Appendices

An appendix should contain useful supporting information in which the intended audience may be interested, but which is not essential to understand the report. Do not use the appendices as a garbage can for pages you do not know what to do with such as rough calculations. Put only relevant information into the report. This applies to the appendices as well. Some rules for appendices are:

1. Each subject or topic should have its own appendix. Each appendix should have enough information to stand alone and be understood. An appendix should be neat and organized, just like the rest of the report. Number each appendix consecutively: Appendix A, Appendix B, etc., and give each one a title, such as Appendix D - Detailed Drawings for the Dukester Chamber. Note that the figure numbers, equation numbers, etc. start from one in each appendix and do not continue from the body of the report.

2. Each appendix must be referred to in the body of the report. For example, in the Methods section there could be a sentence such as: The detailed drawings for the Dukester Chamber are included in Appendix D. This tells the reader that the information is included and where to find it. Not many readers want to look at detailed drawings, but they are important supporting documents and it is worthwhile to include them in an appendix. Remember to list all appendices in the Table of Contents. The page numbers in the appendices continue sequentially from the body of the report.

In the military style of writing, an accompanying body of information would normally be called an Annex, and accompaniments to Annexes are called Appendices. In general, however, Appendices are preferred to Annexes in technical report writing.