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The Appendix (How to Use One in an Essay)
2-minute read
- 30th March 2017
The appendices in an essay are not typically essential, but they can play an important supporting role. Not everyone knows how to use an appendix in academic writing , though, so we’ve prepared this handy guide.
What Is an Appendix?
An appendix (plural: appendices ) is a section at the end of a book or essay containing details that aren’t essential to your work, but which could provide useful context or background material.
In the main body of your essay, you should indicate when you’re referring to an appendix by citing it in parentheses. For example:
The interviews show that most people like ice cream (see Appendix C).
What Should Go in the Appendices?
Appendices can include many things depending on your topic. Common examples of information added to an appendix include:
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- Raw data from tests
- Technical figures, graphs or tables
- Maps, charts or images
- Letters or emails used in research
- Sample questionnaires or surveys
- Full interview transcripts
What these have in common is that you might need to refer to them in an essay without going into too much detail. For example, you might summarise the results of a test in the ‘Results’ section of a dissertation, then include the full data in appendices to ensure clarity.
How to Format Appendices
Exactly how to format appendices can vary between universities, so you should always check your style guide. Generally, though, appendices should:
- Appear at the end of your document, often after the reference list
- Be divided into sections depending on topic (e.g. separate sections for questionnaire results and interview transcripts)
- Have each appendix section start on a new page
- Be labelled with a letter or number, along with a title clarifying content (Appendix A: Instrument Diagrams, Appendix B: Test Results, etc.)
- Appear in the table of contents at the beginning of your document
Are Appendices Included in the Word Count?
Appendices are not usually included in the word count for an essay. Consequently, you can focus on key information in your work and place extra data in an appendix without worrying about the word count.
However, you should always check your style guide on this. And remember that if you rely on something in your main essay, it needs to be included there: you can’t just shuffle it into the appendices to reduce the word count !
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How to Cite an Appendix
Last Updated: December 23, 2023 References
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Jennifer Mueller is a wikiHow Content Creator. She specializes in reviewing, fact-checking, and evaluating wikiHow's content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. Jennifer holds a JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 54,553 times. Learn more...
An appendix is an additional part of an article or book, akin to a book or a table. Generally, you'll cite an appendix in your list of references by citing to the full source (whether a book or an article). When you use an in-text citation, you'll typically point your reader directly to the appendix. The format will differ depending on whether you're using the citation style of the Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA), or the Chicago Manual.
Sample Citations
- Example: Lane, Lois.
- Example: Lane, Lois. Serially Saved by Superman: My Work with Clark Kent .
- Example: Lane, Lois. Serially Saved by Superman: My Work with Clark Kent . DC Press, 2017.
- Example: Lane, Lois. Serially Saved by Superman: My Work with Clark Kent . DC Press, 2017, pp. 512-514.
- Example: Lane, Lois. "Appendix: Superhero Sidekicks." Heroes Through the Ages , edited by Stan Lee, DC Press, 2017, pp. 512-514.
- Example: (Lane, appendix)
- Some books have multiple appendixes. In that case, specify which appendix you're referencing with the same label used in the book (typically a capital letter). For example: (Lane, appendix A).
- Example: In the appendix to her book, Lois Lane lists key features of a superhero's ideal sidekick.
- Example: Lane, L.
- Example: Lane, L. (2017).
- Example: Lane, L. (2017). Serially saved by Superman: My work with Clark Kent.
- Example: Lane, L. (2017). Serially saved by Superman: My work with Clark Kent. New York, NY: DC Publishing.
- For US locations, include the name of the city and the postal abbreviation for the state. For locations in other countries, provide the name of the city and the name of the country. [10] X Research source
- Example: (Lane, 2017, Appendix)
- If there are multiple appendices in the work, use the label provided in the work to point your readers to the correct appendix. For example: (Lane, 2017, Appendix A)
- Example: Lane, Lois. Appendix to Serially Saved by Superman: My Work with Clark Kent
- If there is a different author for the work as a whole, include their name after the title of the work. For example: Lane, Lois. Appendix to Heroes through the Ages , by Stan Lee
- Single author example: Lane, Lois. Appendix to Serially Saved by Superman: My Work with Clark Kent , pp. 512-514.
- Different authors example: Lane, Lois. Appendix to Heroes through the Ages , by Stan Lee, pp. 711-713.
- Example: Lane, Lois. Appendix to Serially Saved by Superman: My Work with Clark Kent , pp. 512-514. New York, NY: DC Publishing, 2017.
- Example: Lois Lane, Appendix to Serially saved by Superman: My work with Clark Kent , (New York, NY: DC Publishing, 2017), pp. 512-514.
Expert Q&A
- The steps and examples in this article assume that you are citing the appendix of a book. If you are citing the appendix of a scholarly article, follow the citation guidelines for citing a scholarly article, then point your readers directly to the appendix. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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- ↑ https://style.mla.org/citing-appendixes/
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_books.html
- ↑ https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2013/11/how-to-cite-part-of-a-work.html
- ↑ http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2010/01/the-generic-reference-where.html
- ↑ http://libguides.heidelberg.edu/chicago/book/chapter
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Hi, Ashleigh. There's no reason you can't quote a source in the appendix, but remember that it should only be material that isn't essential to your main argument (e.g. if it was a case of quoting a source at greater length so your reader had it available for reference, that would be fine, but you might need to quote/cite the same source somewhere in the main document to justify including in it ...
3. Add page numbers to the end of your citation. Unlike when you're citing the entire work, if you're just citing a piece of a work (such as an appendix), include the page numbers for the appendix in the full citation at the end of the title. Use the abbreviation "pp" for multiple pages, or "p" for a single page.