Appendix in APA Format

Appendix in APA Format August 07, 2019 damircudric/Getty Images More in Student Resources APA Style and Writing Study Guides and Tips Careers In This Article Table of Contents Expand What to Include in an APA Appendix Basic APA Appendix Rules Where to Include an Appendix Does Your Paper Need an Appendix? Formatting Your Appendix If you are writing a psychology paper for a class or for publication, you may be required to include an appendix in APA format. An appendix is found at the end of a paper and contains information that supplements the text but that is too unwieldy or distracting to include in the main body of the paper.   APA format is the official writing style used by the American Psychological Association. This format dictates how academic and professional papers should be structured and formatted.   What to Include in an APA Appendix The APA official stylebook suggests that the appendix should include information that would be distracting, inappropriate, or burdensome to the reader. Some examples of information you might include in an appendix include: Raw data (presented in an organized, readable format)Extended or detailed descriptionsDemographic details about participants or groupsLists of supporting research and articles that are not directly referenced in-textLists that are too lengthy to include in the main textLarge amounts of raw dataQuestionnaires that were used as part of your researchResearch surveysExamples of participant responsesCorrespondence (if it pertains directly to your research)Materials and instruments (if your research relied on special materials or instruments, you might want to include images and further information about how these items work or were used) While the content found in the appendix is too cumbersome to include in the main text of your paper, it should still be easily presented in print format. The appendices should always act as a supplement to your paper. The body of your paper should be able to stand alone and fully describe your research or your arguments. The body of your paper should not be dependent upon what is in the appendices. Instead, each appendix should act to supplement what is in the primary text, adding additional (but not essential) information that provides extra insight or information for the reader.   How to Write a APA Format Paper Basic APA Appendix Rules Your paper may have more than one appendixEach item usually gets its own appendix sectionBegin each appendix on a separate pageEach appendix must have a titleUse title case for your title and labels (the first letter of each word should be capitalized, while remaining letters should be lower-case)If your paper only has one appendix, simply title it Appendix  If you have more than one appendix, each one should be labeled Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, and so onPut the appendix label centered at the top of the pageOn the next line under the appendix label, place the centered title of the appendix  If you refer to a source in your appendix, include an in-text citation just as you would in the main body of your paper and then include the source in your main reference sectionEach appendix may contain headings, subheadings, figures, and tables  Each figure or table in your appendix should include a brief but explanatory title, which should be italicized   Data Displays When presenting information in an appendix, use a logical layout for any data displays such as tables or figures. All tables and figures should be labeled with the words “Table” or “Figure” (sans quotation marks) and then numbered. Data displays should be presented in the appendix following the same order that they first appear in the text of your paper. Examples of APA Format Where to Include an Appendix If your paper does require an appendix, it should be one of the very last pages of your finished paper. An APA format paper is usually structured in the following way: Title pageAbstractMain textReferencesTablesFiguresAppendixFootnotes Your paper may not necessarily include all of these sections, however. At a minimum, your paper may consist of a title page, abstract, main text, and reference section. Also, if your paper does not contain tables, figures, or footnotes, then the appendix would be the last page of your paper. Never include an appendix containing information that is not referred to in your text.   Does Your Paper Need an Appendix? Some questions to ask about whether you should put information in the body of the paper or in an appendix: Is the material necessary for the reader to understand the research? If the answer is yes, it should be in your paper and not in an appendix.Would including the information interrupt the flow of the paper? If the answer is yes, then it should likely appear in the appendix.Would the information supplement what already appears in your paper? If yes, then it is a good candidate for including in an appendix. Your appendix is not meant to become an information dump. While the information in your appendices is supplementary to your paper and research, it should still be useful and relevant. Only include what will help readers gain insight and understanding, not clutter or unnecessary confusion.   Formatting Your Appendix Since there are no rules specifying how the information in an APA appendix should be formatted, you should follow the overall rules on how to format text. Such rules specify what font and font size you should use, the size of your margins, and the spacing of the text. Some of the APA format guidelines you need to observe: Use a 12-point, Times New Roman fontDouble-space your textThe first paragraph should be flush left, but all subsequent paragraphs should be indented on the first linePage numbering should be continuous with the rest of your paper In addition to following basic APA formatting rules, you should also check to see if there are additional guidelines you need to follow. Individual instructors or publications may have their own specific requirements. A Word From Verywell Writing a paper for class or publication requires a great deal of research, but you should pay special attention to your APA formatting. Each section of your paper, including the appendix section, needs to follow the rules and guidelines provided in the American Psychological Association’s stylebook. How to Write a Psychology Research Paper