Effective Transition Terms in Research Papers

Categories of Transitions accomplish many different objectives. We can divide all transitions into
four basic categories:
transitions
• Additive transitions signal that you are adding or referencing information
• Adversative transitions indicate conflict or disagreement
• Causal transitions point to consequences and show cause-and-effect relationships
• Sequential transitions clarify the sequence of information and overall structure of
the paper

Additive These terms signal that new information is being added (between both sentences and
paragraphs); introduce or highlight information; refer to something that was just
Transitions
mentioned; add similar situation; or identify certain information as important.

Purpose Common Terms Common Phrases Examples in Research Writing

Adding Information Also; Additionally; In addition to; As well as; In “Furthermore, the data shows that X is a significant
Furthermore; fact; Not only…but also; As a factor.”
Moreover matter of fact “In addition to the above-mentioned study, Rogers
also presents…”
Introducing/ Particularly; Notably; For example/instance; To “Notably, only two species of this fish survive.”
Highlighting Especially illustrate; In particular; One “One example of this phenomenon is X.”
example (of this is) “To illustrate this phenomenon, let’s do XYZ.”
Referencing Considering (this); As for (this); The fact that; “Considering the amount of research in this area,
Concerning (this); With regards to (this); On little evidence has been found.”
Regarding (this) the subject of (this); Looking “With regards to the Blue Whale, its teeth are also
at (this information) the largest of any mammal.”
Showing Similarity Similarly; Likewise; By the same token; In the “Likewise, the algorithm was applied to Y.”
Equally same way; In a similar way “By the same token, this principle can be applied
to Z.”
Clarifying/ Specifically; Namely That is (to say); In other “There are two factors: namely, X and Y.”
Identifying words; (To) put (it) another “In other words, the fall of the Roman Empire was
Important way; What this means is; caused by over-expansion.”
Information This means (that)
Adversative Authors These terms and phrases distinguish facts, arguments, and other information,
whether by contrasting and showing differences; by conceding points or making
Transitions
counterarguments; by dismissing the importance of a fact or argument; or replacing
and suggesting alternatives.

Purpose Common Terms Common Phrases Examples in Research Writing

Contrasting/ But; Still; However; While; In contrast; On the “However, there is still more research needed.”
Showing Whereas; Conversely; contrary; On the other “On the other hand, the 1997 study does not
conflict (and) yet hand; …when in fact; By recognize these outcomes.”
way of contrast
Distinguishing/ Indeed; Besides; Even more; Above all; “Indeed, a placebo is essential to any
Emphasizing Significantly; Primarily More/Most importantly pharmaceutical study.”
“Most importantly, the X enzyme increased.”
Conceding a Nevertheless; Even so; Even though; In “Nevertheless, X is still an important factor.”
point Nonetheless; Although; spite of (this); “In spite of this fact, New York still has a high
Despite (this); However; Notwithstanding (this); Be standard of living.”
Regardless (of this); that as it may “Although this may be true, there are still other
Admittedly factors to consider.”
Dismissing an Regardless (of) Either way; In any case; In “Regardless of the result, this fact is true.”
argument or any event; Whatever “Either way, the effect is the same.”
assertion happens; All the same; At “In any event, this will not change the public’s
any rate view.”
Replacing/ Instead (of); (or) rather; (or) at least “Instead of using X, the scientists used Z.”
Indicating an “Or rather, why not implement a brand new
Alternative policy?”

Causal These terms and phrases signal the reasons, conditions, purposes, circumstances, and
cause-and-effect relationships. They can also explore hypothetical relationships or
Transitions
circumstances.

Purpose Common Terms Common Phrases Examples in Research Writing

Showing Cause or Since; For; As; Due to (the fact that); For the “Since the original sample group was too small,
Reason Because (of the fact reason that; Owing to (the researchers called for more participants.”
that) fact); Inasmuch as “Due to budgetary demands, funding will be cut
in half.”
Explaining If…then; Unless; In the event that; As/So long “Unless these conditions change, more will need
the Conditions Granting (that); as; Only if to be done.”
Granted (that); “As long as there is oxygen, oxidization will occur
Provided (that) in all living things.”
Showing Consequently; As a result (of this); For this “Therefore, we can conclude that this was an
the Effects/Results Therefore; Thus; reason; As a consequence; So asymmetric catalysis.”
Accordingly; Because much (so) that “As a consequence, many consumers began to
(of this) demand safer products.”
Showing For the purpose(s) of; With “For the purpose of following standards, the X rule
the Purpose (this fact) in mind; In the was observed.”
hope that; In order that/to; “With the current state of pandas in mind, this
So as to study focused on preservation.”
Highlighting Otherwise Under those circumstances; “Otherwise, this effect will continue into the
the Importance of That being the case; In that future.”
Circumstances case; If so; All else being “All else being equal, the economic impact of this
equal law seems positive.”

Sequential These transition terms and phrases organize your paper by numerical sequence; by
showing continuation in thought or action; by referring to previously-mentioned
Transitions
information; by indicating digressions; and, finally, by concluding and summing up your
paper.

Purpose Common Terms Common Phrases Examples in Research Writing

Organizing by Initially; Secondly; Thirdly; First of all; To start with; In “Initially, subjects were asked to write their names.”
Number (First/Second/Third); Last the (first/second/third) “First of all, no previous study contradicts these
place findings.”

Showing Subsequently; Previously; “Subsequently, subjects were shown to their

Continuation Afterwards; Eventually; Next; rooms.”
After (this) “Afterwards, they were asked about their
experiences.”
Summarizing/ (Once) again; Summarizing To repeat; As (was) stated “Summarizing this data, it becomes evident that
Repeating (this) before; As (was) mentioned there is a pattern.”
Information earlier/above “As mentioned earlier, pollution has become an
increasing problem.”
Digression/ Incidentally; Coincidentally; By the way; to resume; “Coincidentally, the methods used in the two
Resumption Anyway Returning to the subject; At studies were similar.”
any rate “Returning to the subject, this section will analyze
the results.”
Concluding/ Thus; Hence; Ultimately; To conclude; As a final “Ultimately, these results will be valuable to the
Summarizing Finally; Therefore; point; In conclusion; Given study of X.”
Altogether; Overall; these points; In summary; “In conclusion, there are three things to keep in
Consequently To sum up mind—A, B, and C.”
How to Choose Transitions are common writing elements, but they are also powerful tools that can be
abused or misapplied if you aren’t careful. Here are some ways to make sure you use
Your Transitions
transitions effectively.

• Check for overused, awkward, or absent transitions when you are reading through
and/or editing your paper—not while writing your paper.
• When you a find where a transition might connect ideas, establish relationships, and
make it easier for the reader to understand your point, use this list to find a suitable
transition term or phrase.
• If some transitions are repeated again and again, find a substitute transition from the
list and use that instead. This will help vary your writing and enhance communication
of ideas.
• Read the beginning of each paragraph. Did you include a transition? If not, look at
the information in that paragraph and of the preceding paragraph and ask yourself:
“How does this information connect?” Then locate the best transition from the list.
• Check the structure of your paper—are the order of your ideas clearly laid out? You
should be able to locate sequence terms such as “first,” “second,” “following this,”
“another,” “in addition,” “finally,” “in conclusion,” etc. These terms will help outline
your paper for the reader.

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