Let’s consider the following text as an example. A closing sentence can be safely omitted in short paragraphs dealing with rather simple and straight-forward ideas, but it is an essential element when discussing more complex topics. So don’t start with the details, start your paragraphs with the topic or main point and help your reader avoid the frustration!Īs the topic sentence is the optimal beginning of your paragraph, a closing sentence providing a brief summary or conclusion is the best way to wrap-up the contents of your paragraph and create a smooth transition to the next paragraph. ![]() Maybe you have read paragraphs like those before: when the paragraph finally comes to the point, you need to read it again to really understand it. If the topic you write about is complex (and I bet your research project is complex), this approach typically leads to a cognitive overload of your reader. On the other hand, if you omit the topic sentence and start out with details, your reader will need to keep everything in their mind until you finally provide the key to tie all those details together. Check out how it works with this article and its topic sentences. ![]() Moreover, the proper use of topic sentences allows the reader to gain an overview of the article content by just reading the first sentence of each paragraph. It gives the reader an idea of what the paragraph is going to be about - it provides context which enables the reader to easily follow the subsequent reasoning and understand the details even when they are complex. This topic sentence, the sentence containing the main point or introducing the topic of the paragraph, makes for the perfect beginning of your paragraph. If it is not possible to find an overarching theme for all the details contained in your paragraph, then you should either split the paragraph (if it deals with several different points) or think about what you want to say with that paragraph in the first place (if it seems like the paragraph is not making any point at all). To test whether a paragraph really contains a single topic is simple: try to express the topic of your paragraph in one sentence. A paragraph allows you to introduce, discuss, and conclude an idea in a “single package”, which makes the reader’s job as easy as it can get. The golden rule of writing great paragraphs is to discuss only one idea or topic per paragraph. But is this really a good criterion? If you have any doubts about how to best structure your scientific text in paragraphs, then this article is for you. How do you make paragraphs in your scientific texts? Do you proceed intuitively, as one researcher admitted to me recently? He reported to start a new paragraph simply when the current one gets “long enough”. If you feel like your manuscripts are hard to understand and lack a flow and logical structure, learning the art of paragraph writing might be just the solution you need. Carefully designed paragraphs are the key to well-structured and easy-to-read texts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |