{"id":1794,"date":"2026-04-13T09:48:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T08:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/?p=1794"},"modified":"2026-04-13T09:48:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T08:48:24","slug":"why-under-explanation-is-harming-your-assignments-and-how-to-fix-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/13\/why-under-explanation-is-harming-your-assignments-and-how-to-fix-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Why under-explanation is harming your assignments (and how to fix it)"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever had feedback like \u2018Needs more development,\u2019 \u2018Explain this,\u2019 or the classic \u2018Expand your argument,\u2019 you\u2019ve probably run into under\u2011explanation<\/em>. It\u2019s one of the most common issues students face across all disciplines. And it matters, because even great ideas fall flat if your reader can\u2019t follow your thinking.<\/p>\n

Under\u2011explanation happens when you assume the reader knows something they don\u2019t, skip steps in your logic, or fail to unpack why something is true or important. The result? Writing that feels vague, unconvincing, or incomplete. The good news: once you\u2019re aware of it, it\u2019s surprisingly fixable.<\/p>\n

Below are four examples showing what under\u2011explanation looks like and<\/em> how to improve it.<\/p>\n

Example: incomplete causal explanations (biochemistry)<\/h2>\n

Under\u2011explained version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Enzymes speed up reactions because they lower activation energy.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is true\u2026 but it doesn\u2019t explain how<\/em> lowering activation energy speeds things up, or what activation energy<\/em> even is for someone outside the field.<\/p>\n

Improved version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Enzymes speed up chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy\u2014the minimum energy required for molecules to react. They do this by binding to specific molecules and holding them in positions that make the reaction more likely to occur. Because less energy is needed to get the reaction started, the process happens much faster.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u2019s fixed: it defines the key concept and<\/em> explains the causal process.<\/p>\n

Example: not linking evidence to a claim (economics)<\/h2>\n

Under\u2011explained version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Income inequality increases social tension.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Again, probably true, but without showing how or why, it\u2019s just a slogan.<\/p>\n

Improved version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Income inequality can increase social tension because large gaps between groups make people more aware of status differences. Research shows that when individuals feel comparatively deprived\u2014believing they are worse off than others\u2014they are more likely to experience frustration, distrust, and resentment, which can contribute to protest or conflict.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u2019s fixed: the explanation connects the observed pattern to a psychological mechanism (relative deprivation).<\/p>\n

Example: obscure concept not explained (engineering)<\/h2>\n

Under\u2011explained version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

When engineers evaluate the long\u2011term stability of a new bridge design, they typically analyse how the steel cables respond to temperature changes, wind loads, and repeated traffic vibrations. Most of these effects are predictable, but the team also identified early signs of metastable shear divergence, which could influence how the structure behaves during extreme stress events. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Most engineers won\u2019t know for sure what metastable shear divergence<\/em> means.<\/p>\n

Improved version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

When engineers evaluate the long\u2011term stability of a new bridge design, they typically analyse how the steel cables respond to temperature changes, wind loads, and repeated traffic vibrations. Most of these effects are predictable, but the team also identified early signs of metastable shear divergence\u2014an unstable pattern of sideways forces that appears only under rare conditions and can briefly amplify a structure\u2019s movement. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u2019s fixed: a difficult concept is explained concisely.<\/p>\n

Example: rarefied technical term not explained (human resource management)<\/h2>\n

Under\u2011explained version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The organisation\u2019s shift toward a more centralised decision\u2011making structure has exposed weaknesses in its ability to recognise and use new ideas. However, without addressing the emerging issue of latent coupling drift, the firm risks undermining the benefits of its new structure.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Improved version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The organisation\u2019s shift toward a more centralised decision\u2011making structure has exposed weaknesses in its ability to recognise and use new ideas. However, without addressing the emerging issue of latent coupling drift\u2014a gradual and often unnoticed loosening of the connections between parts of the organisation that are supposed to work together\u2014the firm risks undermining the benefits of its new structure.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u2019s fixed: an explanation of latent coupling drift<\/em> has been added.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h2>\n

When giving a causal explanation take a moment to think of every step in that causal chain and include them in your account.\u00a0When dealing with more obscure concepts, try to remember that, while your reader is an expert, they might still not be aware of more niche technical terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever had feedback like \u2018Needs more development,\u2019 \u2018Explain this,\u2019 or the classic \u2018Expand your argument,\u2019 you\u2019ve probably run into under\u2011explanation. It\u2019s one of the most common issues students face across all disciplines. And it matters, because even great...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1963,"featured_media":1805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[91,90,74,89,50,14,126],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-skills","category-academic-writing","category-communication","category-critical-thinking","category-dissertations","category-essay-writing","category-research-project"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/04\/Blog-post-images-9.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2020\/10\/02\/understanding-instruction-words-in-academic-essay-titles\/","url_meta":{"origin":1794,"position":0},"title":"Understanding instruction words in academic essay titles","author":"Tom Reid","date":"October 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Instruction or command words indicate what your tutor wants you to do in your written assignment. It's vital that you understand exactly what these instruction words mean so you can answer all parts of the essay question and provide a complete response. Here's a list of some of the most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Essay writing"","block_context":{"text":"Essay writing","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/essay-writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2018\/09\/wind-rose-1209398_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2018\/09\/wind-rose-1209398_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2018\/09\/wind-rose-1209398_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2018\/09\/wind-rose-1209398_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2018\/09\/wind-rose-1209398_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2018\/09\/wind-rose-1209398_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1606,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2025\/10\/02\/help-i-havent-written-an-essay-since-sixth-form\/","url_meta":{"origin":1794,"position":1},"title":"Help! I Haven\u2019t Written an Essay Since Sixth Form","author":"Jeremy Sanders","date":"October 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) student, you might be thinking: \u201cWhy do I need to write essays? I\u2019m here to solve problems, run experiments, or write code\u2014not write like a humanities student!\u201d Actually, writing matters a lot in STEM. Whether you\u2019re reporting research findings, explaining complex\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Academic skills"","block_context":{"text":"Academic skills","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A person typing on a laptop","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/06\/Blog-post-images.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/06\/Blog-post-images.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/06\/Blog-post-images.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/06\/Blog-post-images.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":462,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/05\/03\/writing-your-dissertations-structure-and-sections\/","url_meta":{"origin":1794,"position":2},"title":"Writing your dissertation: Structure and sections","author":"Tom Reid","date":"May 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In this post, we look at the structural elements of a typical dissertation. A well-structured dissertation should be enjoyable to read. It should be logical and coherent, and your argument or line of reasoning should be convincing and easy to follow. Of course, this is easier said than done, so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Academic writing"","block_context":{"text":"Academic writing","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/academic-writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A tree with leaves featuring names of different dissertation topics. A cloud and a squirrel holding a banner that says 'Structure'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/07\/Writing-your-dissertation_Structure.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/07\/Writing-your-dissertation_Structure.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/07\/Writing-your-dissertation_Structure.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/07\/Writing-your-dissertation_Structure.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1108,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2023\/10\/04\/meet-the-skills-enrichment-team\/","url_meta":{"origin":1794,"position":3},"title":"Meet the skills enrichment team","author":"Kerry Vevers","date":"October 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"As the Skills Centre\u2019s programme of academic and employability skills workshops gets underway, we introduce our friendly team of teachers, dedicated to sharing their expertise to help enrich your academic journey at Bath, and share some of their academic skills top tips. \u00a0 Justin\u00a0 I\u2019ve been teaching academic skills at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Academic skills"","block_context":{"text":"Academic skills","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Students sitting in a lecture theatre at the University of Bath, listening to a lecture.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/10\/skills_enrichment_800x450.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/10\/skills_enrichment_800x450.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/10\/skills_enrichment_800x450.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/10\/skills_enrichment_800x450.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1354,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2024\/10\/17\/critical-writing\/","url_meta":{"origin":1794,"position":4},"title":"Critical Writing","author":"Justin Alam","date":"October 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"How you can be a better critical writer: going beyond description Have you ever handed in a piece of writing \u2013 an essay or report, for example \u2013 and got comments back from your tutor saying that it needs to be more critical, that you are just storytelling, or that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Academic skills"","block_context":{"text":"Academic skills","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hands resting on the keyboard of a laptop, with an open notebook and pencil to the left","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/10\/German-comedy-blog-post-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/10\/German-comedy-blog-post-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/10\/German-comedy-blog-post-2.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/10\/German-comedy-blog-post-2.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":211,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2019\/11\/22\/how-to-write-a-conclusion\/","url_meta":{"origin":1794,"position":5},"title":"How to write a conclusion","author":"Tom Reid","date":"November 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Your conclusion is very important as it presents the final words of your assignment. It should leave the reader satisfied that you have provided a thorough, well-researched and reasoned response to the assignment question. Your conclusion should move from the specific to the general (Introductions move from general to specific).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Academic writing"","block_context":{"text":"Academic writing","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/academic-writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/end-1733893_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/end-1733893_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/end-1733893_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/end-1733893_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/end-1733893_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/end-1733893_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1963"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}