Beware the ‘Monological Imperatives’: Scholarly Writing for the Reader

Authors

Joan A. Magat, Duke Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Working Paper

Publication Date

2007

Keywords

legal scholarship, writing, legal composition, syntax

Abstract

This article describes principles of effective academic writing - offered not as edicts, but as guidelines - for legal scholars in particular. The overall focus is style, but the discussion begins with observations of format. These are followed by a few stylistic principles that govern clear and effective writing. None of these principles is a revelation to the student of method or to the accomplished writer. But for the academic writer less focused on or less familiar with such principles, being aware of and practicing them can clear the fog from syntax, illuminate the writer's thesis and its development, and help keep the reader's eye on the text. This last objective should be the writer's first: to anticipate the reader's understanding and responses and to know what piques and what holds the reader's interest.

Citation

Joan A. Magat, Beware the ‘Monological Imperatives’: Scholarly Writing for the Reader (August 2007)