May 30, 2013Stylish Academic Writing 1: Good News, Bad NewsHelen Sword rips the veil off one of the worst kept secrets in all of academia: Most academic writing is just plain awful. Jargon-filled, abstract, impersonal, sleep-inducing. What makes The good news is--the news is not all bad! Science writers actually used the pronouns I and we quite a bit. Historians rarely used abstract nouns. There was hope on another front. Sword not only studied journal articles but also the advice found in the guidelines for writers issued by the journals. They all tended to advocate
There was, however, less consensus on
In another Conclusion: yes, convention remains a powerful force that shapes most academic writing. But within every discipline there is latitude for and actual published examples of good, interesting, stylish writing. Posted by Andy Le Peau
at May 30, 2013 11:46 AM
This is an interesting subject. As a member of the editorial review team for a prominent national medical journal, I often find myself wishing I could suggest stylistic changes to the articles I review. Alas, barring actual "errors," such changes are not within the purview of my role. (Physicians and other medical folk are often brilliant . . . but their literary skills are hit and miss.) Comment by: Rob Stroud at May 30, 2013 11:55 AMRob, it sounds like this is a book you could recommend to the editorial team. Comment by: Andy Le Peau at May 30, 2013 12:06 PMThat's not a bad idea. Thanks. Comment by: Rob Stroud at May 30, 2013 12:09 PMComments are closed for this entry. |
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