Changing the Tune of Academic Writing: Muting Cognitive Entrenchment

Abstract

Much academic writing sounds the same—stilted, distant, and overly qualified. The “sound” of academic writing is primarily the result of institutional pressures that lead authors to become cognitively entrenched in their writing style. The author of this article suggests that we not only can but should mute cognitive entrenchment and change the tune of academic writing. The author also suggests three routes for doing so—writing for nonacademic audiences, writing creatively, and reading widely—and addresses possible objections to his appeal.