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Loyola College Culion

Creating A Research Paper Appendix: 5 Basic Rules

If you need to write a research paper then you may be wondering what you need to include in the appendix section. The following outlines five basic rules to assist you when writing this part of your research paper.

  • Use the correct title
  • Depending upon how many different appendix sections you will include, this will have an influence on the title that you use for each one; for example, if you only have one piece of information to include in the appendix, then the title simply needs to be “Appendix”; however, where you have multiple parts to include, each different section should be differentiated using a capital letter, e.g. Appendix A or Appendix B.

  • If you have multiple forms of supporting materials then provide an appendix for each one
  • Rather than using one single appendix for all your supporting material, you should use a new appendix for every piece of supporting material that you intend to include. This helps to ensure that your appendix section is as clear as possible, and helps readers to understand and find information as quickly and easily as possible, so as not to distract from the reading process.

  • Summarise supporting data
  • From each source, extract any relevant information that supports your work and write a brief and precise outline of it. Any information that is used must have been cited within the paper.

  • Include introductions and conclusions
  • When reading the appendix, any information contained therein may seem out of context or even confusing for the reader without an initial explanation of why it has been used. Equally, a conclusion allows you to clarify why you felt the data was important, as well as also giving you the opportunity to give further details relating to the research methodology, as well as any other relevant points that you might want to mention.

  • Ensure citations are used correctly
  • Finally, whenever you are including an appendix in your research paper, you must be certain to include necessary citations and references where necessary. Furthermore, dependent upon the style of essay that you’re writing, or any additional instructions that you may have received, you need to ensure that any citations or references are used correctly.

    If you do not include citations correctly, then this can lead you to drop marks unnecessarily; alternatively, if you do not include citations at all, then you may put yourself at risk of being accused of plagiarism.

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