So there are reasons for scientists to write well. There is also no shortage of resources to learn how to do that, from writing guides to professional coaching and editing services. Despite this, most scientists don’t master the art of communicating with clarity and style – at least not beyond whatever it takes to get acceptance from a journal. Many will recognize that writing better would be nice, in theory, but they don’t have the time.
Thus there are deeper, more structural forces at play. Is it worth fixing those? Would society as a whole benefit from scientific institutions that produced better writing on average? Here it is useful to make a parallel with two existing movements: open access and plain language.