Brian Connolly’s defense of one variety of academic writing — the “turgid and impenetrable” kind — is unconvincing (“Everyone Hates Academic Writing. They’re Wrong.” The Chronicle Review, April 1).

Academic reference letters are an essential aspect of academic life. Nearly every educator will be asked to write a range of reference letters during their career. In my long experience of doing so, I ...

Universities are repositories of fascinating ideas. So why is academic writing so boring? Leonard Cassuto thinks it’s all a matter of keeping in mind that good writing is about keeping the reader ...

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 ...

Undergraduates need them for graduate-school applications; PhD students and postdocs use them to apply for fellowships and jobs; senior scientists often have to have them to apply for awards and ...