Language can provide an entree into an academic discipline, but can also serve as a barrier to exclude newcomers. How does this apply to academic developers trying to promote teaching and learning on their campuses? Using an online survey, academics at two institutions in the UK and USA were asked to describe their typical and ideal reading in their disciplines and in teaching and learning, focusing on combinations of ideas presented and language used. Results show their expectations and experiences of literature in their own fields differ from those in teaching and learning; further differences are noticeable between disciplinary clusters and between institutions. Implications for academic developers are explored in terms of academic credibility, accessibility, and the possibility of collaboration across the disciplines to overcome academics' potential resistance to literature on teaching and learning. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)