back matter
Book's trailing pages
Back matter is the material that appears at the end of a book, after the main text.
This includes appendices, endnotes, bibliographies, glossaries, and indexes—supplementary content that supports but doesn't belong in the body.
The back matter runs to fifty pages.
The opposite is front matter: title pages, tables of contents, prefaces.
List of cited works
- citationsAcknowledged source mentions
- footnotesMarginal citations below text
- endnotesSupplementary citations after chapters
- works citedList of sources used
sources · publications · journals · articles · books · papers · authors · literature
Supplementary text at end
- supplementSomething added to complete
- appendicesAdded sections after main text
- tablesFlat-topped furniture pieces
- figuresNumerical values or forms
charts · graphs · diagrams · illustrations · schematics · data · documentation · questionnaire
Stated meanings of terms
- termsConditions of an agreement
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- vocabularyOne's word collection
- lexiconVocabulary of a language
jargon · nomenclature · acronyms · abbreviations · explanations · meanings · entries · annotation
Ordered by letter sequence
- entriesItems logged or submitted
- cross-referenceNotation pointing elsewhere
- page numbersPrinted location markers
- topicsSubjects of discussion
subjects · keywords · locator · navigation · listing · catalogue · directory · systematic
bibliography
List of cited works
- citationsAcknowledged source mentions
- footnotesMarginal citations below text
- endnotesSupplementary citations after chapters
works cited · sources · publications · journals · articles · books · papers · authors · literature · studies
addendum
Supplementary text at end
- supplementSomething added to complete
- appendicesAdded sections after main text
- tablesFlat-topped furniture pieces
figures · charts · graphs · diagrams · illustrations · schematics · data · documentation · questionnaire · transcripts
definitions
Stated meanings of terms
- termsConditions of an agreement
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- vocabularyOne's word collection
lexicon · jargon · nomenclature · acronyms · abbreviations · explanations · meanings · entries · annotation · clarification
alphabetical
Ordered by letter sequence
- entriesItems logged or submitted
- cross-referenceNotation pointing elsewhere
- page numbersPrinted location markers
topics · subjects · keywords · locator · navigation · listing · catalogue · directory · systematic · compilation
- book partspage, pages, cover, index, chapter
- dictionariesdictionary, dictionaries, definitions, definition, entries
- publishingpublishers, editors, editor, publishing house, books
- endingsending, the end, finish, close, final
- referencesreference, references, dictionary, encyclopedia, atlas
- comic book featurespanels, speech bubbles, thought bubbles, captions, gutters
back matterfront matter
Pre-text book pages
prelims · preliminaries · foreword · preface · introduction