The use of connectors in academic writing

Connectors and their functions
The basic function of all connectors is, as the name already implies, to establish connections in language, both in written and oral communication. They indicate whether something follows from something else, is added to or contrasted with something. In this module, the focus will be on the use of connectors in academic writing, but many of the guidelines introduced here can also be transferred to other contexts.
 
Establishing and maintaining cohesion
When writing in academic contexts, one of the key tasks you will have to face is to structure and organise your texts (no matter whether it is a paper, an abstract or a lab report) and to establish the relation between facts, suggestions and ideas. Organising your text is crucial to establish and maintain cohesion.

What is cohesion and why is it important?
Cohesion can be thought of as a kind of glue that holds your text together. It refers to all the grammatical and lexical links that connect phrases, sentences and paragraphs. A cohesive text has a logical structure at sentence and paragraph level which allows the text to flow smoothly and improves readability. Often, you will come across the term coherence in this context. Coherence is very similar to cohesion, and it is indeed sometimes difficult to separate the two. Generally, however, coherence is used to refer to how the text sticks together not at sentence level, but as a whole, at the macro level: it concerns your line of argument and the ideas you present in your text. Do they fit together? Does one thought lead on to the next? Are there no contradictions in what you write? These questions should be asked when you want to find out whether a text is coherent.

Using connectors to establish cohesion
Connectors can be useful in the process of establishing cohesion. Of course, they are not the only means to create a cohesive text; there are many other words and phrases that you can use: pronouns, synonyms, repetition of words and phrases, and sentence patters are also extremely useful. The key to a cohesive and stylistically appealing text is to apply these strategies with care and not to rely too heavily on one strategy alone. This may seem difficult at the start, but with a bit of practice, you will learn to decide which the most suitable strategy for your purposes is. 
 
Connectors in informal and formal contexts
Another important point to consider is that some words that are used as connectors or linking words in informal, and particularly in oral, communication are not suitable for academic contexts. These are for example words such as "plus" or "anyway". In spoken English or in an email to a friend, you might say: "Anyway, I have to go now, because I have to be at Sally's in ten minutes. Plus, I still have to finish my writing assignment for tomorrow's English class." In advertising, for example, this informal use is also common: "Huge bestsellers now in paperback, plus the best February releases". In academic contexts, however, you need to resort to other connectors, such as "nevertheless" or "furthermore". In the following chapters, you will learn more about which connectors to use and how to integrate them into your text. The chapters are divided by the respective functions of the connectors, and each chapter ends with a short quiz.