aj, const Seq& bj, const Real& z, Real* p_abs_error, const Policy& pol);
 
    template <class Seq, class Real>
-   ``__sf_result`` hypergeometric_pFq(const Seq& aj, const Seq& bj, const Real& z, Real* pNorm = 0)
+   ``__sf_result`` hypergeometric_pFq(const Seq& aj, const Seq& bj, const Real& z, Real* p_abs_error = 0)
 
    template <class R, class Real>
-   ``__sf_result`` hypergeometric_pFq(const std::initializer_list<R>& aj, const std::initializer_list<R>& bj, const Real& z, Real* pNorm, const Policy& pol);
+   ``__sf_result`` hypergeometric_pFq(const std::initializer_list<R>& aj, const std::initializer_list<R>& bj, const Real& z, Real* p_abs_error, const Policy& pol);
 
    template <class R, class Real>
-   ``__sf_result`` hypergeometric_pFq(const std::initializer_list<R>& aj, const std::initializer_list<R>& bj, const Real& z, Real* pNorm = 0)
+   ``__sf_result`` hypergeometric_pFq(const std::initializer_list<R>& aj, const std::initializer_list<R>& bj, const Real& z, Real* p_abs_error = 0)
 
    }} // namespaces
 
@@ -444,10 +444,8 @@ It is most naturally used via initializer lists as in:
 
    double h = hypergeometric_pFq({2,3,4}, {5,6,7,8}, z);  // Calculate 3F4
 
-The optional ['norm] argument calculates the norm of the sum and can be used for error estimation, which is to say the ['absolute error]
-in the result is estimated to be:
-
-   norm * std::numeric_limits<decltype(norm)>::epsilon();
+The optional ['p_abs_error] argument calculates an estimate of the absolute error in the result from the 
+L1 norm of the sum, plus some other factors (see implementation below).
 
 You should divide this value by the result to get an estimate of ['relative error].
 
@@ -467,8 +465,9 @@ result.  For other /p/ and /q/ values, predicting the exact locations of the max
 simply restart summation at the point where each b[sub j] passes the origin: this will eventually reach
 all the significant terms of the sum, but the key word may well be "eventually".
 
-The error term /norm/ is normally simply the sum of the absolute values of each term.  However,
-if it was necessary for the summation to skip forward, then /norm/ is adjusted to account for the
+The error term /p_abs_error/ is normally simply the sum of the absolute values of each term multiplied
+by machine epsilon for type `Real`.  However,
+if it was necessary for the summation to skip forward, then /p_abs_error/ is adjusted to account for the
 error inherent in calculating the N'th term via logarithms.
 
 [endsect]
diff --git a/include/boost/math/special_functions/hypergeometric_pFq.hpp b/include/boost/math/special_functions/hypergeometric_pFq.hpp
index 055ddfcf0..69e28175a 100644
--- a/include/boost/math/special_functions/hypergeometric_pFq.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/math/special_functions/hypergeometric_pFq.hpp
@@ -8,8 +8,15 @@
 #ifndef BOOST_MATH_HYPERGEOMETRIC_PFQ_HPP
 #define BOOST_MATH_HYPERGEOMETRIC_PFQ_HPP
 
+#include <boost/config.hpp>
+
+#if defined(BOOST_NO_CXX11_AUTO_DECLARATIONS) || defined(BOOST_NO_CXX11_LAMBDAS) || defined(BOOST_NO_CXX11_UNIFIED_INITIALIZATION_SYNTAX) || defined(BOOST_NO_CXX11_HDR_INITIALIZER_LIST)
+# error "hypergeometric_pFq requires a C++11 compiler"
+#endif
+
 #include <boost/math/special_functions/detail/hypergeometric_pFq_checked_series.hpp>
 #include <boost/chrono.hpp>
+#include <initializer_list>
 
 namespace boost {
    namespace math {
@@ -42,7 +49,7 @@ namespace boost {
       }
 
       template <class Seq, class Real, class Policy>
-      inline typename tools::promote_args<Real, typename Seq::value_type>::type hypergeometric_pFq(const Seq& aj, const Seq& bj, const Real& z, Real* pNorm, const Policy& pol)
+      inline typename tools::promote_args<Real, typename Seq::value_type>::type hypergeometric_pFq(const Seq& aj, const Seq& bj, const Real& z, Real* p_abs_error, const Policy& pol)
       {
          typedef typename tools::promote_args<Real, typename Seq::value_type>::type result_type;
          typedef typename policies::evaluation<result_type, Policy>::type value_type;
@@ -59,27 +66,27 @@ namespace boost {
          std::pair<value_type, value_type> r = boost::math::detail::hypergeometric_pFq_checked_series_impl(aj, bj, value_type(z), pol, boost::math::detail::iteration_terminator(boost::math::policies::get_max_series_iterations<forwarding_policy>()), scale);
          r.first *= exp(Real(scale));
          r.second *= exp(Real(scale));
-         if (pNorm)
-            *pNorm = static_cast<Real>(r.second);
+         if (p_abs_error)
+            *p_abs_error = static_cast<Real>(r.second) * boost::math::tools::epsilon<Real>();
          return policies::checked_narrowing_cast<result_type, Policy>(r.first, "boost::math::hypergeometric_pFq<%1%>(%1%,%1%,%1%)");
       }
 
       template <class Seq, class Real>
-      inline typename tools::promote_args<Real, typename Seq::value_type>::type hypergeometric_pFq(const Seq& aj, const Seq& bj, const Real& z, Real* pNorm = 0)
+      inline typename tools::promote_args<Real, typename Seq::value_type>::type hypergeometric_pFq(const Seq& aj, const Seq& bj, const Real& z, Real* p_abs_error = 0)
       {
-         return hypergeometric_pFq(aj, bj, z, pNorm, boost::math::policies::policy<>());
+         return hypergeometric_pFq(aj, bj, z, p_abs_error, boost::math::policies::policy<>());
       }
 
       template <class R, class Real, class Policy>
-      inline typename tools::promote_args<Real, R>::type hypergeometric_pFq(const std::initializer_list<R>& aj, const std::initializer_list<R>& bj, const Real& z, Real* pNorm, const Policy& pol)
+      inline typename tools::promote_args<Real, R>::type hypergeometric_pFq(const std::initializer_list<R>& aj, const std::initializer_list<R>& bj, const Real& z, Real* p_abs_error, const Policy& pol)
       {
-         return hypergeometric_pFq<std::initializer_list<R>, Real, Policy>(aj, bj, z, pNorm, pol);
+         return hypergeometric_pFq<std::initializer_list<R>, Real, Policy>(aj, bj, z, p_abs_error, pol);
       }
       
       template <class R, class Real>
-      inline typename tools::promote_args<Real, R>::type  hypergeometric_pFq(const std::initializer_list<R>& aj, const std::initializer_list<R>& bj, const Real& z, Real* pNorm = 0)
+      inline typename tools::promote_args<Real, R>::type  hypergeometric_pFq(const std::initializer_list<R>& aj, const std::initializer_list<R>& bj, const Real& z, Real* p_abs_error = 0)
       {
-         return hypergeometric_pFq<std::initializer_list<R>, Real>(aj, bj, z, pNorm);
+         return hypergeometric_pFq<std::initializer_list<R>, Real>(aj, bj, z, p_abs_error);
       }
 
       template <class T>