Academic writing is notorious for being turgid, tedious and obscure. Yet, clear, precise, succinct writing is a public good. If academics could be induced to produce readable prose, their day-to-day professional lives would be greatly improved and the general public would be more inclined to respect our centres of higher learning. The quality of academic prose may seem like a trivial or purely cosmetic issue. In fact, it is urgent. If academics cannot bring themselves to write in ways that are engaging and accessible, they will have no means of convincing taxpayers and voters that the work they do is important and therefore deserves support and funding.
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