Q&A for How to Write an Appendix

You’d add an appendix to an essay the same way as you would to any other type of writing. Make sure to give each appendix a name (such as Appendix A, Appendix B, and so on) and put them in the proper position according to the style you’re using. For example, in an APA paper, the appendix would appear after your reference list and any tables or figures.

Create a section break where you’d like to add the appendix. You can use a “continuous break” if you want the appendix in a new section but not on a new page, or a “page break” to create a new page for each appendix. If you like, set page numbers to start with each new section if you want to paginate the appendices separately from the body of the document. Use the special “Heading” styles in the Home tab to create a heading for each appendix. This will make it easier to navigate the document and find the appendices quickly.

That depends on the citation style you’re using. For example, for an inline citation in MLA style, you’d use a parenthetical citation that names the appendix you’re citing: (Wittenberg, Appendix A). In APA style, you’d also include the year of publication (Wittenberg, 2017, Appendix A). For Chicago style, you’d need to cite the page numbers.

Yes, the items listen in an Appendix should be in alphabetical order. If you are going to include numerical items, then they should be in numerical order and at the very top of the list.

You can do this, if references were used. This will allow the reader to check the reliability of the sources used for the appendix, and for further reading.

If the report is for a course, check your report guideline and/or contact your professor. Otherwise, a good rule of thumb is to put supplementary figures in an appendix. If the figure/chart/photograph is required for complete comprehension of the paragraph, then include it in the body. If it is supplementary data, or used as reference and is already explained in the paragraph, use an appendix. For example: "My research shows that 54 percent of adults prefer milk chocolate. (See Appendix B for raw data)" The reader does not need to know the preferences of the other 46 percent, so inserting the research in its entirety is unnecessary.