In an editorial for University Affairs, Letitia Henville and Dr Rachael Cayley (University of Toronto) discuss the importance of signposting in academic writing. Henville and Cayley explain that signposting involves providing indicators of the paper’s structure throughout, by using phrases like “This section will discuss” or “Now we’re going to see…”. The benefit of signposting is that it can reinforce the text’s overall structure and make it easier for the reader to navigate the ideas therein. Henville and Cayley underline some cases where signposting may not be as necessary however, for instance in the case of a grant application or a paper that follows a strict, predictable structure.
University Affairs
