0

In a manual, can you use the word "Miscellaneous" as a heading for a passage that deals with bits and pieces of information that don't fit anywhere else in the document? If not, what would be a better word/phrase to use?

Thank you!

Edit: The passage I need a heading for is very much part of the body of the text (it is the final section of the introductory chapter) so "appendix" or the like doesn't work. But I'm thinking either "Additional information" or "Other information" – would one of these work? I was thinking about "Further information" as well, but that makes it sound as though the passage goes into more detail about things that have already been discussed in more general terms, which it doesn't.

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

"Miscellaneous" is an adjective and it would be odd to use it in isolation. You can add something to it for a better heading:

"Miscellaneous errors/uses/functions"

Perhaps a better word would be "additional" or something similar. A common section for highly detailed or laborious content is "Appendix" but these usually contain work that would break the flow of the text (like tables and graphs) or interest only a small number of people (full derivation of some equation).

Improve this answer
1
  • Yes!!! "Additional information" should work – shouldn't it? "Appendix", "annex" or the like don't work, because it's not a matter of something added in an appendix; it's something that is very much part of the body of the text. But "Additional information" sounds good, I think :) Or perhaps "Other information"?
    – Helen
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 12:28
2

Miscellaneous is not bad, but usually you call whatever you add at the end of a document annex:

an addition to a document or report:

  • The List of Export Subsidies is provided in Annex I to the Agreement. (Cambridge)

or

Appendix

supplementary material at the end of a book, article, document, or other text, usually of an explanatory, statistical, or bibliographic nature. (Dictionary.com)

a separate part at the end of a book or magazine that gives extra information:

  • There's an appendix at the end of the book with a list of dates. (Cambridge)

And yes, you can add an appendix at the end of a chapter:

At TCK, we use the Chicago Manual of Style, which designates that appendices can be placed either in the back matter preceding any endnotes, or at the end of individual chapters if the information they contain is essential to grasping the concepts in that particular chapter.

If the information is loose and not so connected to your introductory chapter, then it is not very clear why you need it precisely there.

Improve this answer
5
  • Ah, yes – it's just that it's not a matter of something added as a separate "thing" at the end; it's very much part of the body of the text, so these don't quite work here... But when you say "Miscellaneous" is not bad, are you saying that would work?
    – Helen
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 12:26
  • 1
    Additional information is normally added at the end either of a chapter, section or whole document. I have seen Miscellaneous used as a heading in Almanacs for example. It's not very recommendable to interrupt the flow of a document with additional bits here and there.
    – fev
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 12:32
  • Mm, thing is – the passage goes at the end of the introductory "chapter", so it does go at the end of something, just not the end of the entire document :) But perhaps I could use "Miscellaneous" after all then?
    – Helen
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 12:35
  • 1
    To be honnest, I wouldn't use miscellaneous. I find it too general and bulky, especially at the end of only the introduction. At the end of a chapter I would maybe use "Addition:" and even "appendix" as this thread suggests as possible.
    – fev
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 12:40
  • Mm... thing is, it's still not the kind of content that would go in an appendix; it's individual information that is not in any way clarifying or elaborating on information brought up earlier on in the chapter, so... I think "Additional information" or "Other information" would be the most appropriate choice?
    – Helen
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 12:55

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .