Cohesion and Clarity
12- 8
“I try to limit the experiments presented to those that form a linear and logical thought proce ss…. If the experiment resides outside of this linear thought process, I am more hesitant to include it; rather, its results may be noted as ‘data not shown.’ If you cannot resist including such an experiment, then work hard on trying to find a logical tie-in that disrupts the flow as little as possible.” — Pierre D. McCrea, PhD Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
√ Connect ideas in adjacent paragraphs.
Connecting ideas between paragraphs is another important element of linear writing. This can be done by using connecting words and phrases. It can also be done by repeating words or phrases. Notice how the second paragraph is connected to the first in the following example: Therapy for idiopathic venous thromboembolism typically includes a 5- to 10-day course of heparin followed by 3 to 12 months of oral anticoagulation therapy with full-dose warfarin.… In observation al studies, full-dose warfarin is associated with rates of major bleeding episodes ranging from 5 to 9 percent annually. Similarly, an annual rate of major hemorrhage of 3.8 percent was observed in a recent trial of full-dose warfarin despite careful on-site monitoring of anticoagulation therapy. In contrast, low-intensity warfarin carries a low risk of bleeding when used on a long-term basis, and such therapy may require less frequent monitoring…. (From Ridker et al., 2003) Another way to connect paragraphs is to lead from the final sentence in 1 to the topic sentence in the next. Look at the example below, which shows the first and last sentences of the first paragraph and the first sentence of the following paragraph. Notice how the 2 paragraphs are connected:
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