Paragraphing (Part 1 of 2)

Alistair Reeves; Phil Leventhal

Volume 21, Issue 4 - Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Paragraphing (Part 1 of 2)

Authors: Alistair Reeves, Phil Leventhal

Abstract

The purpose of paragraphing is to make text understandable and easy to read, and to help you tell your story effectively. Paragraphing is difficult because the purpose of the documents we produce and their readership are diverse. To make matters worse, little guidance is given in school and during higher education. Paragraphing is not governed by standard rules; some conventions apply but often are – or have to be – ignored in scientific and medical texts. This is the first of two articles on paragraphing and deals with basic issues that face medical writers and editors. The second article will look at developing paragraphs from ideas when you plan a document.

Keywords: Paragraphing, Linking words, Text flow, Scientific writing, Topic sentence, Freelance

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References

O'Connor TR, Holmquist GP. Algorithm for writing a scientific manuscript. Biochem Mol Biol Educ 2009;37(6):344–8.
Fowler HW. In: Gowers E (ed.) A dictionary of modern English usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1981.
Burrough-Boenisch J. Erratum: subparagraphing in ‘A Bit of Culture’. TWS 2004;13(3):79–81.
Bernstein TM. The careful writer. A modern guide to english usage. New York: Atheneum; 1985.

Volume 21, Issue 4 - Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Paragraphing (Part 1 of 2)

Authors: Alistair Reeves, Phil Leventhal

Abstract

References

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