A transition is way to move smoothly from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph or section to section. It’s an indicator to the reader that what’s about to be said is related to what you just said.

You can use one-word transitions or multi-word phrases. You can also use full sentences.

Use transitions between sentences. Look at the following examples:

Example-Without Transitions

The shallow soils in the vicinity around the site include the Murrill gravelly loam, the Washington silt loam, the Duffield silt loam, and the Bedford silt loam. The material observed near the surface within the site boundary is formed of various fill materials including sand, gravel, silt and clay as well as concrete and brick fragments.

Example-With Transitions

The shallow soils in the site vicinity include the Murrill gravelly loam, the Washington silt loam, the Duffield silt loam, and the Bedford silt loam. However, the material observed near the surface within the site boundary is formed of various fill materials including sand, gravel, silt and clay as well as concrete and brick fragments.

What’s the difference in meaning between the two?

Use transition between paragraphs. You also need to show the readers the links between you paragraphs:

Example-No Transitions

The mean fracture aperture ranges were calculated as 0.008 1 to 0.080 cm (81 to 800 microns) for the six packer-tested intervals. The overall bedrock mean fracture aperture is estimated as 0.045 cm (450 microns), with a standard deviation of 0.030 cm (300 microns). The mean bedrock fracture porosity can be estimated as the mean fracture aperture (0.045 cm) divided by the mean fracture spacing (28 cm), which is 0.00 16 (unitless) (0.16 percent).

Bedrock core samples from five selected depth intervals from were submitted to Core Laboratories of Houston, Texas, for analysis of bedrock matrix porosity, bulk density, grain density and total organic carbon (Appendix F). The depth intervals 272 feet, 315 feet, 331 feet, 351 feet, and 382 feet, were selected to be representative of the changing lithology encountered in this borehole. The results of these core analyses indicate bedrock matrix porosity ranging from 0.0 16 to 0.191 with a mean of 0.065 (unitless), bulk density values ranging from 2.18 g/cn9 to 2.79 glcm3, and TOC ranging from 0.09 percent to 0.16 percent.

Example-With Transitions

The mean fracture aperture ranges were calculated as 0.008 1 to 0.080 cm (81 to 800 microns) for the six packer-tested intervals. Based on the calculated mean fracture apertures for each interval, the overall bedrock mean fracture aperture is estimated as 0.045 cm (450 microns), with a standard deviation of 0.030 cm (300 microns). The mean bedrock fracture porosity can be estimated as the mean fracture aperture (0.045 cm) divided by the mean fracture spacing (28 cm), which is 0.00 16 (unitless) (0.16 percent).

To further characterize the bedrock units encountered at the MW-10D corehole, bedrock core samples from five selected depth intervals from were submitted to Core Laboratories of Houston, Texas, for analysis of bedrock matrix porosity, bulk density, grain density and total organic carbon (Appendix F). The depth intervals 272 feet, 315 feet, 331 feet, 351 feet, and 382 feet, were selected to be representative of the changing lithology encountered in this borehole. The results of these core analyses indicate bedrock matrix porosity ranging from 0.0 16 to 0.191 with a mean of 0.065 (unitless), bulk density values ranging from 2.18 g/cn9 to 2.79 glcm3, and TOC ranging from 0.09 percent to 0.16 percent.

Examples of transitional words and phrases.

You can use many transitional words or phrases in your writing. Here are examples of common transitional words and phrases:

Transitions that express results:	hence, therefore, consequently, as a result.
Transitions that express example:	for example, for instance, specifically.
Transitions that express comparison:	similarly, likewise, on the other hand.
Transitions that express addition:	moreover, furthermore, in addition, also, too, besides.
Other transitional words/phrases:	however, that is, in other words, in short, to conclude, in summary, so, thus, accordingly, but, conversely, indeed, in fact, no doubt.

Note that transitions are interchangeable; that is, you can substitute one for the other without affecting the surrounding grammar of the sentence(s). But if you do that, you can significantly alter the meaning. Look at the examples above. What would happen if you substituted other transitions?

You can also use full sentences to keep the reader on track:

This concludes the discussion of the methodology we used to conduct the study. The next several paragraphs discuss the findings and our conclusions.

This may sound mechanical and even too obvious. So what? The readers will only appreciate what you’re doing. They won’t comment on your mechanical writing style.

Use transitions between sections. Readers need to be told that there is continuity between sections as well. Make sure you show that continuity by starting off your sections with a transition of some sort.

Section 2.0 discussed the objectives of the project. This section will describe the methodology used to conduct the geotechnical survey.

Or

The preceding three sections addressed the proposed site for the Calama Treatment Plant. In the next two sections we discuss the different methods of processing the wastewater that comes into the plant.

Or

So far we have given you the technical reasons for delaying the project by two months. Now we want to address the cost advantages.