Found in 5-15% of dissertation sentences. "Due to the fact that" instead of "because." "In order to" instead of "to." Your committee reads these as filler, not scholarship.
Replace this wordy phrase with a more concise alternative.
Wordy phrases are multi-word expressions that can be replaced with one or two words without losing meaning. "Due to the fact that" means "because." "In order to" means "to." "At the present time" means "now." "It is important to note that" means nothing — just delete it and state the important thing directly. These phrases add word count but subtract clarity.
Doctoral students often use wordy phrases because longer sentences feel more academic. They don't. The APA Publication Manual explicitly calls for "clear and concise" writing and warns against using three words where one will do. Your committee has read thousands of dissertations, and they can spot padding instantly. Wordy writing doesn't signal depth — it signals that you're either unsure of your point or trying to inflate your page count.
The good news is that wordy phrases are the easiest issue in your dissertation to fix. They're mechanical substitutions: search, find, replace. You don't need to restructure your argument or rethink your analysis. You just need to trade in the bloated phrase for the lean one. A single editing pass focused on wordiness can cut 5-10% of your word count while making every remaining sentence sharper.
Concise writing improves readability and demonstrates command of academic prose.
Due to the fact that the sample was small, results should be interpreted with caution.
Because the sample was small, results should be interpreted with caution.
"Due to the fact that" → "Because." "Was unable to" → "could not." "In a timely manner" → "on time." Three substitutions, half the words.
Due to the fact that the participants were not available, the researcher was unable to conduct the interviews in a timely manner.
Because the participants were unavailable, the researcher could not conduct the interviews on time.
"In order to" → deleted. "Gain a better understanding" → "Understanding." "It is necessary to" → "requires."
In order to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon, it is necessary to examine the existing literature.
Understanding this phenomenon requires examining the existing literature.
"The purpose of this study is to" → "This study." "The ways in which" → "how." "Make use of" → "use." "In the context of" → "in."
The purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which teachers make use of technology in the context of their daily classroom activities.
This study explores how teachers use technology in daily classroom activities.
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