Field Course in Aquatic Ecology

Topics

• The first sentence in your paragraph clearly states your main point. Everything else that follows simply supports that
• main point. Many studies have found that this main point is supported under these conditions (references). And so on
• and so on
• For example
• “Despite the widespread use of nanosilver in consumer products, very little is known about how it interacts with aquatic
• communities in a natural setting.” Every sentence after this now discusses what little might be known about those
• interactions, and what gaps in knowledge might exist (making a good segue to your objectives, perhaps)
• This is how many students (including myself when I started writing) like to structure their paragraphs
• Some piece of information about something. However, some other piece of information that contradicts that
• something. Some other piece of information. Therefore, I have left my topic sentence to the end of the paragraph
• supported by everything that came before it, which is a terrible idea
• (assuming you make it past peer review)