Several times I have been asked what helps make a good paper. Over the last several years I have developed a better answer. Essentially, I have replied with the following:

Every section of your paper begins with an advanced organizer which tells the reader what will be told in the remainder of the section.

Every paragraph begins with a topic sentence which tells the reader what will be said the remainder of the paragraph.

Every paragraph has an information sentence which contains a noun or verb form from the topic sentence. In this manner a theme is transported across sentences and within the paragraph.

Sentences vary in length and are rarely longer than 14 words. Short sentences provide impact. Long comma-filed sentences adversely impact or stifle the cognitve processes of the reader.

Every succeeding information sentence contains a noun or verb from from the preceeding sentence for continued transportation.

Every paragraph ends with a concluding sentence which contains a noun or verb from the topic sentence and uses a noun or verb which signals the topic sentence of the following paragraph. In this manner, a well crafted paragraph has a minimum of three sentences.

Every section ends with a summary paragraph which tells the reader what they were supposed to have read and warns the reader what will come in the following section.

Paragraphs probably are shorter than a full page. A good guideline for a paragraph is two-thirds of a standard 8.5 by 11 page. Paragraphs require more than two-thirds of a page probably will loose their purpose by the beginning of the second page.

Pronouns have a special place in writing and are rarely found in scholarly texts. When a pronoun is used, the question must be answered quickly: to what does this prounoun refer? If the answer is not abundantly clear, the sentence is probably poorly cast and must be recast without the pronoun. Pronouns are evidence of lazy writing and must be avoided.

APA Fifth Edition of the Publication Manual has numerous nuances for better word choices, for headings, for citations, and for references. The Fifth Edition will cause many readers to pause; should you make an error in following the Fifth Edition, the rest of your document can be brought into question.

Please note these features of a well-written paper can be verified quickly and very mechanically.