I'm writing a paper and we have the following quote.
see Section 1.3.4 for a high-level description of the method and Section 2.1 for the specific application.
Basically, we're using a general method which we outline in Section 1.3.4; in Section 2.1 we describe our application of this method. As a native English speaker, this sentence seems fine to me. However, someone who is French 1 suggested that we change it with the following comment.
for a high-level description of the method », maybe replace « high-level » by some other adjective, such as « precise ». (Feels more modest.)
We certainly are not intending to be arrogant! Rather we are describing the ideas at an abstract level.
So my question is two-fold.
(a) Do people agree that this may come off as arrogant (not modest)?
(b) What synonyms for "high level" are there? 2
1 : but at least fluent enough in English to be at a university in Austria in a department which uses English as its main language.
2 : other than perhaps "abstract" (but not sure it means exactly the same thing...) I am struggling to think of any; a well-known internet search engine has not been as helpful as one might expect
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