Appendices in APA 7 Style: format and examples

What an appendix is in APA Style

An appendix contains material that helps readers understand, evaluate, or replicate the work but would be too lengthy or distracting in the main text. It may include a questionnaire, participant instructions, a scale developed for the study, a detailed procedure, an extensive table, or other supporting information.

Use an appendix only when the material has a clear relationship to the paper. It should support the discussion without replacing information readers need to understand the purpose, method, or results.

When to add an appendix

Include an appendix when the material meets these conditions:

• it helps readers understand or verify an important part of the paper
• it is too detailed for the main discussion
• the text mentions it and gives it a clear purpose
• it can be presented legibly within the document
• it respects privacy, attribution, and copyright requirements

Do not use an appendix to store information that has no direct relationship to the paper. If a detail is essential to the argument, explain it in the main text before providing any expanded material in the appendix.

How to format an appendix

Begin each appendix on a new page after the references, any footnotes placed on a separate page, and any tables or figures placed at the end of the paper.

If the paper has one appendix, label it Appendix. If it has more than one, use capital letters in the order each appendix is mentioned: Appendix A, Appendix B, and Appendix C.

At the top of the page:

1. Write the appendix label in bold and center it.
2. On the next line, write a descriptive title in bold and center it.
3. Present the text, table, figure, or other material below the title.

If the appendix contains text, format its paragraphs with the same indentation and line spacing used in the paper's body. Tables, figures, and equations retain their own formatting and numbering rules.

Mention every appendix at least once in the paper. For example:

The complete questionnaire used in the activity appears in Appendix A.

Avoid phrases such as “the appendix below.” The label remains accurate even if the document's pagination changes.

Complete appendix example

The following material is illustrative:

Appendix A

Study Habits Questionnaire

1. How many hours do you study outside class during a typical week?
2. Where do you complete most of your academic work?
3. Which strategy do you use most often to prepare for an examination?

The questionnaire appears outside the main text because the paper only needs to explain how it was administered and summarize the results. The complete version allows readers to examine the questions that participants received.

How to number elements within an appendix

When a text appendix contains tables, figures, or equations, combine the appendix letter with a separate numbering sequence:

• Table A1: first table in Appendix A
• Figure A1: first figure in Appendix A
• Equation B1: first equation in Appendix B

Refer to each element within the appendix before displaying it. If the paper has one appendix without a letter, still use the letter A to distinguish its tables, figures, and equations from those in the main text.

If an appendix consists only of one table or figure, the appendix label replaces the table or figure number, and the appendix title replaces its title. For example, refer to a table-only appendix as Appendix B, not Table B1.

Visual example of a figure within an appendix

When an appendix combines text and a figure, begin with the appendix label and title. Then refer to the figure in a paragraph and present its number, title, image, and note if one is needed. The figure follows the general figure guidelines, but its number begins with the appendix letter.

In this example, Figure A1 means that it is the first figure in Appendix A. The data are illustrative:

The sentence before the chart tells readers why they should consult the figure. The number is bold, the title is italic, and the note appears below the image. Because this appendix also contains text, the figure needs its own number and title. If the page consisted only of one figure, the exception described in the previous section would apply.

Material from another source

An appendix does not remove the need to credit someone else's work. Cite the original source, include it in the reference list, and provide a copyright attribution when required.

Before reproducing a complete questionnaire, form, photograph, or other protected work, determine whether you need permission. Remove personal information, signatures, or identifying details that should not be shared.

Appendices and supplemental materials are different

APA Style also provides for supplemental materials published online only, such as data files, video, audio, extensive code, or tables too large for a printed page. These materials are more common with journal articles and are not typically part of student papers.

A separate file does not automatically become supplemental material. Follow the journal, course, or institutional directions for file types, text mentions, and submission location.

If the document contains several appendices, institutional guidelines may require a list of appendices with their titles and pages. This list helps readers locate them but does not replace each appendix's content.

Appendix checklist

• The material supports the paper without replacing an essential explanation.
• Each appendix begins on a new page.
• The label and title are bold, centered, and placed on separate lines.
• A single appendix has no letter, and multiple appendices follow A, B, C order.
• Every appendix is mentioned in the text.
• Internal tables, figures, and equations combine the correct letter and number.
• Material from another source has a citation, reference, attribution, and permission when required.
• Personal information that should not be shared has been removed.