Repeat the exact same phrases for key concepts throughout your dissertation. If you call it "employee turnover" in chapter one, use those same words everywhere, not "workforce departure." Committees might think varied terminology means different variables, creating confusion about what you actually studied.
Here's a dissertation trick you haven't heard before: say the exact same thing every time. Students often think that varying their language makes them look smarter or makes their writing more interesting, but their committee thinks that they're introducing new variables. So for example, they might say employee turnover in chapter 1 and workforce departure in chapter 2, and then your committee starts wondering, are all these things the same thing? Is there a distinction I'm missing? Did you change your main focus? It feels repetitive to say the same thing again and again, but that's the point. Your dissertation isn't a novel, it's a research document. Comment help and we will send you the link to our free dissertation help community. You've got this!
