revising the research paper standard paragraph length unity coherence
TRANSCRIPT
Standard paragraph length
– Research suggests an average of 8 lines per paragraph for reports and other long documents.
– Any paragraph longer than 10 lines must be carefully examined: Do you need to break this up? Does it have unity, or are you including unnecessary sentences?
(Lesikar et al., 2008)
Paragraph unity
All sentences in a paragraph support one idea.
Fix:1. Do you have a topic sentence?2. Do all your sentences support this
topic sentence?3. Do you need to remove or relocate
some sentences?
Two levels
Paragraph-level/Local coherence – linkage of ideas/sentences in the
within a paragraph
Essay-level/Global coherence – linkage of paragraphs in the entire
essay
Local coherence
1. Use of sentence linkers – Ex: in addition, also for addition;
however, on the other hand for contrast; for example for exemplification
2. Leveling up: Linguistic signals to show idea relationships
Good: Better: A study by Murrel and Montgomery (2007) shows the effectiveness of using stem cell therapy in treating certain types of cancer. . . [support] A study by Steuart (2009) also shows that stem cell therapy effectively treats breast cancer. . . . [evidence]
A study by Murrel and Montgomery (2007) shows the effectiveness of using stem cell therapy in treating certain types of cancer. . . [support] These results are also supported by Steuart’s (2009) study that shows that stem cell therapy effectively treats breast cancer. . . . [evidence]
Common errors
thusThe pressure builds up, thus causes* fault lines to enlarge.
Fix:The pressure builds up, thus causing fault lines to enlarge.The pressure builds up and thus (therefore) causes fault lines to enlarge.
Common errorson the contraryCold therapy accelerates the rate of blood circulation; on the contrary* heat therapy slows it down.
Fix: Cold therapy accelerates the rate of blood circulation; in contrast, heat therapy slows it down.
on the contrary – intensification
The US bases were not established for the Philippines’ protection; on the contrary, they were placed here to promote American security interests.
on the contrarySex education does not encourage sexual experimentation; on the contrary, ____________________________.
Common errors
Acupuncture has a number of benefits. For one, it stimulates blood circulation. Another*, it releases pain killing chemicals in the body.
For another, it releases pain killing chemicals in the body.
Global coherence strategies
Paragraph linkers – within sectionsTransitions – from one section to the next
Global coherence strategies
Paragraph linkers– Linguistic signals used to show
connection among paragraphs
Paragraph linkers
One cause of cancer is a person’s lifestyle. Smoking and poor diet, for example, lead to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Another cause is heredity. Certain cancers like leukemia are . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
________________ is the environment.
Transitions
Use transitions when you go from one major topic to the nextStrategy:GIVEN + NEW
given = what has been discussednew = what will be discussed
The Effects of Trade LiberalizationI. DefinitionII. Advantages
A. Economic advantagesB. Human development
III. DisadvantagesA. Loss of livelihoodB. Death of local industries
Trade liberalization is said to have a number of advantages. One of them is economic . . .[paragraphs on the advantages]
[SHORT TRANSITION PARAGRAPH (1 to 3 sentences): Mention the previous level 1 topic and introduce the next.]
One disadvantage of liberalization is that it. . . [paragraphs on the disadvantages]
Trade liberalization is said to have a number of advantages. One of them is economic . . . [paragraphs on the advantages]
As discussed, trade liberalization has been expected to provide benefits in terms of economic and human capital development. However, the Philippines’ experience shows that these benefits have not been realized at all. On the contrary, it experienced many setbacks as a result of economic liberalization.
One disadvantage of liberalization is that it. . . [paragraphs on the disadvantages]
Studies show that globalization provides a number of advantages for developing countries. These advantages are increased technological development, more opportunities for trade, and greater chance for employment. (preview paragraph)
[paragraphs on advantages]