What is a Thesis Statement?
The question, what is a thesis statement is one which often comes to light when writing academic papers. In fact, many students often find it confusing to distinguish between a thesis statement and a mission statement. However, it should be noted that a mission statement usually refers to a written declaration stating the core purpose of something like an organization, group or company over a long period of time. The same approach can be applied in academic writing, whereby a mission statement can be written to provide a plan for the paper. It is usually written towards the end of the introduction part of an essay to tell the readers what will be addressed or discussed in the paper.
So, what is a thesis statement?
Also called the hypothesis or thesis, a thesis statement is the main point or central idea of the paper that you are planning to write. Although there are several ideas that are often expressed in an academic paper, there is always a key argument. It is the thesis that the body paragraphs should be supporting and explaining to your readers.
To enable you understand better what is a thesis statement, it is important that you also know the basic elements of a strong thesis. The following are the key features of a strong thesis statement.
- Tells readers about the specific purpose of your paper
- Gives a clear roadmap of how the body paragraphs and conclusion of the paper will be handled
- Present a direct answer to the question of the paper. A good thesis should effectively interpret the question or subject for readers to know what to expect.
- Make a claim that is arguable and can be disputed by others
Another thing that you should also note when defining what is a thesis statement is that the statement should be brief, about two or three sentences long. However, some thesis statements may be longer depending on the subject, purpose and instructions of the paper.
What is a thesis statement for an essay and how can I write one?
Whether you are asked to write an essay, research paper, dissertation or any other academic paper, it should be noted that the role of thesis remains the same in all. The only thing that changes is the content and maybe length of the thesis. All academic papers should have thesis statements and the main purpose of each is to convey your main idea or argument in the paper.
In order for you to create a good essay, the thesis must be creatively formulated from a unique angle and properly written to address your main argument for the paper. The following are some guidelines on how to come up with a good thesis statement.
Identify a topic for the assignment
A thesis should be relevant to the topic or subject of your paper and tell readers about the particular angle or approach that will be taken in writing. Therefore, it is important that you start by choosing the most appropriate topic to discuss.
Study the subject of the paper
It is advisable that you also do some research on the topic to get the various ideas that could be used in formulating your thesis.
Research can be done from online and offline sources, depending on the one that you can easily access. Try to collect a variety of ideas, including those for or against the topic. In this way, you will be able to effectively understand the topic and formulate an argument for the paper.
Analyze the acquired information
Do not hurry into picking sides without evaluating your points. From your research on the subject, you will be able to get various kinds of information. It is advisable that you evaluate the pieces of information, making comparisons and contrast. Besides, you should also try to find links between the points in order to make an informed choice on an ideal claim for the paper.
Focus on one aspect of the topic
Creating a thesis statement requires you to pick only one angle or perspective to handle in the paper. Forming an argument from a specific angle will make it easier for you to identify the points for the body paragraphs since you will have a clear picture of the requirements of the paper.
When picking an aspect to use as thesis, you should make reference to the question of the paper to avoid being irrelevant or going overboard. It is recommended that you choose an aspect or an idea that is stronger than the others. It should be an argument that you are able to comprehensively explain in the paper.
Settle on an idea that is interesting to your readers
The thesis is the basis of the paper and should present an idea or claim that your audience may be interested in. This implies you should also consider your audience when formulating a thesis statement. If readers find that your main argument is something that they can relate to, there are higher chances that many people will read it. Thus, you should try to be creative and logical in formulating thesis statements for essays and other academic papers.
Refine your points and draw an outline
Although a thesis is made up of just a few sentences, it is still recommended that you draft a plan to direct you on how to make the claim in writing. On this part, you can simply write short statements reflecting the thesis in different words. When writing the final thesis, you can summarize the points to form a strong thesis.
Writing a thesis statement
Writing a thesis statement should be fun, fast and quite simple when you have an outline of the points to be covered. The thesis should come in the last part of the introductory paragraph. However, this does not mean that it should be written on its own paragraph.
After opening the paper by giving your readers a general information about the topic, you should narrow down to the thesis by pointing out the particular argument that you will be discussing in the paper. Try to make the main claim as clear and specific as possible so readers do not have to struggle looking for your thesis.
It is also important to mind your language when writing a thesis. Good thesis statements should be crafted in simple languages that readers can easily understand. After stating the purpose of your paper, it is important to also give a plan or map showing your audience the main points discussed in the paper.
A thesis statement should not be a story or long discussion but directly state the aim of the paper and how it will be explained in the rest of the paper. Since the thesis is the last sentence in the introduction part, you should also make sure that it is properly linked to the body paragraphs.
Just like with other sections of the paper, you should read the thesis statement a few times to evaluate whether it is strong enough for the paper or not. Besides, this will also give you an opportunity to make revisions where necessary.
Since ideas may come up in the event of writing, do not be afraid of re-writing the thesis statement. You can make changes to the thesis as much as you like, provided that the purpose of the paper is not altered.
Examples of Thesis Statements
In case you are still asking, what is a thesis statement, simply read the following sample thesis statements for more insights. The examples are written by professionals and can vividly show you all the elements of a strong thesis statement and also how they should be presented when writing.
Example 1
Thesis statement sample for an Essay about Families
‘’The United States media depicts the traditional family as made up of a mother, father and children; however, this notion of the traditional family is outdated and can be harmful to children who look to this as the gold standard. The U.S media should, therefore, expand and redefine the definition of the traditional American family to include divorced and remarried parents, extended families living together, and families with same-gender parents…’’ Continue reading the thesis statement here.
Example 2
Sample argumentative thesis statement
‘’High school graduates should be required to take one year off to pursue community service projects before entering college in order to increase their maturity and global awareness.’’ Read the sample thesis on this link.
Perhaps, you may still be wondering, what is a thesis statement? If so, simply get in touch with us for professional help. Besides, you can also check out our homepage for directions on how to easily get high quality custom paper writing services.
References
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/
http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/thesis/
https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/thesis_IDtopic.html
http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/thesisstmt.html