Finally, I can provide my graduate students with an impassioned defense of unclear academic writing. I give my students readings on how to produce clear academic writing. I show them how to make ...

When it comes to recognizing good literature, you've got all kinds of prizes - the National Book Award, the Nobel, the Booker. But when it comes to recognizing truly bad writing, there's the ...

Although she hated the acrid taste and bite of the cigarette she had just lighted, the woman with tousled gray hair, narrowed eyes and a sneer of a mouth sauntered over to the tired-looking man at the ...

I'm not a huge fan of Stephen Pinker's psychology, but he is a solid writer, and I respect his perspective on many subjects. So when he wrote a Chronicle article on "Why Academics Stink at Writing" I ...

Editor’s note: What follows is an excerpt adapted from a new book, Academic Writing as if Readers Matter, out this month from Princeton University Press. Most academic writers want a wide audience for ...