Interlude: Memorable Writing, Power Positions, and Publish-or-Perish Culture
I've been thinking about what makes writing memorable. I suspect you have too, especially if you've ever agonized over crafting the "perfect" draft.
Some assume it comes down to persuasiveness. Others lean toward elegant prose.
Those things matter. But after years of editing and teaching scientific writing, I keep coming back to three simpler ideas—borrowed from entrepreneur Pat Flynn, who was actually talking about branding, not writing.
Is it simple? Can your readers understand the concepts without rereading the text?
Is it interesting? Does it give readers something to think about or connect with?
Is it valuable? Do readers take something useful away?
Simple + Interesting + Valuable = Memorable
None of these require fancy language. They just require thinking carefully about your readers.
I'd love to hear which of these feels hardest in your own writing. Hit reply and let me know. Your answer might just inspire a future issue.
Now onto this week's round-up...
Round-up
From My Desk
3 Places in Your NIH Grant Application to Leave a Lasting Impression
Many researchers overlook the three most powerful positions in an NIH grant application. In this video, I share what those three positions are and how you can maximize their power to get reviewers just as excited about the proposed project as you.
Reading
Buying a first author slot can cost you anywhere from $56 to $5,600
“The market for fake authorship on a research paper has prices to match every budget, according to a new dataset compiled from thousands of advertisements on social media platforms and paper mill websites. The dataset, called BuyTheBy, is the first systematic attempt to understand the market for paper mill products…”
Lawmakers Question Publish-or-Perish Culture of Scientific Research
Two quotes stood out to me in this article:
“Academic careers are built on publication counts. Institutions compete on research output. The result is a publish-or-perish culture that rewards quantity over quality and creates a ready market for shortcuts when speed and quantity displace rigor or reproducibility,” he said. “What was once a straightforward process of peer review and dissemination has become a complex, commercialized marketplace with maligned incentives and bad actors willing to exploit them.”
“Science needs a reform of the publish-or-perish system, which perversely encourages and even rewards mischief and misbehavior. By relying on overly simplistic numerical metrics to tell us who is doing the best science, we dangerously conflate quantity with quality output [and] innovation and publication numbers with reliable knowledge.”
Listening
Ask Matt Anything: Authenticity, Anxiety, and Answering Well
"Strong communication isn’t about having the right lines ready—it’s about being present enough to respond with clarity. In the moment, it’s easy to rush, overthink, or lose your structure. But with the right tools, you can slow down, connect, and communicate with intention. In this Ask Matt Anything episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Matt Abrahams...outlines practical ways to manage nerves, adapt to different situations, and build communication habits that last.
Quote
“Good design is making something intelligible and memorable. Great design is making something memorable and meaningful.” – Dieter Rams
Thank you so much for reading.
Warmly,
Crystal
