The document provides guidance on creating coherent documents by discussing several techniques: - It recommends considering 7 questions when revising for coherence such as organization, completeness, and tone. - It suggests 4 guidelines for revising headings like avoiding long phrases and making them informative. - Turning paragraphs into lists is advocated as it forces examination of structure, clarity, and conciseness. - Studying other cultures' documents can provide insights into information accessibility, organization, and transitions.

1. Consider seven questions when
revising your document for coherence:
• Have you left out anything in turning your
outline into a draft?
• Have you included all the elements your
readers expect to see?
• Have you organized the document logically?
• Is the document persuasive?
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 1

2. Consider seven questions when revising
your document for coherence (cont.):
• Do you come across as reliable, honest, and
helpful?
• Have you presented all the elements
consistently?
• Is the emphasis appropriate throughout the
document?
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 2

3. Follow four guidelines
when revising headings:
• Avoid long noun strings.
• Be informative.
• Use a grammatical form appropriate to your
audience.
• Avoid back-to-back headings.
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 3

4. Turning paragraphs into lists
presents four advantages:
• It forces you to look at the big picture.
• It forces you to examine the sequence.
• It forces you to create a helpful lead-in.
• It forces you to tighten and clarify your prose.
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 4

5. Study documents from other
cultures to answer four questions:
• How does the writer make the information
accessible?
• How does the writer show the relationship
among types of information?
• How does the writer communicate the
organization of the document as a whole?
• How does the writer make transitions from one
subject to another?
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 5

6. There are two kinds of paragraphs:
• A body paragraph is a group of sentences (or
sometimes a single sentence) that is complete
and self-sufficient and that contributes to a
larger discussion.
• A transitional paragraph helps readers move
from one major point to another.
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 6

7. Most paragraphs contain two elements:
• The topic sentence summarizes or forecasts
the main point of the paragraph.
• The supporting information makes the topic
sentence clear and convincing.
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 7

8. Avoid burying bad news in paragraphs:
• The most emphatic location is the topic
sentence.
• The second most emphatic location is the end of
the paragraph.
• The least emphatic location is the middle of the
paragraph.
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 8

9. Supporting information
usually fulfills one of five roles:
• It defines a key term or idea included in the topic
sentence.
• It provides examples or illustrations of the
situation described in the topic sentence.
• It identifies causes: factors that led to the
situation.
• It defines effects: implications of the situation.
• It supports the claim made in the topic sentence.
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 9

10. Follow three guidelines
when dividing long paragraphs:
• Break the discussion at a logical place.
• Make the topic sentence a separate
paragraph and break up the supporting
information.
• Use a list.
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 10

11. Use three techniques
to emphasize coherence:
• Add transitional words and phrases.
• Repeat key words.
• Use demonstrative pronouns followed by
nouns.
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 11

12. Use transitional words and phrases:
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 12

13. Use two techniques
to create a coherent design:
• Use headers and footers to enhance
coherence.
• Use typefaces to enhance coherence.
Chapter 9. Writing Coherent Documents © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 13

14. Headers and footers are
coherence devices.
Source: U.S. Department of State, 2007
<www.usaid.gov/policy/coordination/strat
plan_fy07-12.pdf>.
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