Helen Sword makes a good point about the clarity and readability of academic prose. Of course, not all academic concepts and research results lend themselves to being easily grasped and understood, however well written they may be. However, the ability to explain difficult concepts in terms that can be understood by the non-specialist should be a key academic skill.
There is no point increasing the sum of human knowledge if hardly anyone is able to understand at least broadly how it has been augmented.
Keith Flett, London