Found in 10-15% of dissertation paragraphs. Words like "some," "various," and "significant" feel precise to you but tell your committee absolutely nothing.
Replace the vague phrase with specific, measurable language.
Vague language is any word or phrase that could mean different things to different readers. "Several studies" — how many? Three? Thirty? "A significant impact" — statistically significant, or just noteworthy? "Various factors" — which ones? Your committee reads these phrases and immediately writes "be specific" in the margin because vague language makes your argument unfalsifiable. If you never commit to a specific claim, nobody can evaluate whether your evidence actually supports it.
This is a conceptual trap, not just a word-choice problem. Most doctoral students use vague language because they're hedging — they're not confident enough in their knowledge to commit to specifics, so they retreat into generalities. "Many researchers have found" feels safer than "Twelve studies published between 2018 and 2023 found" because you don't have to defend the number. But your committee sees right through it. They know the vagueness means you either haven't done the reading or you're afraid to stake a claim.
The fix requires discipline, not talent. Every time you write a word like “some,” “many,” “various,” “significant,” “important,” or “a number of,” stop and ask: can I replace this with a specific number, name, or measurable outcome? If you can, do it. If you genuinely can’t, that’s a signal you need to go back to your sources and find the specific data.
Words like "meaningful," "various," and "significant" sound academic but say nothing concrete. Committees demand precision—they want to know exactly what you studied, found, and concluded, not vague generalities.
Academic writing values precision. Words like "meaningful" or "significant" feel scholarly but actually mean nothing without definition.
Every time you write "meaningful" or "significant," ask: "By what measure? According to whom? How would I prove this?"
The program had meaningful impact on attitudes.
The program improved attitudes, with confidence scores increasing 23% (p < .01).
"Various," "significant," and "learning outcomes" are all vague. Replace each with a specific, verifiable quantity.
Various researchers have found that technology has a significant impact on learning outcomes.
Seven studies published between 2019 and 2023 found that one-to-one laptop programs increased standardized test scores by 8-15% (Smith et al., 2021; Jones, 2022).
"A long time" and "many students" tell the reader nothing. Specific timeframes and numbers build credibility.
The problem has existed for a long time and affects many students.
Achievement gaps between low-income and higher-income students have persisted for over three decades (Reardon, 2011) and currently affect approximately 11 million Title I-eligible students nationwide (NCES, 2022).
"Some," "suggest," and "somewhat effective" triple-hedge the claim into meaninglessness.
Some studies suggest that professional development can be somewhat effective.
A meta-analysis of 35 studies found that sustained professional development (50+ hours) improved teacher instructional practices, with an average effect size of 0.54 (Desimone & Garet, 2015).
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