Writing fundamentals: Consider structure to super-charge readability

Use solid structure and your writing will stand the test of time.

Paragraph structure plays an important role in helping your reader understand your thought process. It’s not exciting, but it really elevates how easily your writing is understood.

Here’s an example of a paragraph that is structured well. It has a topic sentence that reflects what the paragraph will discuss, supporting sentences, and a conclusion sentence.

• “The public health burdens of excess adiposity are well known, but sleep problems are also widespread. Projections suggest nearly 1 in 2 American adults will be living with obesity by 2030, and 1 in 4 will be severely obese.¹⁸ Similarly, nearly 1 in 3 of American adults report routinely sleeping 6 hours/night or less;¹⁹ however, current sleep recommendations are 7-9 hours/night.²⁰ Given that the prevalence of sleep issues is comparable to that of obesity, improving sleep is an equally important public health goal.”

Notice that the topic sentence indicates that we are going to talk about both obesity and sleep problems. Often, students write a topic sentence that is too narrow for the paragraph. If the topic sentence was separated: ““The public health burdens of excess adiposity are well known. However, sleep problems are also widespread,” that would not be a good choice here. It would indicate that you were going to focus on obesity, so when the second sentence introduces sleep, it confuses the reader because it is an abrupt change in topic.   

Also notice the last sentence provides a “take-home” or “so what” message that summarizes the main point. Whenever I write a paragraph, I check to see that the topic sentence is correct, and that I have provided a summary sentence.

I want to emphasize that each supporting sentence is cited. This is normal in academic writing. Sometimes even your topic sentence and/or your conclusion sentence will be cited. When in doubt, cite!

Here’s an example of a paragraph that has some issues. We will take each sentence separately to better identify the problems. First, the topic sentence is: “One paper included in this review compared the effects of group versus individual diet education on food security status.²” After discussing that paper, another sentence in the paragraph states, “Additionally, group education has been shown by others to promote a more beneficial effect.³” This sentence refers to a different paper, but the topic sentence promised a discussion of only one paper. The easiest solution is to rewrite the topic sentence more broadly. Something like, “Group and individual education have been shown to improve a variety of health-related outcomes.” This gives you the ability to talk about multiple papers and concepts.

If you have a solid topic sentence and summary sentence, you have one more task to complete: check your supporting sentences. Do they belong in the paragraph? Do they tell the story logically? Do you connect the ideas, or do you change subjects abruptly? We would be happy to work with you to make sure your writing flows clearly and is structured appropriately. Reach out!