The Appendices in the thesis

In some cases, the appendix or appendices are indispensable. If you are writing a thesis in philology and discussing a rare text that you have found and transcribed, you can present this text in the appendix, and this may be the most original contribution of the entire work. In a thesis in history in which you often refer to a certain document, you could present it in the appendix, even if it has already been published. A thesis in law that discusses a law or a body of laws should present these in the appendix (unless they are part of current, widely accessible codes). Place tables, dia­grams, and statistical data in the appendix, unless they are short examples that you can insert into the main text.

In general, place particular materials in the appendix to prevent long and boring quotes in the body of the text, and to facilitate quick reference. Place in the appendix all the data and documents that would burden the text and make reading difficult. On the other hand, numerous references to the appendix can also make reading difficult, especially if they force the reader to constantly page back and forth between the section he is reading and the end of the thesis. In these cases you should follow common sense, if nothing else, by doing every­thing you can to make the text clear, inserting short citations, and summarizing the content of the material which appears in the appendix.

If you think it is fitting to develop a cer­tain theoretical point, yet you realize that it interferes with the development of your overall argument because it is an accessory to or an extension of your topic, you can place the treatment of that point in the appendix. Suppose you are writing a thesis on the influence of Aristotle’s Poetics and Rhetoric on Renaissance thought, and you discover that, in the twentieth century, the Chicago School has offered contem­porary reinterpretations of these texts. If the observations of the Chicago School are useful to clarify the relationship between Aristotle and Renaissance thought, you will cite them in the text. But it may be interesting to go deeper into the topic in a separate appendix, where you can use the example of the Chicago School’s reinterpretations to illustrate how not only Renaissance scholars but also scholars in our century have made an effort to revitalize the Aristotelian texts. Similarly, you may find yourself writing a thesis in Romance philology on the character of Tristan, and dedicating an appendix to the myth’s use by the Decadent movement, from Wagner to Thomas Mann. This topic is not immediately relevant to the philological topic of your thesis, but you may wish to argue that Wagner’s interpretation provides interest­ing suggestions to the philologist or, on the contrary, that it represents a model of flawed philology, perhaps suggesting further reflection and investigation. This kind of appendix is not recommended for a thesis, because it better suits the work of a mature scholar who can take the liberty of venturing into erudite digres­sions and various modes of criticism. However, I am suggesting it for psychological reasons. Inspired by your enthusiasm, you will sometimes discover complementary or alternative avenues of research, and you will not resist the temptation to discuss these insights. By reserving these insights for the appendix, you will be able to satisfy your need to express them without com­promising the rigor of your thesis.

Source: Eco Umberto, Farina Caterina Mongiat, Farina Geoff (2015), How to write a thesis, The MIT Press.