The importance of writing well

There are clear benefits of writing well. This is particularly the case in academia – careers depend on it. Not only that, both in teaching and research, we have an inherent responsibility to communicate knowledge clearly and respectfully to others.

How you communicate says a lot about you and your work. You are:

  • More likely to conduct successful research – framing questions, writing surveys, etc.
  • More likely to convey your ideas to others
  • More likely to transfer knowledge to others
  • More likely to have an impact
  • More likely to get published
  • More likely to lead to be promoted …??? You never know.

Conversely, writing poorly – and by this I mean with errors, inconsistencies or in a convoluted way – can cause readers to be distracted, lose confidence in your work, or dismiss it altogether.

If you don’t believe me, see:

Oppenheimer, D (2005), Consequences of erudite vernacular utilized irrespective of necessity: Problems with using long words needlessly, Applied Cognitive Psychology, 20, 2, 139-156

Warren, NL, Farmer, M, Gu, T (2021), Marketing ideas: How to write research articles that readers understand and cite, Journal of Marketing.

Leave a comment