Coherence in Academic Writing: What It Is and How to Achieve This

For most early career researchers, writing a research paper can be filled with moments of excitement as well as anxiety. As someone closest to your research, you want to share everything with your readers about the research process, the methodology, the analysis, and the conclusion. As an author, your goals are to communicate the research and also to meaningfully contribute to your field of study.  

While you may be on the right path, it is always a good idea to take a step back and evaluate – will your audience understand what you want to say? Is there coherence in your writing? 

What does coherence in academic writing mean? 

Coherence in academic writing is about crafting your research paper in such a way that your and concepts come across as clear, easy to understand, and fitting together like seamless puzzle pieces. Your audiences should easily be able to read through your text from one point to the next without getting lost and see the complete picture. Words, sentences, paragraphs, sections – must all connect logically and work together to make sense. The aim is to ensure that your readers can easily follow the trajectory of your argument, and not have to make extra efforts to appreciate the research’s significance. (1)

Besides making your research paper easy to comprehend, coherence in academic writing adds to the credibility of the author – that is you – and your research. Indirectly, it displays your mastery of the subject matter, and earns the trust of peer reviewers and journal editors. Also, the likelihood that your paper will be accepted by journals goes up because most reputed journals prioritize innovative and well-researched submissions that are also clear and straightforward.  

However, while maintaining coherence in writing might seem like common sense and the most obvious thing to do it is not easy to achieve. In fact, the process of collating multiple points of information and data as you begin writing your research paper and then creating a lucid narrative sometimes results in a loss of coherence.  

How to check your work for coherence?

As an academic writer, you can review your work for coherence by beginning with individual sentences in your research paper.  (2)(3)

• Individual sentence: Each sentence should be free from grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and punctuation errors. Watch for unnecessary repetition and check if the most appropriate words have been used. 

• Sentences: Assess coherence between sentences. Each sentence should logically follow the previous one. Your readers should easily be able to understand how ideas and concepts build upon the one before it. 

• Individual Paragraph: Check the structure and content within each paragraph. Do all the sentences work together as a ‘team’? Do they complement each other? Does each paragraph confirm that it contributes to the overall coherence of the text? 

• Paragraphs: Individual paragraphs, when combined, form connections that determine how your paper overall makes sense. Just like sentences, each paragraph should be logically connected to the preceding and succeeding paragraphs.  

• Sections and Subsections: For longer documents and manuscripts, establish consistency between subsections or sections. Create a logical flow between different sections to guide the reader through the logical development of arguments with each section and subsection.  

How to improve coherence in writing 

Below are a few techniques to build clarity and coherence into your academic writing: 

1. Transitional Expressions and Phrases: Strategically highlight connections between ideas. Expressions and phrases like ‘however,’ ‘because,’ ‘therefore,’ ‘additionally,’ and ‘on the one hand… on the other’ serve as signposts to your readers, guiding them to the transitioning thought or idea. 
   But these shifts should be used judiciously. Not every idea needs an explicit link, and forcing connections can disturb the natural flow of your writing. 
2. Repeating forms or parallel structures: While excessive repetition of words and phrases is never a good idea, sparing use of repetition can effectively highlight the relationships between ideas. For instance, in sections discussing the limitations of a study, employing a structure such as ‘First… Second… Finally…’ can unify diverse ideas. These words act as hooks, subconsciously building anticipation for the next idea and guiding the reader along. 
3. Pronouns and synonyms: Pronouns and synonyms offer alternatives to repeated words and phrases. When using pronouns, avoid referring to multiple entities with the same pronoun immediately after introducing them. For instance, instead of ‘He had made the same argument last week,’ specify the subject to prevent confusion: ‘John was sure that Tom was wrong. Tom had made the same argument last week.’  

Making your academic writing clear and coherent should be one of your primaries. While the tips provided in this article will be helpful, you will also greatly benefit from planning, regularly reviewing your paper as you write, and keeping your reader at the centre of your academic writing. (4)

References: 

1. An Introduction to Cohesion & Coherence in Academic Papers Key Ideas – Claremont Graduate University 
2. Improving Clarity and Coherence: Essential Elements of Dissertation Writing – Falcon Scientific Editing 
3. Writing With Clarity And Coherence – FasterCapital 
4. Essay writing – Achieving coherence – The University of Auckland
   

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