Readability and Prestige in Scientific Journals

J. Scott Armstrong, University of Pennsylvania

Article comments

Postprint version. Published in Journal of Information Science, Volume 15, 1989, pages 123-124.
Publisher URL: http://jis.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/15/2/123

Abstract

Hartley, Trueman and Meadows [3] contribute useful evidence on whether scientists can gain prestige by writing in a manner that is difficult to read. This has been called the bafflegab theory by some. They concluded that the evidence was not strong. This comment examines some of the conclusions from Hartley, Trueman, and Meadows (HTM) and recommends directions for further research.