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).

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Marybeth Gasman writes about racism, philanthropy, HBCUs & faculty. Those who know me know I always encourage academics to write ...

For a Ph.D., writing cover letters for nonacademic jobs — letters that explain how your skills and experience make you a good fit — can be difficult and frustrating. That isn’t because Ph.D.s have no ...

Stereotypical academic writing is rigid, dry, and mechanical, delivering prose that evokes memories of high school and undergraduate laboratory reports. The hallmark of this stereotype is passive ...

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 ...

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 ...