Viðauka

Viðauka is the Icelandic term for an addendum or appendix attached to a document. It provides supplementary information that accompanies the main text but does not form part of it. A viðauki may contain data tables, figures, methodological notes, schedules, amendments to terms, or maps, and is typically referenced from the main document.

In practice, viðaukar appear in legal, administrative, academic, and publishing contexts. In contracts and treaties, a viðauki functions as an official supplement that modifies or clarifies terms without rewriting the agreement. In scholarly work and reports, it serves to present supplementary material that would disrupt the flow if included in the main body, such as detailed statistics or experimental details. The material in a viðauki is usually labeled separately (for example, Viðaukki 1, Viðaukki 2) and paginated or named so it can be cited independently of the main text.

Etymology: the word comes from the prefix við- meaning "added" or "toward" and auk, meaning "increase" or "addition." It is closely related to synonyms such as viðbót, which similarly denotes a supplement, though viðauki carries a more formal, document-centered nuance.

See also: viðbót, annex, addendum, appendix.