Stephanie Evergreen really cuts to the chase:
Here’s the hard truth: Your report probably sucks. Mine sure did. The heart of your content is likely fine, maybe even helpful. But, if you are anything like the hundreds of reports I see every year, the entire set of cultural norms we have somehow developed around reporting is just setting us up for failure, writing a destiny where no one is reading the report.
Why? Let me lay out the most common issues I see and propose some strategic solutions.
There’s an emphasis here on academic papers but it also applies to corporate work too.