What if plain English had a place in academia?

Do plain English and academia need to be worlds apart?

Plain English essentially means writing that is clear, concise and easy to follow. And academics who want their findings to be understood across disciplines, and by policymakers and international audiences, will surely benefit from simplifying their writing and making it less abstract. 

Some plain-English techniques that can boost academic writing and make it more accessible are: 

✅ shorter words, sentences and paragraphs

✅ simple, jargon-free language

✅ fewer metaphors, similes and idioms

✅ active rather than passive voice 

✅ fewer fillers and redundancies 

✅ fewer nominalisations. 

What could this look like? 

Take these two examples:

🅰️ The materials underwent a process of evaluation by us in order to assess their suitability for utilisation in the project. 

🅱️ We tested the materials to see if they could be used in the project. 

Which one leaves you confused? ➡️ 🅰️

Which one tells you exactly what you need to know? ➡️ 🅱️ 

If using plain English in academia makes research easy to follow, memorable and more accessible, that's good, isn’t it? And if this can be done while carefully preserving the original meaning and tone of voice, even better, right? 

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Whether you’re working on a blog post, a business report or an academic paper, small details like punctuation and word choice can make a big difference to your writing. If you found this post helpful, you’ll find more practical tips on grammar, punctuation and writing in my other blogs. Or feel free to get in touch if you need professional support.