The phrase "a general idea about" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when you want to express a broad understanding or overview of a topic without going into specific details.
Example: "Before we dive into the specifics, let me give you a general idea about the project's objectives."
Alternatives: "a broad understanding of" or "an overview of".
Long-felt speculation had to be presented as close-watched observation, and a general idea about life had to be presented as a sequence of ideas about dogs.
I don't think it's only the music industry – there is a general idea about how women should look that has been going on for ages, although it's definitely getting worse.
Former aspect concerns with the fragmentation problem caused by the lack of a general idea about the reuse of this heritage.
However, only a general idea about the analytical scheme was provided in these models, without details with regard to damage evolution and respective mechanisms.
You can see how quickly the digital magazine lets me swipe through pages and photo slides, and get a general idea about some of the navigation elements.
Abstracts are used to introduce the contents to readers, and give a general idea about the full reports and sometimes are the only source of information available to readers.
In this chapter we shall only limit ourselves to mention some examples and results to give a general idea, especially about the use of harmonic maps, referring the reader to the book [2], entirely dedicated to this subject.
Although valuable knowledge has been gained from analyzing poly(A) sites in individual species, at least a few species per subkingdom are needed in order to have a relatively general idea about that subkingdom.
Make sure you at least have a general idea in your head about how you want it to work out, whether or not you change things as you go.
However, patients will probably have a more general idea about what constitutes trustworthy and reliable knowledge claims, how one can obtain knowledge, or how to identify credible sources for (medical) information.
Those who fancied themselves as scholars could cite the odd tag from the Iliad and the Odyssey (Odysseus's assertion 'let there be one king' was a favourite), but even literate people would have had only a general idea that the Odyssey was about a magical journey home and that the Iliad was about war.
