Dissertation Guide
Our comprehensive guide to the process of writing a dissertation or thesis. Back to Student Resources
How complex or simple should sentences be?
“There is a tendency for sentences to be long and involved, or to include sentences without a verb. But, again, more scholarly writers often have an extremely clear style and use an accessible sentence structure (within the limits of sometimes extremely complex ideas being transmitted).”
“There is a mathematical formula called the Fog Index which helps you think about what level of complexity your sentences are. If sentences are too long, with too many words of three or more syllables, the reader can lose sight of what the writer is trying to say.”