The Missing Link: The Use of Link Words and Phrases as a Link to Manuscript Quality

Abstract

In this article, I provide a typology of transition words/phrases. This typology comprises 12 dimensions of link words/phrases that capture 277 link words/phrases. Using QDA Miner, WordStat, and SPSS—a computer-assisted mixed methods data analysis software, content analysis software, and statistical software, respectively—I analyzed 74 manuscripts that were submitted to the journal Research in the Schools over a 2-year period (i.e., 2014-2015). Among other results, these analyses revealed the most common link words/phrases and the most common dimensions of link words/phrases, as well as the dimensions that best predicted whether or not a manuscript was rejected by the editor.