Back matter is any additional material included at the end of a book, such as appendices, indices, bibliographies and glossaries. It typically includes information that serves as an extension of the text.
Appendices are commonly used to provide supplementary information not essential to the main argument or topic discussed in the book’s primary text. This can include charts, graphs, diagrams, surveys, questionnaires, and original research.
An index can provide an overview and enhancement of a text’s structure. It allows readers to quickly identify important and relevant topics by organizing the text’s content into an alphabetized list of terms, topics and people.
Bibliographies allow readers to do further research on topics, by providing a list of suggested readings and/or citations for more related material.
Glossaries are lists of words and/or phrases that accompany a book, usually defined in simple language. These can be particularly helpful when a book includes many definitions and concepts that may be unfamiliar to a reader.
All of these examples of back matter serve the purpose of enhancing and supporting the reading experience, providing readers with additional resources or accessible reference material.
