There are several elements to a paper that lie outside that which may be called “the running text”. These elements, while important (and required) in some longer texts, include some of sections that may not be necessary in all types of assignments, such as a Table of Contents, a list of Keywords, and a Glossary.
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Appendix
The appendix (plural: appendices) is found at the end of a paper, usually but not always after the bibliography or references cited. This section contains material that is too lengthy to be presented in the body of the paper. The appendix may contain things like images, interview or survey questions, release forms, long lists of repository identification numbers, lengthy modifications to methods, and so forth.
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Bibliography
A Bibliography is a list in which all works consulted for the text are given. Each entry in this list should have at least the author(s) name(s), the year of publication, and the title of the cited work and its origin (for example, the journal name if the work was published in a journal, or book name if the cited work is a book chapter, web site if the work was published only online, and so forth). The order in which these entries are listed, and the way that entries are formatted, differs in different fields.
A Bibliography differs from a References section in that References usually contain only those works that are specifically cited in the text.
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Contents
Many types of papers have a Contents section, which is usually listed as a Table of Contents that reports the title and page number of each section and subsection of the paper. The Contents section or table usually occurs near the beginning of the paper, usually after the Abstract but before the Introduction.
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Glossary/Abbreviation list
If the paper uses technical terms, unusual abbreviations, or common words in an unusual way, it can be a good idea to have a Glossary and/or an Abbreviation list. Typically these lists are presented before, or as a part of, the Introduction or Background. A Glossary or Abbreviation list could also occur in a Methods section if the jargon or abbreviations have to do only with methods, and therefore these words are encountered only in the Methods and/or Materials sections. In publications, a Glossary or Abbreviation list sometimes occurs at the end of a paper, as an Appendix.
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Keywords
Keywords are often listed after the Abstract. When selecting Keywords, make sure that they are not too general. For example, if you have written an essay about the use of irony in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice you should not have “19th century novels” or “women writers” as Keywords. At the same time, your Keywords should not be too detailed either, since then it might be difficult for potential readers to find your text.
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References cited
References cited (or just References) is a list in which all works referred to by name in the text are given. The works cited should list at least the author(s) name(s), the year of publication, and the title of the cited work and its origin (for example, the journal name if the work was published in a journal, or book name if the cited work is a book chapter, web site if the work was published only online, and so forth). The order in which these entries are listed, and the way that entries are formatted, differs in different fields.
A References section differs from a bibliography in that a bibliography may also contain sources that were consulted for the text, but were not mentioned by name in the text.
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