George David Gopen

George David Gopen, JD, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of the Practice of Rhetoric at Duke University. He is widely recognized as the creator of the Reader Expectation Approach to Writing in the English Language which was first introduced to audiences through his foundational 1990 article, "The Science of Scientific Writing," co-authored with Judith Swan and published by American Scientist. The article is the second most visited of the journal's online history approaching 148,000 views since 2017. In February of 2026, George signed multi-book contracts with The Anthem Press in London. The first book of that series is an update and expansion of the American Scientist article titled "The New Science of Scientific Writing." It is now available for pre-order with 17 translations planned. To date, he has published six books and 80 articles. In 2011, George received an award from the Legal Writing Institute for his lifelong efforts to improve legal writing.