How to create an APA Style appendix
An appendix is a section at the end of an academic text where you include extra information that doesn’t fit into the main text. The plural of appendix is “appendices.”
In an APA Style paper, appendices are placed at the very end, after the reference list.
Do I need an appendix?
You don’t always need to include any appendices. An appendix should present information that supplements the reader’s understanding of your research but is not essential to the argument of your paper. Essential information is included in the main text.
For example, you might include some of the following in an appendix:
- Full transcripts of interviews you conducted (which you can quote from in the main text)
- Documents used in your research, such as questionnaires, instructions, tests, or scales
- Detailed statistical data (often presented in tables or figures)
- Detailed descriptions of equipment used
You should refer to each appendix at least once in the main text. If you don’t refer to any information from an appendix, it should not be included.
When you discuss information that can be found in an appendix, state this the first time you refer to it:
Note that, if you refer to the same interviews again, it’s not necessary to mention the appendix each time.
Appendix format example
The appendix label appears at the top of the page, bold and centered. On the next line, include a descriptive title, also bold and centered.
The text is presented in general APA format: left-aligned, double-spaced, and with page numbers in the top right corner. Start a new page for each new appendix.
The example image below shows how to format an APA Style appendix.
Organizing and labeling your appendices
If you include just one appendix, it is simply called “Appendix” and referred to as such in-text:
When more than one appendix is included, they are labeled “Appendix A,” “Appendix B,” and so on.
Present and label your appendices in the order they are referred to in the main text.
Labeling tables and figures in appendices
An appendix may include (or consist entirely of) tables and/or figures. Present these according to the same formatting rules as in the main text.
Tables and figures included in appendices are labeled differently, however. Use the appendix’s letter in addition to a number. Tables and figures are still numbered separately and according to the order they’re referred to in the appendix.
For example, in Appendix A, your tables are Table A1, Table A2, etc; your figures are Figure A1, Figure A2, etc.
The numbering restarts with each appendix: For example, the first table in Appendix B is Table B1; the first figure in Appendix C is Figure C1; and so on. If you only have one appendix, use A1, A2, etc.
If you want to refer specifically to a table or figure from an appendix in the main text, use the table or figure’s label (e.g. “see Table A3”).
If an appendix consists entirely of a single table or figure, simply use the appendix label to refer to the table or figure. For example, if Appendix C is just a table, refer to the table as “Appendix C,” and don’t add an additional label or title for the table itself.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an appendix?
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An appendix contains information that supplements the reader’s understanding of your research but is not essential to it. For example:
- Interview transcripts
- Questionnaires
- Raw data
- Detailed descriptions of equipment
Something is only worth including as an appendix if you refer to information from it at some point in the text (e.g. quoting from an interview transcript). If you don’t, it should probably be removed.
- Where do appendices go in an APA Style paper?
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Appendices in an APA Style paper appear right at the end, after the reference list and after your tables and figures if you’ve also included these at the end.
- Can I cite sources in an appendix?
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Yes, if relevant you can and should include APA citations in your appendices. Use author-date citations as you do in the main text.
Any sources cited in your appendices should appear in your reference list. Do not create a separate reference list for your appendices.
6 comments
Jessie
February 19, 2021 at 1:22 PMHi!
I've been asked to type up the items from my questionnaire into my appendix, and given it doesn't count as a table, or a figure, I was wondering how to format it?
It's not exactly 'text' in the typical sense either, so doing a first line indent and all that would feel weird to me :')
Many thanks,
Jessie
Jack Caulfield (Scribbr Team)
February 23, 2021 at 2:34 PMHi Jessie,
I'd recommend including a brief introductory sentence ending in a colon (e.g. "The following questionnaire was presented to the research participants:") and then presenting the questions themselves as a numbered list (using the list formatting function in Word, for example). You'd still have the initial indent on that introductory sentence, but the rest would just be presented as a list.
Amanda
February 15, 2021 at 1:55 AMWhen my Appendix runs to the next page, how is it supped to be titled? Appendix Continued?
Jack Caulfield (Scribbr Team)
February 17, 2021 at 3:30 PMHi Amanda,
You don't need to add another "Appendix" heading for a subsequent page of the appendix. The text or other material can just continue onto the next page without a heading.
Tania
January 17, 2021 at 1:28 PMHi,
How do I format the title of tables and figures in the appendix? For example, Appendix A (centered, bold); Figure A1 - is this centered, bold OR is it aligned left, bold?; Figure title - is it centered, title case, italics OR aligned left, title case, italics?
Many thanks,
Tania
Shona McCombes (Scribbr Team)
January 19, 2021 at 12:30 PMHi Tania,
If you have multiple tables or figures in an appendix, format them the same as you would in the main text: the table/figure number is bolded and left aligned; the title is italicized, title case and left aligned. You can see examples in our guide to creating tables and figures in APA.
Hope that helps!