Hi.
This is Karen McKee, retired scientist and author.
In a previous video, I talked about how scientific papers should follow a clear narrative or
story arc.
The introduction describes the system under study and introduces conflict in the form
of a problem to be solved.
The methods section contributes to the rising action by describing how the study was done.
The story reaches a climax in the results section when the author describes what happened
in the laboratory experiment or field study.
The story ends with the resolution in which the reader learns what it all means, and this
is typically told in the discussion.
This narrative structure can also be applied to a paper’s sections and subsections to
improve flow and coherence.
In this video, I’m going to examine in more detail how to use the story arc to create
more effective sections and subsections for your paper.
Let’s take a look at an example to illustrate what I’m talking about.
In this paper, each major section follows its own story arc.
The abstract, of course, follows the overall story arc of the paper.
But the other sections also follow their individual story arcs.
For example, the introduction.
It first sets the stage by describing in the first two paragraphs the ecosystem under study
and why it is a logical choice to study how accumulation of peat allows mangrove islands
to build their soil surfaces vertically and keep pace with sea-level rise.
The next paragraph states the conflict, which is that although the biogenic nature of such
peat-forming systems is generally recognized, the processes involved have not been directly
linked to changes in elevation.
The fourth paragraph describes how the authors addressed the conflict by determining rates
of elevation change along with measurements of plant matter accumulation, both modern
rates and geological rates.
The end of that paragraph describes the resolution, which is that the results were compared with
a sea-level curve to predict how peat-forming mangroves may respond to future sea-level
rise.
The last sentence states how the work is applicable to other coastal systems.
Although you may not find all the story arc components in a particular section,
The idea is to ensure that each section, subsection, or paragraph makes a clear point and that
they all link together to make a coherent whole.
You can also use subheadings to help the reader follow the narrative flow.
In this paper, the results and discussion are combined but still build a narrative with
subheadings used as guideposts.
The first subsection deals with modern rates of accretion and elevation change determined
in the study.
The second subsection focuses in on surface and subsurface processes controlling elevation
change.
The third subsection describes past peat formation and geological accretion over thousands of
years.
And the fourth and final subsection brings it all together to explain how mangrove islands
have kept pace with sea level in the past and how they may respond in the future.
These subsections are thus organized to tell a story about a mangrove ecosystem, and the
subheadings help the reader follow the narrative.
To drive home the idea of each narrative unit conveying a clear point and how the story
arc can help, consider a badly written paragraph.
Pause the video and read this paragraph.
Try to see what the problem is.
One problem with this paragraph is that it’s not clear what the main point is.
Is it about production and decay of mangrove roots?
About what nutrients limit root growth?
Or about how thick peat deposits are in the Caribbean?
We don’t know.
It’s basically a string of declarative sentences about various topics, but there is no logical
flow to how the sentences are arranged.
The author has skipped over some important transitional information and included some
extraneous information such as the fact that root decay rates were not measured.
One way to fix this narrative is to develop a story arc in which the information is presented
in a logical sequence to the reader.
Again, pause the video and read the revised narrative.
In this improved version, we are told a more coherent story about this mangrove ecosystem
and how it keeps pace with rising sea level.
The stage is first set by describing in general terms the processes of interest and the study
site in Belize.
The first sentence tells us the theme: sea-level rise and peat accumulation
Decomposition is mentioned but in the context of explaining peat formation.
The next two sentences drill down and focus in on the processes of interest: mangrove
root accumulation and soil expansion.
After the stage is set, the result of the fertilization experiment is described and
linked to the biological process of root matter accumulation.
The larger significance of this finding for the wider Caribbean Region is conveyed in
the last two sentences.
And the last sentence brings the paragraph full circle by repeating a phrase from the
first sentence, sea-level rise.
The paragraph now flows much better because the information has been rearranged in a story
arc.
It’s also better because each sentence is structured so as to enhance the reader’s
comprehension.
Go through the paragraph again and note how in each sentence old information is given
first, linking backwards to the previous sentence.
And new information is given at the end of the sentence or after the reader has been
prepared for it.
Also, repeating a term from a previous sentence helps sustain the flow.
As in a relay race, each sentence passes the baton to the next sentence.
If you find yourself with a paragraph that doesn’t flow well, try revising it with
the story arc in mind.
Note that this revision is only a first pass.
More changes may be needed to polish and particularly to link it with the paragraphs that precede
and follow it.
As you write each narrative unit, you might want to ask yourself these questions:
Does each section, subsection, and paragraph make a clear point?
Is the main point of each unit clarified in a subheading or an opening sentence?
Are those narrative units linked together in a way to make a coherent whole?
Have I used sufficient transitions to help the flow?
By ensuring each narrative unit has a clear point and follows a story arc, your writing
will flow much better.
Thanks for watching and please like my video if you found it helpful.