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Writing an Appendix

Writing an appendix is a useful option when you need to present non-essential information in your paper. An appendix is the last section of a paper, which contains detailed information about the research and provides additional scope for better understanding of the study. It contains extensive resources that can be further investigated by the reader. It also helps to analyze and validate the results and conclusions. It is placed at the end of the paper as it may disrupt the flow of thought in the main text, which can be quite distracting for the readers. It can include graphs, maps, tables, questionnaires, forms, calculations, bibliography, etc. Including an appendix in your paper is optional. Any type of writing can include an appendix such as essays, thesis, reports, research papers, etc. Formatting an appendix section is generally done as per certain guidelines like APA, Chicago Manual of Style, etc. Apart from that, there are several general guidelines that need to be followed when writing an appendix.

 Tips for Writing an Appendix

  • First analyze whether writing an appendix for your paper will be beneficial for the target readers. If yes, include it in your paper.
  • There can be a single appendix in a paper or more than that depending upon the requirement. If there is a single one, label it as Appendix. If there is more than one, label as Appendices; under that, label it as Appendix 1, 2, Appendix I, II, or Appendix A, B depending upon the style.
  • The title of the appendix should be descriptive to the reader.
  • The appendix/appendices should be cited in the main text of your paper.
  • Each appendix must always begin on a new page.
  • It should be well-structured so that the readers can easily understand it.
  • The appendix is not included in the word count of a paper. So, you can make it lengthy or brief as per your requirements.
  • For the section headings, tables and figures, follow the same style that you have followed in your main text.
  • If a paper has an appendix, it should be listed in the Table of Contents.

These guidelines provide an outline idea about writing an appendix. Nowadays, many journals have facilitated to provide this supplementary information to online readers only so as to reduce the printing costs. So, in case you have to include an appendix in your paper, but bothered about the cost factor, you can go for the “online only” option.

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