Avoid This Dissertation Mistake
3 Oct 2026 · 1 min
0:39
Don't write your dissertation to sound smart. Using obscure words confuses readers and slows your committee down. Save the big vocabulary for moments when it actually matters.
Don't write your dissertation to sound smart. Using obscure words confuses readers and slows your committee down. Save the big vocabulary for moments when it actually matters.
One thing that will also help you is you're not trying to be brilliant. I've seen too many people try to write to impress and use all kinds of words, and many times they're the wrong words. Write for clarity, precision. That's what's going to get you finished, not using words that your committee has to go look up every 4th line. There's another word that's— well, what's that mean? Is that being used right? No, you don't want your reader to be confused. You want your reader to understand what you're saying. If a big word is needed, okay, it's needed. But it's not the purpose of your writing is to fill it with big words. If you're looking for a community, join our free dissertation help group.
