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Why Academics Stink at Writing—and How to Fix It

October 1, 2014
Writing Booklet

There’s a decent chance you’ve read Steven Pinker’s provocative essay on why scholarly prose tends to be so convoluted. (More than 100,000 people have already done so.) But you can probably think of a colleague, a grad student, or a friend who could use a little straight talk on the subject.

That’s why we’ve printed a booklet, downloadable below, that’s designed to be shared. In it, Pinker diagnoses what ails academic writing, and then four experts offer advice on potential cures. Downloading is simple: Just fill out this form and the booklet is all yours.

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There’s a decent chance you’ve read Steven Pinker’s provocative essay on why scholarly prose tends to be so convoluted. (More than 100,000 people have already done so.) But you can probably think of a colleague, a grad student, or a friend who could use a little straight talk on the subject.

That’s why we’ve printed a booklet, downloadable below, that’s designed to be shared. In it, Pinker diagnoses what ails academic writing, and then four experts offer advice on potential cures. Downloading is simple: Just fill out this form and the booklet is all yours.

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