Signposting in Essay Writing
Imagine trying to find your way around a new city if there were no street signs or
traffic signs. In academic writing, signposts are very important. In a longer essay, it is
not sufficient to simply outline the intended essay structure in the introduction – you
need 'signposts' throughout the essay to remind the reader where he has come from
and to tell him where you plan to go next. Signposts can take the form of words
signalling the order in which ideas are presented or sentences explaining the
transition from one section of your writing to another.
Transition sentences
 Example 1
Having examined the role of the liver in breaking down alcohol within the body it is
now necessary to consider the effects of excessive consumption of alcohol on other
parts of the digestive system.
 Example 2
To this point the focus has been on the potential health benefits of genetic
modification of foods, particularly in addressing specific dietary deficiencies.
However, it is important to recognize that genetic modification is not always
motivated by a desire to address health issues. It is now important to consider some
examples of genetic modification which appear driven more by marketing than health
considerations.
 Example 3
In the above discussion several advantages of the proposed new surgical techniques
have been considered. It is important however to also examine some potential
disadvantages. In terms of patient recovery times, for instance, there are real
concerns regarding…
Example 4
Clearly bioterrorism presents a number of serious challenges for law enforcement
agencies in the United States, and these have been outlined above. However,
dealing with bioterrorism is even more complex in regions where the impact may
affect populations in several countries at once. This requires agreements on
jurisdiction and a high level of cooperation between enforcement agencies from the
different countries. Issues related to this situation will now be considered, with a
focus on Western Europe.
Reminders
Often in discussing a particular point within an essay we list several factors,
sometimes using 'sequence markers' ( Firstly , Secondly, Thirdly). If there are a
number of factors to consider, it is useful to remind the reader of the point to which
they relate. In the examples below the particular point is underlined.
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Firstly,…
Secondly,…
A third factor in healthy liver function is…
You will notice this involves a linking word or phrase + restatement of
particular or central point.
If there are several factors then a suitable phrase can be used to introduce
additional ones:
Firstly,…
Secondly,…
Thirdly,…
Another significant factor in assessing the risks of bioterrorism is…
Another key implication of the shift to new surgical procedures is…
A further factor to consider in the debate on genetic modification is…
Finally,…
Contact information
Email hheywood@marjon.ac.uk
Twitter @DigitalFeline