Using signposts in your research paper can guide your reader through your explanations and arguments, making your paper easier to read. These signposts can be single words or longer phrases and can work at different levels in a text – from organizing the overall structure of a research paper to clarifying single sentences. However, many scientists do not use these useful signposts in their research writing, leaving their reader to make important connections by themselves. In this blog post, I explain how to use signposts to connect your ideas and tell a coherent story.

Subheadings are useful global signposts that show the reader which section of a paper (Introduction, Methods, Results, or Discussion) they are reading. These sections can be divided even further to help the reader find specific information quickly and easily. For example, the Methods section might be divided according to the different experiments performed and the Results section might be divided according to the data gathered from these experiments. At this level, signposts can be even more effective if they are used consistently between sections. For example, presenting the data in the Results section in the order the experiments are described in the Methods section, and then discussing these data in the same order in the Discussion.

Another useful signpost is to start each paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the main point and prepares the reader for what follows. This is particularly useful in the Results section of your research paper when you are describing your data. In this section, paragraphs are often cluttered with values and statistics that get in the way of the main point. Summarizing the main finding outright tells the reader what is going on, allowing them to process the list of values and statistics that follow rather than struggling to decipher for themselves what the data mean.

Signposts that are related to the topic sentence can also guide your reader through the paragraph. For example, the topic sentence

Climate change is a global crisis with multiple causes

can be followed by signposts that deliver these causes such as:

The major cause of climate change is burning fossil fuels, which releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the air

and
Another contributing factor is deforestation, which reduces the absorption of carbon dioxide via photosynthesis

In research writing, transitional expressions can act as signposts to show the relationship between points. For example, transitional expressions can:

• show that the next point is an addition to the last one (and, or, in addition, furthermore)
• show a difference or contrast between two points (however, whereas, but, yet, in contrast)
• indicate that two points have a similar meaning (similarly, equally, in the same way)
• show that one point causes another (consequently, as a result, therefore, because)
• indicate a sequence of events or an order of importance (first, second, next, to start, to finish, subsequently)
• summarize an idea or argument (in other words, in conclusion, to summarize)
• show that one point illustrates another (for example, such as, for instance).

The Academic Phrasebank gives a comprehensive list of useful words and phrases for all sections of a research paper. However, these phrases need to be used sparingly to be effective – if we start every sentence with in addition or furthermore or for example, we will make our writing harder rather than easier to read. We also need to make sure that we use the correct expression for our purpose to avoid confusion. So think carefully about whether the phrase is really needed and whether it is useful to the reader.
 

Guiding your reader through your ideas and arguments will make your research paper easier to understand. Following the tips outlined in this post will help you to create effective signposts that show your reader the way through your text.

Claire Bacon is a former research scientist with professional qualifications in copyediting and medical editing. She edits scientific research papers and teaches courses on scientific writing.