Business & Technical Writing/Appendix/Attachment

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Expert: - 5/25/2005


Question
What is the difference between an appendix and an attachment? What would be the proper usage?


Answer
They're about the same thing, I suppose. One definition of attachment is a supplementary document added to the base document.

It is more a matter of convention than strictly a matter of definition. It is conventional to call supplementary materials at the end of a document, appendices than to call them attachments.

In electronic communication(e-mail), however, the term attachment has specific meaning that is common across most e-mail clients.

Hope this helps.

Business & Technical Writing

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Dan Smith

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I have been a professional writer and editor for more than 30 years, taught speech and English composition at the university level, and have developed speech and English composition courses and seminars for businesses. I am experienced in editing a wide variety of materials, especially business, scientific, and other academic papers. I am familiar with all the major style guides.

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I have edited any number of graduate papers and other technical materials in such advanced fields as clinical psychology, civil and electrical engineering, and semiconductor fabrication. I have extensive experience in working with non-native English speakers.

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