Have you ever submitted a paper to a class, only to get it back from your professor with the feedback: “No thesis statement.”? And once you thought that you finally figured out what a thesis statement is, did you still struggle writing a strong one? Well, if that’s you, you’ve landed on the right article! By examining what a thesis statement is, what and what not to do when writing one, and how to work with your thesis statement throughout your paper, you will walk away from reading this feeling much more prepared to write your next thesis statement!
What is a thesis statement? The big, important question.
You can think of your thesis statement as your purpose statement that is stated at the end of your introduction paragraph. Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of my paper?”
It’s a statement that is arguable. To strengthen your perspective and the points you make in your paper, ask yourself, “What are some counter arguments to my thesis?”
It’s best stated in one sentence. If it takes an entire paragraph to explain your thesis, hone in on your argument and detail the main purpose so it’s clear to the reader what the point really is.
What needs to be included in a thesis statement? The next big question.
In a nutshell, it should include two major features: your argument (the thesis part) and your main points (the support). We can use the last sentence of the first paragraph of this article as an example. I wrote it to encapsulate essentially what a thesis statement should look like!
You should include a detailed statement of your argument. What will your paper accomplish? I wrote “…you will walk away from reading this feeling much more prepared to write your next thesis statement.” It’s clear that the purpose is to prepare you, the reader, to write thesis statements.
The other part you should include involves the main points that support your thesis. I wrote “By examining what a thesis statement is, what and what not to do when writing one, and how to work with your thesis statement throughout your paper…”
If you want a fill-in-the-blank version of that, it would look something like this: “By looking at points A, B and C, the reader will have an understanding of *thesis*.”
Of course, you can reword that anyway you like, but basically just list your main points in the order that you plan on talking about them and then state how they support your thesis!
Carry your thesis statement throughout your paper.
I asked a professor one time what he thought students struggled with the most in writing. He said it was connecting their thesis to the rest of their paper. Your main points are supposed to support your thesis. Throughout your entire paper, ask yourself, “How does this support my thesis?”
If there’s information in there that doesn’t tie into your main point to support your thesis, throw it out. When you’re writing, reiterate at the end of each paragraph how the point you’re making supports your thesis, just to tie it all in together!
I hope you found these tips helpful in writing thesis statements. Also, check out this link to access the University of South Florida’s Writing Studio’s resources.
