Academic signposts tell readers what a proposition is doing: establishing a research aim, grounding a claim in evidence, connecting an issue to its context, conceding a limitation, or drawing a conclusion. Malaysian academic Malay often uses nominal and clausal expressions such as berdasarkan, sehubungan dengan, di satu pihak, namun demikian, and oleh sebab itu to make this architecture visible.
Formality alone does not create an argument. A connector is successful only when the logical relation is real. Dense prose filled with sehubungan dengan and namun demikian can be less coherent than plain prose if the writer has not identified what counts as evidence, concession, or inference.
Metadiscourse exposes the writer's map
Academic prose contains both subject matter and language about the text or inquiry itself. Expressions such as kajian ini meneliti “this study examines,” bahagian seterusnya membincangkan “the next section discusses,” and dapat dirumuskan bahawa “it can be concluded that” are metadiscourse: they guide readers through the intellectual task.
Kajian ini meneliti hubungan antara masa perjalanan dan kehadiran pekerja di tiga kawasan perindustrian.
This study examines the relationship between travel time and worker attendance in three industrial areas. (academic)
Bahagian seterusnya menghuraikan kaedah persampelan sebelum dapatan utama dibincangkan.
The next section describes the sampling method before the main findings are discussed. (academic)
Daripada analisis tersebut, dapat dirumuskan bahawa akses pengangkutan mempengaruhi kestabilan kehadiran.
From that analysis, it can be concluded that transport access affects attendance stability. (academic)
The first states scope, the second previews organization, and the third announces a conclusion. These signals should be proportionate. A short paragraph does not need three sentences announcing what it will say, saying it, and announcing that it has said it.
berdasarkan grounds a claim in evidence or a basis
Berdasarkan + noun phrase means “based on/on the basis of.” It identifies the evidence, authority, criteria, or observation that licenses the following statement.
Berdasarkan rekod kehadiran selama enam bulan, pekerja syif malam lebih kerap tiba lewat berbanding pekerja syif pagi.
Based on six months of attendance records, night-shift workers arrived late more often than morning-shift workers. (academic)
Pengelasan ini dibuat berdasarkan tiga kriteria: kos, kebolehcapaian dan tempoh pelaksanaan.
This classification is based on three criteria: cost, accessibility, and implementation time. (academic)
In careful standard prose, berdasarkan takes its basis directly: berdasarkan data, berdasarkan teori, berdasarkan pemerhatian. The common expanded form berdasarkan kepada is often edited to berdasarkan because the derived verb already licenses the basis. Institutional style may vary, but the direct pattern is concise and safe.
Sentence-initial Berdasarkan ..., is followed by a comma when the basis phrase frames the entire following clause. The phrase must logically support the claim. A citation placed after berdasarkan is not proof that the cited study actually warrants the statement.
sehubungan dengan establishes relevance, not automatic causation
Sehubungan dengan + noun phrase means “in relation to/in connection with.” It is strongly (formal) and frequent in official correspondence; academic prose can use it to reconnect a discussion to a defined issue, policy, or finding.
Sehubungan dengan peningkatan kadar keciciran, bahagian ini menilai halangan yang dihadapi oleh pelajar dari keluarga berpendapatan rendah.
In relation to the rise in dropout rates, this section evaluates barriers faced by students from low-income families. (academic/formal)
Dua persoalan timbul sehubungan dengan kaedah pengumpulan data tersebut.
Two questions arise in connection with that data-collection method. (academic/formal)
The marker states relevance. It does not itself mean “because of” or “therefore.” If rising dropout rates caused a policy response, a causal construction may be needed. If the writer is merely shifting to a connected issue, sehubungan dengan is suitable.
Because the expression is heavy, repeating it in neighboring sentences creates bureaucratic prose. Alternatives include a direct topic phrase—Mengenai kaedah ini, ...—or simply naming the issue as subject.
di satu pihak balances perspectives
Di satu pihak ... di pihak lain ... organizes two sides of an issue. Pada satu pihak ... pada pihak yang lain ... is also found in careful usage. The important feature is parallelism: each signpost introduces a genuine perspective, benefit, cost, or evidential consideration.
Di satu pihak, kerja dari rumah mengurangkan masa perjalanan. Di pihak lain, sesetengah pekerja menghadapi ruang kerja dan capaian Internet yang tidak memadai.
On the one hand, working from home reduces travel time. On the other hand, some workers face inadequate workspace and Internet access. (academic)
Di satu pihak, saiz sampel yang besar meningkatkan ketepatan anggaran; di pihak lain, pengumpulan data menjadi lebih mahal dan memakan masa.
On the one hand, a large sample improves estimate precision; on the other hand, data collection becomes more expensive and time-consuming. (academic)
The construction does not require equal endorsement of both sides. It requires comparable dimensions. Pairing an empirical benefit with an unrelated historical fact would create formal symmetry without analytical balance.
At sentence start, each signpost takes a comma. A semicolon can separate two closely matched independent clauses, as in the second example.
namun demikian marks concession or limitation
Namun demikian means “nevertheless/however” and is a formal sentence connector. It acknowledges that the preceding evidence or claim holds, then introduces a limitation, counterevidence, or result that resists the expected conclusion.
Kadar respons kajian ini mencapai lapan puluh peratus. Namun demikian, responden dari kawasan pedalaman masih kurang diwakili.
This study's response rate reached eighty percent. Nevertheless, respondents from rural interior areas remain underrepresented. (academic)
Model tersebut menerangkan sebahagian besar variasi dalam data. Namun demikian, ketepatannya menurun apabila digunakan pada sampel yang lebih kecil.
The model explains most of the variation in the data. However, its accuracy declines when it is applied to smaller samples. (academic)
The second statement limits the scope of the first without erasing it. Namun demikian is therefore not an ornamental synonym for “next.” If the second sentence merely adds another advantage, use an additive relation. If it follows causally, use a consequence marker.
The shorter namun is sufficient in much academic prose. The fuller form is useful when a substantial concession deserves an explicit pivot, but repetition quickly becomes mannered. The contrast guide compares its textual level with clause-coordinating tetapi.
oleh sebab itu makes the inferential step explicit
Oleh sebab itu means “for that reason/therefore.” Academic writers use it when evidence or analysis licenses a conclusion, methodological choice, or recommendation. It is not restricted to physical cause.
Taburan responden antara daerah sangat tidak seimbang. Oleh sebab itu, purata keseluruhan tidak digunakan sebagai satu-satunya ukuran perbandingan.
The distribution of respondents across districts is highly uneven. Therefore, the overall mean is not used as the sole comparative measure. (academic)
Tiada perbezaan yang konsisten antara dua kumpulan tersebut. Oleh sebab itu, hipotesis awal tidak dapat disokong oleh dapatan ini.
There is no consistent difference between the two groups. Therefore, the initial hypothesis cannot be supported by these findings. (academic)
The first facts justify analytical decisions; they do not physically cause them. This distinction between real-world consequence and textual inference is developed on the cause-and-consequence page.
At sentence start, capitalize and punctuate Oleh sebab itu, as four separate words. The concise Oleh itu, is also standard when the reason is already unmistakable.
A miniature academic argument
The following four stages show how signposts cooperate rather than compete.
Introduction: identify the issue and scope
Penggunaan pengangkutan awam dalam kalangan pekerja kilang masih rendah di daerah yang dikaji. Sehubungan dengan isu ini, kajian ini meneliti pengaruh masa perjalanan, kos tambang dan kekerapan perkhidmatan terhadap pilihan pengangkutan.
Public-transport use among factory workers remains low in the district studied. In relation to this issue, the study examines the influence of travel time, fares, and service frequency on transport choice. (academic introduction)
The first sentence establishes the problem. Sehubungan dengan isu ini connects the research scope to that problem without claiming that the low rate itself caused every design choice.
Evidence paragraph: state basis before interpretation
Berdasarkan 642 borang soal selidik yang lengkap, kekerapan perkhidmatan merupakan peramal paling kuat bagi penggunaan bas. Responden yang menerima perkhidmatan sekurang-kurangnya setiap tiga puluh minit menggunakan bas dengan lebih kerap.
Based on 642 completed questionnaires, service frequency is the strongest predictor of bus use. Respondents receiving a service at least every thirty minutes use buses more frequently. (academic evidence paragraph)
Berdasarkan identifies the dataset. The following sentence gives a specific pattern rather than adding another formal connector where none is needed.
Concession: delimit the claim
Di satu pihak, saiz sampel ini memadai untuk menunjukkan pola umum. Di pihak lain, semua responden bekerja di kawasan perindustrian; namun demikian, dapatan tersebut tidak boleh digeneralisasikan terus kepada pekerja luar bandar.
On the one hand, the sample is sufficient to show a general pattern. On the other hand, all respondents work in industrial areas; nevertheless, the findings cannot be generalized directly to rural workers. (academic concession)
The paired signposts balance evidence, while namun demikian states the resulting limitation. Each connector has a separate logical role.
Conclusion: draw a warranted implication
Kekerapan perkhidmatan berkait secara konsisten dengan penggunaan bas, tetapi liputan sampel masih terhad. Oleh sebab itu, peningkatan kekerapan wajar diuji melalui kajian rintis sebelum dasar yang lebih luas dilaksanakan.
Service frequency is consistently associated with bus use, but sample coverage remains limited. Therefore, increased frequency should be tested through a pilot study before a broader policy is implemented. (academic conclusion)
The recommendation is cautious because the evidence is associated rather than proven causal and the limitation remains active.
Common Mistakes
1. Using formal connectors without a real relation
❌ Sampel terdiri daripada 200 orang. Namun demikian, soal selidik mempunyai 15 soalan.
Illogical concession—the number of respondents and number of questions do not inherently oppose each other.
✅ Sampel terdiri daripada 200 orang. Selain itu, soal selidik mengandungi 15 soalan tentang corak perjalanan.
The sample consists of 200 people. In addition, the questionnaire contains 15 questions about travel patterns. (academic)
2. Expanding berdasarkan unnecessarily
❌ Berdasarkan kepada data banci, jumlah penduduk meningkat.
Disfavored in concise edited prose—berdasarkan can take the basis directly.
✅ Berdasarkan data banci, jumlah penduduk daerah itu meningkat.
Based on census data, the district's population increased. (academic)
3. Treating sehubungan dengan as “therefore”
❌ Data tidak lengkap. Sehubungan dengan, analisis dibatalkan.
Incorrect structure and relation—sehubungan dengan requires a noun phrase and marks connection, not a conclusion by itself.
✅ Data masih belum lengkap. Oleh sebab itu, analisis akhir ditangguhkan.
The data remain incomplete. Therefore, the final analysis was postponed. (academic)
4. Giving only one side of a paired signpost
❌ Di satu pihak, kaedah ini murah. Kajian kemudian beralih kepada topik lain.
Incomplete argumentative pairing—the announced first side creates an expectation of another side.
✅ Di satu pihak, kaedah ini murah; di pihak lain, ketepatannya agak rendah.
On the one hand, this method is inexpensive; on the other hand, its accuracy is rather low. (academic)
5. Drawing a causal conclusion from association alone
❌ Dua pemboleh ubah itu berkait. Oleh sebab itu, pemboleh ubah pertama pasti menyebabkan pemboleh ubah kedua.
Unwarranted inference—association alone does not establish causation.
✅ Dua pemboleh ubah itu berkait, tetapi reka bentuk kajian ini tidak membuktikan hubungan sebab-akibat.
The two variables are associated, but this study design does not establish a causal relationship. (academic)
Key Takeaways
Academic Malay uses berdasarkan to identify an evidential basis, sehubungan dengan to establish relevance, di satu pihak ... di pihak lain to balance perspectives, namun demikian to concede a limitation, and oleh sebab itu to draw an inference. Metadiscourse such as kajian ini meneliti and dapat dirumuskan bahawa guides the reader through the task. Every signpost must correspond to genuine argument structure; formal vocabulary cannot compensate for missing logic.
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- Adding Information: selain itu, juga, bahkan in Malaysian MalayB1 — Choose additive markers according to whether they coordinate units, add a sentence, include a parallel constituent, or exceed an expectation.
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