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A paragraph is a collection of sentences on the same theme or topic. A paragraph can consist of just a single sentence, although this is unusual. Using paragraphs to collect ideas is the foundation of all writing. If you cannot use them, your thoughts will be incoherent and you will be unable to communicate them to other scientists.

The previous section recommended marking the start of a paragraph by indenting the first line. In your A4 manuscript, the indent should be at least one centimetre; otherwise, the start of the paragraph may not stand out clearly. An alternative option is to leave a blank line between paragraphs. However, be aware that if a blank line falls between two pages, the start of the paragraph may easily be overlooked.

A curious problem with paragraph structure has arisen with the widespread use of word-processing software. The problem stems from the symbol for a paragraph (¶), introduced with the “enter” or “return” key. This symbol should only be used at the end of a paragraph. A significant minority of students erroneously use this symbol at the end of each sentence.

If you are unsure about constructing paragraphs, the exercises in chapters 3 and 5 are designed to help you use them. Learn to recognise paragraphs by examining their structure in newspapers or journals. In your own writing, you should always ask yourself whether the paragraphs are correctly assembled and clearly mark all paragraphs requiring improvement.