A Comparison of the Readability of Marketing Research Textbooks and Commercial Marketing Research White Papers

At graduation, marketing students are expected to have basic marketing research skills. Although most will not enter marketing research careers, many will be required to interpret research and apply that knowledge to solve problems or recognize market opportunities. We compare the readability of several marketing research textbooks and professional research papers. In this study, the majority of books are written at an undergraduate level, while the majority of professional papers are written at the graduate level. Results suggest that attention should be given to readability as one variable in the teaching and learning environment to improve student skills upon graduation.