Some words can be used to indicate a relationship between concepts in a text. For example, starting a sentence with the word “thus” can signal a causal/logical relationship between a sentence and the sentence that precedes it. 

Linguistic Markers

Using straightforward grammar and common or standard vocabulary can help a reader identify relationships in the text. 

Verbal/Grammatical Complexity

Headers, italics, and underlining can be used in a text to draw attention to terms or concepts. This can help the reader identify major terms and how they relate to other terms or concepts. 

Typographical Prompts

Repeated use of the same term can hep a reader remember it and a related concept, especially when it is used to discuss its relationship with a new term or concept. This makes it easy for a reader to identify the relationship between two terms or concepts.

Repetition

These works indicate that based on their theoretical model for the comprehension of scientific texts, the reader needs to be able to identify key concepts and be able to understand how they relate to each other. While these sources do not discuss concept maps, they do highlight some of the design components or beneficial features of a concept map as methods that can help a reader understand a text. In particular, scientific texts can use signaling to help coativate related concepts for a reader. Many of the methods of signaling are things that concept maps use.  


Importance of Signaling and Coherence in Scientific Texts

Texts can use words or conventions that help signal relationships between concepts. Some methods include the following:
- Linguistic Markers
- Verbal/Grammatical Complexity 
- Typographical Prompts
- Repetition


San Jose State University

Organization, verbal complexity, linguistic markers, and typographical prompts can all impact a readers attention. Texts that present better guideposts or means of signaling relationships for the reader are more likely to provide every reader with a more coherent understanding of their content.  

Text Characteristics

Van Den Broek, P. (2010). Using texts in science education: Cognitive processes and knowledge visualization. Science 328(5977), 453-456. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1182594

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