The infectiousness of pompous prose.

Area of Science:

• Scientific communication
• Linguistics
• Scholarly publishing

Background:

• For centuries, scientific communities have received numerous requests to adopt plain language in their publications.
• Despite these persistent pleas, scientific writing often remains complex and difficult to understand.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the reasons behind the ineffectiveness of calls for plain language in scientific writing.
• To identify the barriers preventing scientists from adopting more accessible prose.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of historical scientific literature and communication trends.
• Review of pedagogical approaches to scientific writing.
• Examination of publishing industry standards and incentives.

Main Results:

• Persistent use of jargon and complex sentence structures hinders clarity.
• Lack of training and incentives for scientists to prioritize plain language.
• Publishing norms often favor technicality over accessibility.

Conclusions:

• The ineffectiveness of pleas for plain language stems from deeply ingrained academic norms and a lack of systemic support.
• Overcoming unreadable prose requires a multi-faceted approach addressing training, incentives, and publishing practices.