Writing style

Putting together my application documents, running them through some faculty member's edits, and working on next year's app if this year doesn't pan out has reminded me how academic writing is different. In my current industrial job I have to do writing. I write to my coworkers, bosses, doctors, and to the FDA.  No one ever has clarification questions, and I've never gotten complaints about my writing. 

The very first manuscript I produced went though 18 edits with my old advisor. 18!  That's crazy, considering the amount of time it took to go through each one. Although the time got less with each consecutive edit. The amount of edits went down to just a single edit by the time I got my final paper out. My advisor really helped me write more gooder :).  One comment I still got from him and reviewers was that my writing is "too simplified, and should be written more scientifically".

I have a dear friend that teaches technical writing for the government, companies, and various universities. He's written a book on how to best perform technical writing, and I have him regularly edit my documents. He reorganizes my sentences and changes word usage (English wasn't my first language), but has never said my writing isn't understandable. In fact, he says he understands most of the core concepts of my papers after reading them. This is something I take great pride in. I read scientific articles in my own field that regularly confuse me because they're too scientific. 

My bud always says his philosophy is that the point of writing is to let other people know your thoughts, results, etc. If you're not writing for clarity, then you're doing it wrong. Period. I mostly agree but with one caveat for scientific journals and presentations: the public is paying for you to do your work. You are lucky enough to be the recipient of tax funds, and as such, have an obligation to let the public know how you're spending their money. Just like in a company, I have a personal responsibility to let my employer know how I'm spending their money. When I was in academia, I tried my best to make sure everyone could understand my talks and papers. This was not just for reviewers and scientific writers, but to make sure that the public could at least understand the basics. It got on my nerves when a presenter at public forums my old university used to put on would present in a way where only the scientists in the room could understand. It is our duty and responsibility to the people who fund our research. And I'll keep writing and presenting in so-called "unprofessional" ways if the most important people, the tax-payers, understand it.