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What is critical apparatus? »Its definition and meaning

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The critical apparatus is the technical name of what is frequently known as bibliographic notes, references or citations, which are included in a research work, to reflect the bibliographic contributions on which said research is based. Incorporating a critical appliance into a job brings reliability to the job. Its main mission is to serve as a starting point for the elaboration of criticisms, with which a new knowledge is created.

In ancient times, in the first editions of a text, the editor used to rely on a single manuscript, which he then modified himself according to his point of view, without making comparisons with other similar texts.

The inclusion of a critical apparatus within the text is very advantageous, since through it the exhausting task of quoting the words of an author can be avoided, of which we only require an indirect comparison. The appointments that are made in a book must be numbered consecutively to maintain order. There are writers who choose to follow an individual numbering for each chapter, and others who prefer to continue the same numbering throughout the book.

Citations or notes may appear: at the foot of each page, at the end of each chapter, in this case, the numbering must be obligatorily taken up at the beginning of each one and at the end of the text, after the conclusions, but before the annexes, regardless of the numbering system practiced.

Besides this, the author has the possibility to place comments and annotations to what he is dealing with; He will be able to make observations that he considers appropriate, these will serve to clarify possible confusion; to send the reader to certain sources of information, to refer to some complementary fragments, etc.