Overcoming Academia's Curse of Knowledge

Academia suffers from a case of the Curse of Knowledge. We fall prey to this curse after continued exposure to and pursuit of knowledge. Experimental psychologist Steven Pinker, in his book “The Sense of Style,” defines the Curse of Knowledge as “a difficulty in imagining what it is like for someone else not to know something that you know.”

For example, Pat is describing a recent experience at a local restaurant to Amy and a group of friends:

Pat: The food was delicious, but I definitely needed a postgame after the meal.

Amy: (pretending to know what “postgame” means) For the sake of those who don’t know, can you explain what a postgame is?

Pat: (surprised that anyone would not know what he meant) Yeah…needing to go out for a second dinner because the portions were so small.

Here is another example:

PIs should reach out to their RA to discuss the RFP’s eligibility, compliance, and cost share requirements prior to the ORSPA deadline.

If you understand what this sentence is trying to say, you had to learn it at some point, which of course means you initially did not know what it means. This sentence uses language that is commonplace in some units at ASU, but it will be gibberish to anyone outside the environment in which it is regularly used.

Challenge the Curse of Knowledge—remember what it was like not to know what you know now.

Pinker comments, “It simply doesn’t occur to the writer that her readers don’t know what she knows—that they haven’t mastered the patois of her guild, can’t divine the missing steps that seem too obvious to mention, have no way to visualize a scene that to her is as clear as day. And so she doesn’t bother to explain the jargon, or spell out the logic, or supply the necessary detail” (The Sense of Style, p. 61).

Here are a few tips to help you overcome a case of the Curse of Knowledge.

1. Know Your Audience. Knowing and writing to your audience is paramount. Typically, the audience of a proposal is a review panel made up of staff or experts in the field. Tailor your writing to the expectations and expertise of your audience. When in doubt about whether your audience will understand something, err on the side of simpler language.
2. Know Your Material. Common writing advice says to write about what you know. Confusing writing can be a sign that the writer does not have a good grasp of the material he or she is writing about. If you are not sure how to say something, back up and ask yourself whether you feel you fully understand it.
3. Use Plain Language. Plain language is not boring; it is simple and easy to consume, like a plain bagel with plain cream cheese. Choose simple language rather than complex language where possible. In many cases, this will save you word count too. For example, rather than saying “the project team will utilize…,” just say “We will use…” Don’t use “i.e.” to supplement confusing statements. If you can rewrite it in plain language, get rid of the first version and just use the “i.e.” version. Of course, there will be times where the complex language or jargon will be necessary for brevity and preferrable to your audience, which points back to tip number one – know your audience.
4. Minimize Abbreviations. Acronyms and abbreviations are valuable tools when used in the right context. In proposals, use them carefully. All acronyms should be written out the first time. In longer texts, write out the acronym at strategic places throughout; don’t assume the reader will remember an acronym from page one that is not used again until page 20. Avoid creating abbreviations that only apply in the context of a single piece of writing (with one possible exception being a project or program name).
5. Take a Break. When planning your writing, include a chunk of time away from the text when it is finished but before sending it off. Ideally, walk away from it for at least a full day. When you come back to the text, you’ll be able to review it with a fresh perspective. You may find yourself thinking, “What did I mean by that?” or “Why did I say this?” Use those opportunities to simplify and clarify your writing. 
6. Ask for Feedback. Despite our best efforts, we will never be able to fully separate ourselves from our own biases and knowledge. You need an outside perspective. The best way to find out if your writing is clear is to ask someone else to read it and provide feedback. You know others will be reviewing the proposal when you submit it, so simulate that process before you submit. Ask a few colleagues to read your proposal as if they were part of the review panel. In Research Development, we call these “color team reviews.” You can read more about how to set up an effective proposal review in this blog post.

If you would like to learn more about how to overcome the Curse of Knowledge and improve your writing, check out these resources:

1. The Sense of Style, by Steven Pinker
2. Proposal Writing II: Editing, one of Research Development’s 2020 Proposal Development Workshops
3. Writing in Plain Language, a LinkedIn Learning Course available for free to all ASU Employees through Career EDGE.
4. Federal Plain Language Guidelines for the Plain Writing Act of 2010 that went into effect on October 13, 2010 for all federal agencies.