How to Write an Appendix for a Research Paper

As a new college student, you still have a lot to learn and many things to experience both academically and socially.

When it comes to academics, there may be many things that you have to do for the first time in your life, such as writing an appendix for a research paper that you have to submit.

While some college students may have done this before, there are many new college students who do not know how to write an appendix paper. This is a critical part of any research paper and always needs to be included in your final submission.

In this article, we are going to discuss how to write an appendix for a research paper, as well as why an appendix is needed when completing a research paper.

What is an Appendix

Firstly, let us establish what an appendix is. An appendix is the part of a research paper that contains materials and references that may be very detailed and too big to include in the actual report.

These materials can be but are not limited to, calculations, technical drawings, graphs, or raw data. The content in the appendix needs to be summarized and then referred to from the main part of the research paper.

General rules when it comes to creating an appendix for a research paper

• every appendix has to be labeled with a letter, title, or number;
• these numbers and titles need to be listed on the contents page of the research paper;
• each appendix has to be referred to by a number or a letter at the appropriate point in the text of the research paper.

How to Write an Appendix for Your Research Paper

The best way to create an appendix for a research paper is to collect the content that you want to include in your appendix and then make it easily accessible and of relevance to the person who is going to be reading the paper.

Step 1: Collecting Content for the Appendix

Gather raw data

Raw data is absolutely necessary and should always be included in the appendix of a research paper. It is important to make sure that the raw data is cited correctly from the sources that it has been taken from.

An example of raw data could include calculations that have been referred to in the body of the research paper.

The appendix can even include supplementary information that further expands on the subject of the paper and supports any findings that have been spoken about in the body of the paper.

Add images, charts, and graphs

An appendix will usually include other supporting information such as charts, maps, photographs, and drawings or other visual additions that the reader would be interested in.

Always make sure to properly cite the visuals or other information that does not belong to you to avoid unintentionally plagiarizing.

Here’s a video by Hodges University Library on how to add images, graphs, and charts to the appendix of a research paper.

Make a note of the instruments used

Keeping the reader up to date with the instruments used to conduct your research paper is very important.

These instruments can include cameras, cell phone recordings, or any other instrument that was used to conduct the research for the paper.

In most cases, the reader will be interested to know what devices were used to conduct the research for the paper.

Add additional, relevant information

In addition to graphs, instruments, and raw materials used to conduct research, the appendix should also include an array of interviews, surveys, or transcripts that may have transpired during the research that was done for the paper.

• the transcripts should cover the entire interview and include both questions and answers;
• include copies of surveys that were done online or even completed by hand;
• add in any other correspondence that may have been talked about in the body of the research paper (e.g. emails, recordings, etc.).

Step Two: Formatting the Appendix

Add an appropriate title

An appendix is always shown at the top of the page using capital letters or sentence cases. It can be the same size as the headings that were used for the chapters in the body of the research paper.

In some cases, there may need to be more than one appendix in a research paper. If this is the case then it is important to put them in order by either numbers or letters, for example, in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2.

Each appendix needs to start on a new page so as to not confuse the person who is reading the paper.

Organize the content in order

The best way in which to order the content of an appendix is based on when and where the information appears in the body of a research paper.

An appendix has to be extremely user-friendly and easy to access. For example, if a research paper mentions an interview at the end of the paper then the link to the interview needs to be shown at the end of the appendix.

Include the appendix after the reference list

An appendix to a research paper should always be put in after the reference list. This, of course, is all dependent on how the subject professor prefers it to be.

It is important always to make sure that an appendix follows the requirements of the professor who has set out how they want the research paper to be put together.

Insert page numbers

The numbers that appear in the appendix of a research paper need to be either at the center of the page or in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The same format should be followed throughout the research paper so as to ensure that the reader is able to navigate through the paper with ease.

Step 3: Polishing the Appendix

Proofread the appendix

There is often no standard word count for an appendix, but it is best practice to make it as short as possible so as to exclude any unnecessary and long-winded content.

After the appendix has been done it is important to read through it again and make sure that all the information that is shown in the appendix is relevant to the text in the body of the research paper.

Once this has been done, any other information shown in the appendix that does not directly relate to the body of the paper should be removed and cleaned up as this could clutter up and confuse the entire objective of the paper.

Professionalism is very important. Try getting another person to read through the appendix of a research essay to iron out anything that they may not understand being a reader.

If they feel that the appendix is relevant to the body of the paper and is in the correct order, then this should be enough to ensure that the professor reading the research paper will also be able to navigate the paper easily when referring to the appendix.

Check for grammar and spelling errors

There should be no spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors in both the research paper or the appendix. Use spell checks to make sure that the research paper is of a professional standard.

Another way to check for any grammatical or spelling errors can be to read through the appendix backward. This may take time, but at the end of the day will yield the results of a professionally written appendix.

Conclusion

A research paper needs to be engaging and, at the same time, easy to understand and navigate through. This is why a properly set-out appendix is critical when it comes to writing a research essay.

When you reach out to us at Writers Per Hour to do your research paper, our writers not only deliver a top-notch research paper but also write out a detailed and well-formatted appendix that adds value and lends to a more holistic paper.