By Dana P Skopal, PhD
This one word – coherence – seems to create many issues for writers. If a text is coherent, we know it makes sense. So how can we define coherence? Coherence covers both the ordering of key points as well as links between sentences.
So think about coherence as logical connections between report sections, paragraphs and sentences. Aim to unjumble your information and order it coherently for the reader by:
- knowing the big picture that you are trying to convey
- knowing the key five or six stages and check they are in a suitable order
- checking you use consistent terms throughout
- linking your ideas with word markers such as first, second etc
- giving information in stages within a paragraph, with no new information at the beginning of a sentence
- having someone else read your text to see if it makes sense.
As a writer you need to revise your first drafts, as often our first version may well be a brain-dump of information.
Check how you use key words in headings or topic sentences, and ask yourself if they relate back to your main message. You may well lose your reader if you are not consistent in the terms that you use. Next check how you link each sentence; the reader needs to be guided step by step (which at times may seem slow for a writer who knows all the information).
Sometimes you can learn more about coherence by having a good mate read your writing and tell you where they just don’t get your logic.
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