Tips on How to Complete an Appendix

When writing an essay or a report, a student should be concentrated on the information directly related to the subject matter. Yet completing a research paper requires a greater load of information. It raises a problem of including all the facts and data in one written piece. Mixing up too detailed information and generalized material on the topic might seem to be congested and puzzling. The way out in such situation is to compile additional material related to the subject in an appendix.

An appendix usually elucidates an issue with the help of statistical or background information, charts, tables, various types of graphical representation of the research’s results, data necessary for an author’s argumentation, extra information to deepen the knowledge and understanding of a reader.

It is essential to follow a structure of appendix to make it serviceable to the needs of an audience and to the purposes of a written piece in a branch of science.

What Should Be Included in an Appendix?

An appendix is not an irrevocable part of the writing. However, it functions more or less separately, so that it could be easily removed from the main written piece. Completing this section, you should focus on the central question raised and conclude vital data to support your argumentation. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean that an appendix aims at locating inconvenient information.

While working on a comprehensive appendix, it is essential to understand the main goals this part of writing is going to achieve:

• Reveal writers point of view and evident it in a well-developed argumentation;
• Kindle the readers’ interest and fulfill their expectations.

When a writer has a clear vision of their purposes, the writing process is more likely to be successful. Only with this in mind, you should make choice of the vital information to write in an appendix. It is very important to divide information for the main body of a research paper and additional one. The selection process is effective when you address a question of the significance of material for the topic. If it directly supports the central argument of an essay, then the best decision would be to place it in the main body.

On the contrary, if a piece of information is too long and contains many details which matter a lot to the problem discussed, do not doubt to reveal it fully in an appendix, for instance, quotations, long lists, or excessive data.

What is more, think if the information serves the main purpose of writing, so to say, if it helps, because very often, it is really inconvenient for a reader to refer to this lengthy part at the end of writing. That is why write it only if you are sure it is essential.

Once you started to compile this part of your paper, follow the formatting rules:

• Add any new item separately and label or number it. Additionally, you could also use extended titles.
• Mention in a text a page number and the title of an appendix with additional information.
• Format it in MLA, APA, or Chicago style.

Once you have decided on the main items to be included in an appendix, you are halfway to success. Keep up with the formatting ideas suggested and get to know if your institution requires obeying any specific rules.