Transitions

Well-structured essays contain signposts to guide readers from one point and one paragraph to another. For example, the last sentence of a paragraph often states explicitly what is coming next, or the first sentence of a paragraph makes an explicit connection to the main idea of the previous one. Clarity demands that your reader not be left to guess why you have moved from one idea to another. 

Many essays are organized in sections composed of multiple paragraphs, and transitions from one of these sections to another should be indicated. In some disciplines this is done by placing headings at the beginning of each section. In Psychology, for example, research reports are commonly divided into sections explicitly labeled:

• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Discussion 

In cases for which headings are inappropriate, transition sentences will insure that readers understand the connections among the sections. 

Many writers delay focus on transition sentences until their second or third drafts where their ideas are in better order.