APPENDIX/APPENDIXES

[John Bell <johnb -at- C-STONE -dot- COM>]

Julie Hansen <julie -at- CTL -dot- COM -dot- CY> writes:

> We are producing a large manual in which the chapters are NOT numbered: 1.,
> 1.1, 1.2, 2., ... We also have a number of topics we want to include in the
> appendix area. SO do we have:

<snip>

Given the choice of "appendices" vs "appendixes" I go for "appendixes". My reason
is that the plural of a book "index" is "indexes". This spelling differentiates book indexes
from the mathematical and programming use of "indices". Although it is rare for a book to
have more than one index, it is certainly more likely with technical books than it is with
non-technical books.

Back in my early days of tech writing I was once slammed for using multiple topics
and sections within an appendix. The explanation was that appendixes are for
supplementary information. Anything that is complex enough to have sections and topics
should be made a chapter. I didn't know if I was hearing gospel or personal opinion so I
asked four or five experienced tech writers that I knew. They all agreed with my critic.
Since then I've always put complex subjects as chapters.

--- John Bell
    johnb -at- c-stone -dot- com

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