While trying your hands at appendix writing you should that the appendix carries information which is not always necessary but supplementary to the main body of a written work. If want to want to know what is an appendix in writing, you can compare it with the appendix in the human body. It works quite similar to a piece of writing like the appendix in a human body. It may involve a summary of the collected data, extra details about the research methods or a reference section for the readers.
If you are advised to make an appendix when writing a paper for college or even if it’s needed for a personal project, focus on the content. It is very important to start by collecting information in the right way. Once you are done with this you should move to format it properly. Lastly, you can have a quick glance at the appendix and polish it. This will make your work more useful, accessible and engaging for the readers.
How to collect data for appendix writing?
Involve raw data
Appendix writing is all about creating a space where you can add raw data collection while you carried out research for your final paper or essay. If you want to collect striking raw data the best trick is to add it only if you feel it is relevant to the main paper. It would be even better if this raw data will be helpful for you in supporting your research findings. Try to involve raw data about the information which you can discuss in your essay or paper. This is because your data should seem relevant to the readers.
What does raw data include?
Raw data can be the sample calculations which you refer to in the main body of your essay or paper. It can also be the specialized data which extends information you elongated in the main content. You can also include raw statistical data in appendix writing.
Secondly, it may consist of supplementary facts from additional sources which can help in supporting the research findings in the main work. You should ensure that you can cite every single piece of information you pull out from additional sources.
Include supporting charts, images or graphs
While appendix writing your main focus should be on making it as engaging as possible. The best way to do so is to add some relevant visual documents. They may be charts, images, drawings, graphs, snapshots etc. All you need to do is to make sure that all your visual documents support the research findings in your essay or paper.
You can add charts, graphs or drawings which you have created on your own. Also, they can be derived from another external source as well. Again, just like the other raw data elements, you will have to cite the visuals properly as well. Appendix writing requires lesser effort but they should be sincere. So, make sure if there are any documents which are not your own, they should be cited correctly. If you want to get an idea on how to include visual documents in the appendix, you can get in touch with assignment experts.
Jot down the research instruments
This is something that most beginners don’t know. You can note down the research methods or instruments you have used. However, they should be actual. They can be tape recorders, video cameras or other similar devices which made it easier for you to collect data. If you will do appendix writing in this manner, it will be highly useful for your readers. They will easily understand how the writer used different devices to carry out research.
For instance, you can write a note in your appendix as follows: “All surveys and interviews have been carried out in a private setting. They were recorded using a tape recorder.”
Add in surveys or transcript of interviews
Appendix writing must involve transcripts of interviews and surveys (if you conducted any of them). The interviews and surveys are a big part of the whole research and if you are writing an appendix you just cannot miss their transcripts. When you include them make sure that they cover the whole interview and the interview questions and answers. You can also add photocopies of surveys or you can use handwritten copies of online surveys.
If there have been any correspondences you had with different subjects in the research. They can be copies of letters, notes, emails written to you or written by your research subjects.
How to format an appendix
Title of the appendix
Appendix writing has some really basic, simple yet important rules. One of them is to place the main title on the top of the page. You can use a sentence as you like it to be. For instance, you can go for all capital letters: APPENDIX. Or you can use a general sentence case: Appendix. It is completely fine if you want to use the same font and font size for both your content and title.
- While having more than one appendix, always put them in order. You can order them by number or letter, just be consistent with whatever you choose. For instance, if you have set your mind to go for numbers, it will be like “Appendix 1”, “Appendix 2” and so on. If you will choose to order by using letters, it will go like this: “Appendix A”, “Appendix B”, etc.
- In case you have to make more than one appendix make sure you start every new appendix writing from a new page. This will help your readers to have a clear idea of your work. Do this or else you will be confused about where an appendix begins and ends.
Put the content in order while appendix writing
Always remember that a good appendix writing allows the reader to know what comes after every point. For doing so, you can order the content of your appendix on the basis of what appears next in the text. It will make your appendix more accessible and user-friendly.
For instance, if the raw information is mentioned in the first paragraph of your essay or paper you can place it first while appendix writing.
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Put the appendix after the reference list
The appendices or appendix must be placed after the list of sources or reference list. Writers who need to place it in a different space should follow some requirements. It involves ensuring that you list your appendix in the table of content for the main work.
Mark page numbers while appendix writing
You must always ensure that appendix has page numbers at the centre or the bottom right of the page. You can use the same page number formatting that you may have used for the rest of your essay or paper. The formatting of an appendix can be done easily if you will be attentive while doing so.
Polish your appendix
What is the purpose of an appendix in writing? Why do I need to spend time polishing an appendix when it is not necessary? It these are the questions you are having right now in your mind then wait for a while. Let’s have a quick glance on what is the purpose of putting efforts in appendix writing.
If you know what is appendix writing exactly then you can say it is not a vital part of your text. However, it still plays an important role in helping your reader to get more comprehensive with your text. Now, if it has the power to connect your readers more then it is worth your efforts. Right? So, now let’s move to know how to invest a little more time in polishing your appendix.
How to polish an appendix?
-Revise the appendix once or twice to get cohesion and clarity. When we write in a flow, we can miss a few things and a quick revision will do the good only.
-Go through some online examples of appendices to get a clear perspective. This will help you to draft a well-structured appendix easily.
-Always ensure that you refer back to the appendix in your main text. Doing this will let the readers know that your appendix is relevant to your text.
-Most importantly make sure there are no grammatical errors at all. You can use Grammarly for ensuring flawlessness.