Authors: | Graf-Vlachy, Lorenz |
Title: | Is the readability of abstracts decreasing in management research? |
Language (ISO): | en |
Abstract: | The readability of scientific texts is critical for the successful distribution of research findings. I replicate a recent study which found that the abstracts of scientific articles in the life sciences became less readable over time. Specifically, I sample 28,345 abstracts from 17 of the leading journals in the field of management and organization over 3 decades, and study two established indicators of readability over time, namely the Flesch Reading Ease and the New Dale–Chall Readability Formula. I find a modest trend towards less readable abstracts, which leads to an increase in articles that are extremely hard to read from 12% in the first decade of the sample to 16% in the final decade of the sample. I further find that an increasing number of authors partially explains this trend, as do the use of scientific jargon and corresponding author affiliations with institutions in English-speaking countries. I discuss implications for authors, reviewers, and editors in the field of management. |
Subject Headings: | Readability Management research Replication |
Subject Headings (RSWK): | Lesbarkeit Verständlichkeit Wissenschaftliche Literatur Management |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/2003/40811 http://dx.doi.org/10.17877/DE290R-22668 |
Issue Date: | 2021-05-31 |
Rights link: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Appears in Collections: | Lehrstuhl Unternehmensführung |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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2021Graf-Vlachy_Article_.pdf | 1.45 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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