One of the main problems PhD students experience when writing up their thesis is having too many words! The actual wordcount often ends up overshooting the acceptable limit by thousands! If this is you, you're not alone.
In this video I share 10 practical and easy-to-implement tips to help you cut down your thesis or chapter word count without losing valuable knowledge or meaning. Whether it’s eliminating redundancies, simplifying your phrasing, or using active voice, these strategies will streamline your writing and make it clearer, more concise, and more impactful.
If you’ve been guilty of overwriting - adding in extra filler words, repeating ideas just in case the examiner didn’t catch them the first time, or using overly complex sentences to sound more formal - this video is for you. These bad habits are common among PhD students, but the good news is that they’re easy to fix once you know how!
I’ll walk you through step-by-step examples of how to combine sentences, trim unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, and tighten up your conclusions. You’ll also learn how to review paragraphs with a critical eye and avoid bogging down your work with excessive descriptions, quotes, or examples.
By the end of the video, you’ll have actionable techniques to tackle that intimidating word count and transform your thesis into a polished, concise, and readable document.
So, if your word count is out of control, or you’ve ever struggled to decide what to keep and what to cut, this video is a must-watch.
Don’t forget to share in the comments how far over the word count you’ve gone or if you’re dealing with the opposite problem of being too concise - let’s help each other out!
Click play and start trimming those words today!
Chapters
0:00 – 1:03 About the wordcount problem
1:04 – 1:59 Eliminate redundancies
2:00 – 2:53 Cut out filler words
2:54 – 4:19 Simplify your phrasing
4:20 – 5:17 Use active voice
5:18 – 5:49 Your experiences with wordcounts
5:50 – 6:58 Combine sentences
6:59 – 7:59 Remove unnecessary descriptions
8:00 – 8:30 Review each paragraph
8:31 – 9:16 Examples and quotes
9:17 – 10:03 Limit adjectives and adverbs
10:04 – 11:21 Tighten up the conclusion
// Other helpful videos //
Do THIS and your examiner will love you [ Ссылка ]
How to write an abstract for your PhD thesis [ Ссылка ]
How to write your thesis acknowledgements [ Ссылка ]
Critical literature review, how to write it [ Ссылка ]
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