Are the Best Higher Education Journals Really the Best? A Meta-Analysis of Writing Quality and Readability

This study examined the relationship between writing quality, readability, and selectivity in 17 higher education journals. Readability was assessed through two indexes of readability. Data were analyzed using zero-order Pearson product-moment correlations, independent two sample t-tests, and analysis of covariance. Findings show that quality of writing and readability did not vary as a function of selectivity. Journals that were more selective featured significantly more complex forms of writing, and journals with more general topics were significantly more selective than those with a more specialized focus. Two appendixes contain scoring categories for the Flesch Reading Ease index and a list of the publications reviewed for the study. (Contains 3 tables and 30 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document