An APA appendix goes at the very end of your paper, after the reference list, and each appendix starts on its own page. The formatting is straightforward once you know the labeling, titling, and numbering rules. Here’s how to set one up correctly in APA 7th edition.
Where the Appendix Goes
The appendix is the last major section of an APA paper. The order of back matter is: reference list first, then any footnotes, then tables, then figures, then the appendix (or appendices). Each appendix begins on a new page and continues the same page numbering used throughout the rest of your paper, with Arabic numerals in the top-right corner.
Labeling and Titling
If your paper has only one appendix, label it simply “Appendix” at the top of the page, centered and in bold. On the next line, also centered and bold, write a descriptive title that tells the reader what the appendix contains. For example:
Appendix
Survey Questions Used in Phase Two
When your paper includes more than one appendix, assign each a capital letter in the order it is first mentioned in the text: Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, and so on. Each still gets its own descriptive title on the line below the label. The label and title use the same formatting: bold, centered, with title case capitalization.
What Belongs in an Appendix
An appendix is the right home for supplemental material that supports your paper but would interrupt the flow if placed in the body text. Common examples include lengthy questionnaires or survey instruments, detailed statistical output, interview transcripts or protocols, sample stimuli used in experiments, large data tables that span multiple pages, and code or mathematical proofs. The key test is whether the material is useful for readers who want to dig deeper but not essential for following your main argument. If a table or figure is central to a point you’re making, it belongs in the body of the paper, not tucked away at the end.
Formatting the Content
The text inside an appendix follows the same general APA formatting as the rest of your paper: 1-inch margins, double spacing, and the same 12-point font (typically Times New Roman, Calibri 11-point, or Arial 11-point). If your appendix is a block of running text, treat it like body paragraphs with standard indentation. If it consists of a list, table, or figure, use the appropriate APA formatting for that element.
Tables and figures placed inside an appendix follow a special numbering system. Instead of continuing the numbering from the body of the paper (Table 1, Table 2), you combine the appendix letter with a number. The first table in Appendix A is Table A1, the second is Table A2. A figure in Appendix B would be Figure B1. If your paper has only one appendix (labeled just “Appendix” with no letter), the numbering still works the same way but uses the letter A: Table A1, Figure A1. This prevents any confusion between tables in the main text and tables in the appendix.
Referring to an Appendix in Your Text
Every appendix needs to be mentioned somewhere in the body of your paper. When you reference it, capitalize the word “Appendix” and include the letter if there are multiple appendices. A parenthetical reference looks like this:
The full list of interview questions is available in Appendix B.
Or within parentheses: (see Appendix A for the complete dataset).
If you have multiple appendices, call them out in the order they appear. Appendix A should be referenced before Appendix B in the flow of your text, Appendix B before Appendix C, and so on. This ordering keeps the reader’s experience logical: they encounter each appendix reference in sequence and can flip to the back of the paper without jumping around.
Quick Formatting Checklist
- Placement: After the reference list (and after any footnotes, tables, or figures that are formatted on separate pages).
- Page break: Each appendix starts on its own new page.
- Label: “Appendix” (or “Appendix A,” “Appendix B,” etc.), bold and centered.
- Title: Descriptive title on the next line, also bold and centered.
- Content formatting: Same margins, font, and spacing as the rest of your paper.
- Tables and figures: Numbered with the appendix letter plus a sequential number (Table A1, Figure B2).
- In-text references: Capitalize “Appendix” and mention each one in the order it appears at the end of the paper.
- Page numbers: Continue the running page count from the body of the paper.