What is Appendix?
An appendix contains supplementary material that is not an essential part of the text itself but which may be helpful in providing a more comprehensive understanding of the research problem or it is information that is too cumbersome to be included in the body of the paper.
Source: University of Southern California Libraries 2022
Examples
When should you use Appendix?
- Including this material in the body of the paper that would render it poorly structured or interrupt the narrative flow;
- Information is too lengthy and detailed to be easily summarized in the body of the paper;
- Inclusion of helpful, supporting, or useful material would otherwise distract the reader from the main content of the paper;
- Relevant information or data that is more easily understood or analyzed in a self-contained section of the paper;
- There are constraints placed on the length of your paper;
- It provides a place to further demonstrate your understanding of the research problem by giving additional details about a new or innovative method, technical details, or design protocols;
Source: University of Southern California Libraries 2022
What should be included in the appendix?
There are very few rules regarding what type of material can be included in an appendix, but here are some common examples:
- Correspondence -- if your research included collaborations with others or outreach to others, then correspondence in the form of letters, memorandums, or copies of emails from those you interacted with could be included.
- Interview Transcripts -- in qualitative research, interviewing respondents is often used to gather information. The full transcript from an interview is important so the reader can read the entire dialog between researcher and respondent. The interview protocol [list of questions] should also be included.
- Non-textual elements -- as noted above, if there are a lot of non-textual items, such as, figures, tables, maps, charts, photographs, drawings, or graphs, think about highlighting examples in the text of the paper but include the remainder in an appendix.
- Questionnaires or surveys -- this is a common form of data gathering. Always include the survey instrument or questionnaires in an appendix so the reader understands not only the questions asked but the sequence in which they were asked. Include all variations of the instruments as well if different items were sent to different groups [e.g., those given to teachers and those given to administrators].
- Raw statistical data – this can include any numerical data that is too lengthy to include in charts or tables in its entirety within the text. This is important because the entire source of data should be included even if you are referring to only certain parts of a chart or table in the text of your paper.
- Research instruments -- if you used a camera, or a recorder, or some other device to gather information and it is important for the reader to understand how, when, and/or where that device was used.
- Sample calculations – this can include quantitative research formulas or detailed descriptions of how calculations were used to determine relationships and significance.
Source: University of Southern California Libraries 2022