By Giordana Fiori
What is a thesis ?
A thesis must be a statement that people could reasonably have differing opinions on. If your thesis is something that is generally agreed upon or accepted as fact then there is no reason to try to persuade people.
A thesis is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
Example of a thesis: In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.Source: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
How long should a thesis statement be?
A thesis is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.
Source: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
How narrow or broad should a thesis be?
The thesis needs to be narrow Although the scope of your paper might seem overwhelming at the start, generally the narrower the thesis the more effective your argument will be. Your thesis or claim must be supported by evidence. The broader your claim is, the more evidence you will need to convince readers that your position is right.
Example of a broad thesis:
Drug use is detrimental to society. ❌ Too broad to argue, too general
Example of a narrow thesis:
Illegal drug use is detrimental because it encourages gang violence. ✅Narrow, manageable topic
Source: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/index.html
Which kinds of thesis exist?
Typically, there are four kinds of claims:
Claims of fact or definition: These claims argue about what the definition of something is or whether something is a settled fact.
Example: While some pundits have framed a four-year college education as something necessary for adult success, this notion should not be treated as a given.
Claims of cause and effect: These claims argue that one person, thing, or event caused another thing or event to occur.
Example: Federal student loan policies have contributed to widespread growth in college tuition.
Claims about value: These are claims made of what something is worth, whether we value it or not, how we would rate or categorize something
Example: The student debt crisis is one of the most serious problems facing the country today.
Claims about solutions or policies: These are claims that argue for or against a certain solution or policy approach to a problem.
Example: Rather than encouraging all students to attend four-year colleges, we should instead emphasize the validity of two-year colleges, technical schools, and trade schools as well.
Source: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/index.html
How do I know which kind of claim is right for my thesis?
Which type of thesis or claim you use for your argument will depend on your position and knowledge of the topic, your audience, and the context of your paper. You might want to think about where you imagine your audience to be on this topic and pinpoint where you think the biggest difference in viewpoints might be.
Source: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/index.html
Where in the paper should the thesis statement be?
The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.
Source: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/index.html
How do I approach writing a thesis?
- Determine what kind of paper you are writing:
- An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
- An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
- An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.
- In developing a sophisticated thesis, your goal should be to create a concise and impactful statement which grabs the reader’s attention as a uniquely intriguing argument. Thus three important questions to ask yourself are:
- What is my claim?
- How is my claim supported?
- So what/why does my claim matter?
- Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.
