BlueSky Thinking Summary

Brian Uzzi's findings run counter to the received wisdom that scientific objectivity requires the avoidance of promotional language.

Testing more than 16,000 grant applications, Uzzi and his colleagues found that the use of attention-grabbing language-what he terms "promotional language"-significantly improves the prospects of securing finance.

This is not a matter of tarting up proposals;

rather, such language often reflects and amplifies the intrinsic innovativeness of the research.

It finds that proposals with more promotional language were indeed associated with higher funding success rates, publications in highimpact journals, and higher overall impact.

By simulating the removal of promotional language, Uzzi's team showed how neutralizing that language often resulted in a decrease in positive sentiment and funding success.

Therefore, Uzzi argues that promotional language is significant in highlighting the key scientific findings and giving them the attention they deserve;

the strategy will attract funds and advance other meaningful research.