Writing for Academic and Policy Audiences - jonathancolmer/lab-guide GitHub Wiki

Introduction

Writing is central to academic and policy impact.
This guide covers principles and strategies for crafting clear, persuasive, and purposeful writing for both scholarly and policy-facing audiences.

1. Writing for Academic Audiences

Purpose

Convey complex ideas clearly and effectively.
Build credibility and advance knowledge.

Key Challenges

It’s not just what you say, but how you say it.
Clear, persuasive, engaging writing takes time and active effort.

Understanding Your Audience

“Write for the reader who knows less, not more.” — Joe Moran

Consider who will be reading (peers, scholars, practitioners).
Adjust detail, language, and style for their familiarity with the topic.
Decide what you want them to learn, feel, or do after reading.

Writing with Rhythm

Vary sentence length to create pleasing rhythm.
Read aloud to catch awkward or unclear sections.
Use rhythm to guide and pace the reader.
Pay attention to sound and flow.

Conceptual Clarity Comes First

Think hard before drafting.
Identify the problem, why it matters, and who is affected.
Clarify the policy or theoretical tension.
Clear thinking early saves work later: “Think more, do less.”

Sentences

Sentences are the smallest unit of thought.
Each one should be clear, precise, and engaging.
Strong writing comes from deliberately crafted sentences.

The Writing Process

Drafting — Get ideas down without worrying about perfection.
Revising — Refine structure, arguments, and clarity.
Editing — Polish language, grammar, and style.
Proofreading — Final check for typos and formatting.

“Shitty First Drafts” (Anne Lamott)

Every good piece begins with an imperfect first draft.
Focus on getting words down, not perfect sentences.
Creativity flourishes when self-criticism is muted.
Good writing is rewriting — you need something to work with.

Revising Drafts

Ensure arguments are fully developed and supported.
Check logical flow.
Simplify complex sentences.
Keep tone, style, and terminology consistent.
Give yourself distance before reviewing to gain fresh perspective.

Clear and Concise Writing

Use a consistent style and direct, accessible voice.
Avoid jargon; define technical terms when needed.
Cut unnecessary words.
Aim for first-read comprehension.
Prefer active voice for engagement.

2. Writing for Policy Audiences

Why Economists Are Sometimes Ignored

“Politicians typically use economists the same way a drunk uses a lamp-post—for support, not illumination.” — Alan Blinder

Policymakers operate under different incentives.
Political systems favor simple, emotionally resonant messages.
Media and voter attention often reward simplicity over nuance.

A Situation Made Worse By…

Political short-termism.
Influence of interest groups.
Declining trust in experts.

“People have had enough of experts.” — Michael Gove

Implications

First-best policies are often politically infeasible.
Consider “second-best” solutions that move policy in the right direction.
Recognize value differences as legitimate.
Build strong evidence for what works in practice.

What Policymakers Want

From Hamilton (1992), Economists as Public Policy Advisers:

Speak and write in clear, accessible language.
Minimize jargon and complex modeling.
Recognize that fairness often matters more than efficiency.

“Most of the economics that is usable for advising on public policy is at about the level of the introductory undergraduate course.” — Herbert Stein

Effective Policy Writing

Use vivid examples to show, not just tell.
Anticipate the “So what?” question.
Lead with the key message.
Emphasize fairness and simplicity — but keep the economics right.

What Works in Practice

From Jed Kolko’s reflections:

Clear, novel measures (indicators, maps, visualizations).
Accessible literature reviews synthesizing complex work.
Scenario analyses that inform real decisions.
Clarity about what is known, uncertain, and important.

3. Writing Matters (Feld et al., 2024)

Study: Investigates the impact of writing quality on economists’ perceptions of academic papers.

Sample: 30 economics papers, each prepared in both an original version and a professionally language-edited version.
Writing Quality Assessment: 18 writing experts evaluated papers for clarity, structure, and style.
Academic Quality Assessment: 30 economists evaluated papers for overall quality and contribution.

Randomization Design:

Each expert evaluated 5 papers in their original form and 5 in edited form (no expert saw both versions of the same paper).
Each economist evaluated 5 papers in their original form and 5 in edited form (again, no one saw both versions of the same paper).
No participants were told that some papers had been edited.
This ensured that any differences in evaluations could be attributed to writing quality alone.

Treatment:

Editing involved ~12 hours per paper, improving structure, polishing sentences and word choice, and confirming with authors that meaning was retained.

Key Findings:

Edited papers were rated higher for writing quality.
Economists also rated the academic quality of edited papers higher — even though the underlying content was unchanged.

4. Practical Tips

Writing with a Reader in Mind

Imagine a specific reader and ask: “What will they think?”
Adjust tone and examples for diverse audiences.
Iterate to make the core message resonate.

Getting Feedback

**High-level feedback ** — trusted mentors for big-picture feedback.
**Detailed feedback ** — target audience members with fresh eyes.
Ask what stood out, what was unclear, and what they took away.

Narrative + Visuals

Combine text and visuals to tell the story.
Well-designed figures can carry key messages.
Use interactive visuals when appropriate.

Writing Practice

Read widely; analyze good writing.
Use AI as a writing “personal trainer” for rewrites and feedback.
Practice explaining complex ideas in short formats (1 paragraph, tweet-length).