What is signposting?
Much like a signppost on a trail indicates which direction a hiker ought to go, signposting can be a helpful tool for writers to use to communicate to their reader where they have been and where they are going. Signposts are phrases that indicate sequence, relevance, transition, introduction, or continuation of ideas and topics. Oftentimes, signposts come at key transitions between paragraphs, ideas, or sections and signal to the reader what direction the argument is taking and why.
Why is signposting important to writing pedagogy?
When a students’ writing lacks cohesion, clarity, and organization with a logical flow, sometimes students need to think more closely about how they are transitioning between evidence, analysis, and their own argument. Additionally, signposting provides students with an opportunity to inject their own voice at key moments in their writing. Oftentimes signposting and transition statements come later on in the drafting stages, after the writer has done plenty of research and writing and has a mostly well-formulated thesis. So, a workshop or low-stakes assignment focused on signposting can be a great opportunity to promote thoughtful and authentic revision.
How can you incorporate more signposting practice into your class?
Below are some exercises and resources to encourage your students to incorporate signposting into their writing assignments.
Signposting Assignment
This assignment prompts students to revise their writing by looking at key moments of transition that could benefit from signposting. Providing a list of signpost phrases can be a useful student resource.
Signposting Assignment Steps
1. Create a blank document. Copy/paste your thesis to the top of the page and clearly mark it as your thesis.
2. Copy/paste 1-2 paragraphs (can be from any point in your essay) that you think could benefit from signposting. (Even though you are only required to submit edits from 1-2 paragraphs, it is recommended to practice this exercise throughout your whole essay before submission as part of your revisions)
4. Using track changes in some way (you can use Word track changes, make comments, print your essay out and write by hand, use a tablet to annotate, or use different colored text – use what makes the most sense to you and make sure it is easy to read) to do the following:
- Identify where your paragraph would benefit from signposting to signal back to your argument
- Write those new sentences that would signpost to your argument
- Identify any analysis that is perhaps irrelevant or could be better framed to reflect your thesis argument
- Write 100-150 words on why you chose to make the changes that you did.
Reading for Signposts: In-Class Workshop
This workshop can be done in small groups or as an entire class. You can use a class reading excerpt or a student sample that exemplifies signposting. If working in small groups, each group could focus on a short excerpt of the reading.
1. Highlight sentences that are signposting
2. Circle phrases that signal transition or sequence (for example, additionally, next, first, below, etc)
3. Underline phrases that tie back to the author’s main idea
Notice how signposting, when used sparingly and at appropriate points of transition, can unify a writer’s ideas and clarify the writer’s voice and argument.
Signposting Phrases
Above
Accordingly
Additionally
Also
Alternatively
Another point is…
As stated previously
As well as
At once
Below I will…
Besides
Concurrently
Despite this
Earlier
Eventually
Evidently
Finally
First
First I will describe…then I will
For instance
From this it can be suggested that
Furthermore
Having established above that…., we can now consider…
However
In addition to
In conclusion
In contrast
In opposition to
In other words
It is evident that
Likewise
Next
Notably
Rather
Second
Significantly
The goal of this paper is to..
Third
Whereas