General Tips To Consider When Structuring the Appendix Section of Your Report

The appendix section contains the supplementary materials, which are not essential parts of the report itself but provide a more comprehensive understanding of the text. Additionally, it is used to include information which is too cumbersome to be included in the report’s body. (Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)

Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report

•  You should include your raw data in your appendix, allowing the reader to recheck your results where needed. While you may have discussed the results in the body of a report, raw data may be cumbersome and interfere with the flow of information in your report. In this case, the reader will likely be disrupted by the additional information. Therefore you must place your raw data in an appendix in a clear format for the reader to check. However, if you have a large amount of raw data, it is best that you place it online and then add the link to your report’s appendix.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)
• Include tables and figures- As earlier identified, the appendix contains non-essential information, which the reader can still understand the paper’s aim when that information is removed. Tables and figures should be included in the appendix and numbered separately from the main report.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)
• Add the appendices to the table of contents- You must list appendices to help the reader know what information is included in the table of contents. This tip is ideal if you have more than 3 appendices.
• Avoid loading your appendices with a lot of information- Although the appendix contains supplementary materials, you should not overload with much information. Instead, you should ensure that it is streamlined by breaking it into different appendices. This strategy will help the reader find relevant information more quickly.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)

Contents of the Appendix Section

 You may include the following content in your appendices.

•  Raw data or any other supporting evidence- Include simple calculations or specialized data that expand on the information discussed in the paper.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)
•  Technical graphs, figures, tables, and statistics
•  Contributory facts or any other specialized data- Contributory factors from other sources can help support your report’s findings. However, ensure you cite any secondary information to credit the original owner.
• Graphs, maps, or any other illustrations- You may include any visual supporting documents such as charts, images,  graphs, maps, drawings or photographs. However, ensure that you only put visuals supporting your paper’s findings. 
•  Interview transcripts- The interview transcript cover the whole interview, including the questions and answers. In this case, you may include photocopies of the survey or saved copies if you conducted the interview online. Nonetheless, you should consist of the correspondences you had with the research subjects, such as letters, emails, or written notes. This information can help the reader to verify the findings and increases your report’s validity. (Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)
• Field notes from observations
• Questionnaire and survey instruments- You should include any instruments used in research, such as tape recorders, video cameras, or any other device that helped you gather information. In this regard, it can help the reader to understand the necessary items required to carry out similar research.

In summary, do not include any irrelevant information in the appendix. The main goal of the appendix is to provide the reader with a better understanding and interpretation of the report. In this case, adding irrelevant information may distract the reader from understanding your report’s aims and objectives.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)

Format of Your Report’s Appendix Section

 Below is a guideline on how you should format appendices.

• Place your appendices after your list of references- Nonetheless, if your professor requires you to place the appendix in a different position in your report, follow the requirements. (Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)
• Separate the appendices by placing each appendix on a new page- Placing your headings in different pages will help the reader understand where an appendix starts and ends. Also, add page numbers on your appendix at the bottom right corner or at the centre of the page. In this case, ensure that you use the same formatting as in the rest of the report. Additionally, continue numbering from your last page of text to include the appendix as part of your report. For instance, if your text ends at page 15, You should continue numbering your page at 16. (Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)
• You should include the appendix heading followed by a letter or number, such as Appendix 1 or Appendix A- It should be written in bold and centred. Also, ensure that this heading has the same font size and font as the rest of the titles in your report. 
•  You should list your appendix in the table of contents
•  Appendices should be ordered depending on how they were mentioned in your report- Having an ordered appendix makes it user-friendly and eases its accessibility.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)
• Read through your appendix for cohesion and clarity- Ideally, there is no specific word count for an appendix. However, you should ensure that it is not unnecessarily long, which may discourage readers from going through it. Also, an unnecessary lengthy appendix makes your report look cluttered and unprofessional. Therefore, ensure that you remove any information that does not relate to the text. You may ask another person to read through the appendix to help you identify which data they find relevant In the section and which one you should get rid of.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)

Instances Where You Should Include Appendices in Your Report

• If including the material in your body would interrupt the structure and narrative flow of a report.
• Information is too lengthy and detailed to be summarised in the body of your report.
• You have relevant information that is more easily understood and analyzed in a self-contained section of the paper.
•  When you have additional information but are restricted by the length of your paper.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)
•  When you want your reader to have a better understanding of your research problem by providing additional details.

FAQs

How can I add an appendix to my report?

You can add an appendix to your report by indicating the appendix name and then adding any figure or information that provides more details to your text.

 How can I create an appendix in MS Word?

 Start by inserting a section break where you want your appendix to appear. Additionally, you can use a page break when creating an appendix on a new page. Then add your heading and ensure that you add each appendix on its page.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)

 How do I cite an appendix?

Citing your appendix depends on your style for the rest of your report. If you use APA in your text, you should incorporate the same while formatting the appendix.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)

Do I have to input figures, chats, and photographs in the appendix?

Ideally, you should add these illustrations to your appendix. However, you may include figures in the body of a report, especially if they are easily understandable and do not interfere with the comprehension of your text. Nonetheless, consult their professor on the best guideline depending on your report requirements.(Tips To Structure the Appendix Section of Your Report)