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Science Communication
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Clarity Across the Disciplines

An Analysis of Texts in the Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts and Humanities

James Hartley

University of Keele

Eric Sotto

Haifa, Israel

Claire Fox

University of Keele

Computer-based readability measures were used to examine the clarity of texts written in the sciences, the social sciences, and the arts and humanities. Five studies examined texts that were written in these different disciplines for different audiences, moving from fellow researchers to students and the general public. Readability increased across these genres until it reached an asymptote. In several cases, the scientific texts used shorter sentences and were easier to read than were their parallel texts in the other disciplines.

Key Words: academic writing • readability • text genres • passives • computer-based measures

Science Communication, Vol. 26, No. 2, 188-210 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1075547004270164
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