ABSTRACT
The best persuasive writing and the best research-based writing feature a clear structure, a logical order, and a reasoned presentation. Good writers know that they must work to take their readers with them along the journey of presentation, analysis, and commentary. Synthesis writing incorporates the ideas of others but goes beyond them to present a unique central idea. Some writers of research papers believe that all they need to do is cite one source after another and they are done. This style of writing is like sewing a quilt: the quilt is made up of various, often unrelated, patches. Transitions are the glue that holds together the sentences, paragraphs, and larger sections of nearly all writing. Missing or inadequate transitions create confusion. Transitions of focus are similar to transitions of logic, but they deserve their own category because of the crucial role they play in helping the reader understand the movement of the discussion from general to specific and back.
