What Is Citation?

A "citation" is the way you tell your readers that certain material in your work came from another source. It also
gives your readers the information necessary to find that source again, including:

• information about the author

• the title of the work
• the name and location of the company that published your copy of the source
• the date your copy was published
• the page numbers of the material you are borrowing

Why should I cite sources?

Giving credit to the original author by citing sources is the only way to use other people's work without plagiarizing. But there are a
number of other reasons to cite sources:

• citations are extremely helpful to anyone who wants to find out more about your ideas and where they
came from
• not all sources are good or right -- your own ideas may often be more accurate or interesting than those of
your sources. Proper citation will keep you from taking the rap for someone else's bad ideas
• citing sources shows the amount of research you've done
• citing sources strengthens your work by lending outside support to your ideas.

When do I need to cite?

Whenever you borrow words or ideas, you need to acknowledge their source. The following situations almost always require
citation:

• whenever you use quotes

• whenever you paraphrase
• whenever you use an idea that someone else has already expressed
• whenever you make specific reference to the work of another
• whenever someone else's work has been critical in developing your own ideas.

How do I write in text citations?

In-text citations include the last name of the author followed by a page number enclosed in parentheses.
"Here's a direct quote" (Smith 8). If the author's name is not given, then use the first word or words of the title. Follow the
same formatting that was used in the works cited list, such as quotation marks.

What is a bibliography?
A bibliography is a list of works on a subject or by an author that were used or consulted to write a research
paper, book or article. It can also be referred to as a list of works cited. It is usually found at the end of a book,
article or research paper.

A bibliography is a list of all of the sources you have used (whether referenced or not) in the process of
researching your work. In general, a bibliography should include:

• the authors' names

• the titles of the works
• the names and locations of the companies that published your copies of the sources
• the dates your copies were published
• the page numbers of your sources (if they are part of multi-source volumes)

OK, So What's an Annotated Bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is the same as a bibliography with one important difference: in an annotated bibliography, the
bibliographic information is followed by a brief description of the content, quality, and usefulness of the source.
OK, So How Is a Bibliography Different from a "Works Cited"
or "References" List?
The Works Cited or References list is only comprised of references to those items actually cited in the paper.

How to Write a Bibliography in MLA Format

The MLA (Modern Language Association) format is primarily used for English Literature and other disciplines of the humanities.
This style typically uses a Works Cited page.

As you write your paper, keep track of all the studies, books, films, internet articles, and other sources you consulted while writing
the paper. You’ll need to note:

• author
• title
• place of publication
• publisher
• date of publication
• page numbers

When you include these sources in your works cited, they should be in alphabetical order.

Indexing
What is Indexing?
Indexing is the process of creating indexes for record collections. Having indexes allows researchers to
more quickly find records for specific individuals; without them, researchers might have to look through
hundreds or thousands of records to locate an individual record. It also represents a number referring to a
list of terms, definitions, topics etc. arranged in alphabetical order in order to efficiently guide the readers to
the desired information within the content.Indexing facilitates in the organization of literature in such a
manner that makes the document of interest easily identifiable by the readers.
The Need for Indexes

• The function of an index is to give users systematic and effective shortcuts to the information they need.
• Indexes are needed for any information collection, except the very smallest.

Indexing Procedure

Example/sample
 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, drawings of
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
unintentional plagiarizing.

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 material 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 (eg.
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 case. 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, 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 to always 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 on the appendix of a research paper need to be either at the center of the page or on
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 and 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.