Supplementary materials that cannot be seamlessly incorporated into the main body of an academic work are included in a separate section known as an appendix. When dealing with multiple pieces of supplementary content, the plural form “appendices” is used.
Following APA Style guidelines, appendices should appear at the very end of the document after the reference list. This ensures that the primary written content remains the focal point while allowing for the inclusion of additional relevant information in an organized and accessible manner.
Do I need an appendix?
Including appendices in your academic work is not a mandatory requirement. An appendix provides supplementary information that enriches the reader’s understanding of your research but is not central to the core arguments presented in the main body of the paper. Essential details crucial to the thesis should be incorporated directly into the primary text.
Appendices can be useful for presenting elements such as:
- Full transcripts from interviews conducted (which can be selectively quoted in the main text)
- Research instruments like questionnaires, instructions, tests, or scales used
- Comprehensive statistical data, often in tabular or graphical form
- Detailed specifications or descriptions of equipment utilized
However, each appendix should be referenced within the paper’s main text at least once. If an appendix is not explicitly cited or referred to, its inclusion is likely unnecessary.
When discussing information contained in an appendix for the first time, make note of this in your writing:
“The survey instrument used is provided in Appendix A.”
This clarifies for the reader that supplementary material of the point exists, guiding them to the appropriate appendix if desired.
Referring to an appendix in-text
Appendix A contains the full regression output. The survey questionnaire administered to participants is in Appendix B.
Appendix format example
When presenting an appendix, the label should be in bold, centered font at the top of the page. Directly below the label, provide a concise yet descriptive title, bolded and centered.
The content within the appendix itself should adhere to standard APA formatting guidelines. This includes using left-aligned text, double spacing between lines, and placing page numbers in the top right corner.
Each new appendix should begin on a fresh page separate from the previous ones. Here is an illustration of the proper formatting and layout to be used when including appendices formatted in APA Style:
Organizing and labeling your appendices
If you only have a single appendix in your work, you can simply label it “Appendix” without any letters and refer to it as such when mentioning it in the main text.
When including multiple appendices in your work, it’s important to organize and label them clearly and systematically. This ensures that the reader can easily reference and locate the supplementary materials.
Assign each appendix a consecutive letter label (Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, and so on). These labels should be listed in the order that the appendices are mentioned in the main text of your document. The appendix label should be bolded and centered at the top of the page.
Labeling tables and figures in appendices
An appendix may contain tables and figures or a single table or figure. It should be formatted according to the same guidelines as the tables and figures in the main text.
However, the labeling conventions differ slightly. Tables and figures within appendices are numbered with the appendix letter and a numeric identifier, and this numbering restarts in each new appendix.
For example, in Appendix A, tables would be labeled Table A1, Table A2, etc., while figures would be Figure A1, Figure A2, and so on. In Appendix B, the labeling would start over as Table B1, Figure B1, etc.
If you only have one appendix, the labels would be Table A1, Figure A1, Table A2, Figure A2, and so forth. When referring to a specific table or figure from an appendix in the main text, use its full label (e.g. “see Table A3” or “as shown in Figure B2”).
If an entire appendix consists solely of a single table or figure, simply use the appendix label when referencing it without adding an additional table/figure label (e.g., “Appendix D presents…” if Appendix D is just a lone table).