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Writing matters

Author

Listed:
  • Feld, Jan
  • Lines, Corinna
  • Ross, Libby

Abstract

For papers to have scientific impact, they need to impress our peers in their role as referees, journal editors, and members of conference committees. Does better writing help our papers make it past these gatekeepers? In this study, we estimate the effect of writing quality by comparing how 30 economists judge the quality of papers written by PhD students in economics. Each economist judged five papers in their original version and five different papers that had been language edited. No economist saw both versions of the same paper. Our results show that writing matters. Compared to the original versions, economists judge edited versions as higher quality; they are more likely to accept edited versions for a conference; and they believe that edited versions have a better chance of being accepted at a good journal.

Suggested Citation

  • Feld, Jan & Lines, Corinna & Ross, Libby, 2024. "Writing matters," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 378-397.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:217:y:2024:i:c:p:378-397
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2023.11.016
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    Keywords

    Academic writing; Writing quality; Economics; Randomized experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A10 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - General

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