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What is a thesis statement?

What is a thesis statement?

♦ Statement of the subject (one or two sentences), purpose, and focus of an essay, which must be supported by your research.

♦ This thesis statement will serve as the core of yourpaper, enabling both you and your reader to follow atrain of thought through the paper. It will also helpyou from wandering off track.

Points to Remember when Writing a Thesis Statement

1. Write the thesis statement in a declarative sentence, never a question.

2. Write a statement that is somewhat open to argument,debate, or speculation. Your reader will then wantto read on to see how you prove your position with facts, data, and well-formed opinions.

3. Make sure that your thesis statement covers only what you plan to discuss in your paper.

4. Do not state the obvious5. Avoid using statements like…

“ I’m going to write about…” “This paper is about…”

Do not state things that are obvious to the reader

Ex: “Long term drug use has lasting negative effects.”

This should already be obvious to the reader andis too general of a statement.

Better Example:

“Long term drug use has lasting negative effectson family dynamics.”

Ex: Topic: Irish migration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Thesis Statement:

“The Great Potato Famine, combined with the restrictivepolicies of the English government, drove millions of Irish from their country during the mid to late 1800’s and early 1900’s.”

Try to be specific with your focus.

Ex: Topic: The effect of chemical fertilizers on coral reefs.

Thesis Statement:

“In Hawaii, the chemical fertilizer runoffs from golf courses and lawns flow into our oceans and negatively impact our coral reefs by causing bleaching.”

Try to be specific with your focus.

For example, if you're writing a seven-to-ten page paper on hunger, you might say:

“World hunger has many causes and effects.”

This is a weak thesis statement for two major reasons.

First, world hunger can’t be discussed thoroughly in seven to ten pages.

Second, many causes and effects is vague. You should be able to identify specific causes and effects.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

A revised thesis might look like this:

“Hunger persists in most South American countries because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.”

This is a strong thesis statement because it narrows the subject to a more specific and manageable topic, and it also identifies the specific causes for the existence of hunger.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

1. Start with a Research Question: What do you want to find out about?

Some examples are below. Notice how each question would take some research to answer.

Why was Thomas Jefferson opposed to slavery?

What happened to the Juvenile Court system to bring it to the crisis point?

How to write a thesis statement.

2. Research enough to be able to take a stand:

What is the issue or concern? What are you wanting to discover through your research and why is that important? Make sure it’s arguable.

Even though Thomas Jefferson had slaves, he showed that he valued every human being in his words and actions.

The Juvenile Court system was established to remove children from the adult criminal justice system and help youth reform, but over the years it became a source of punishment and imprisonment for many participants.

How to write a thesis statement.

Asking why?Why does soccer appeal so strongly to sports fans in Europe and Latin America?

Asking how? How does rap music effect American society?

Asking what?What are the effects of violence on television on children?

How to write a thesis statement.

Asking which?Which president had the greatest negative impact on foreign relations in the Middle East?

Asking when?When did suicide bombers become an important part of terrorism?

Asking should?Should the torture of terrorists be allowed by the American government in order to gain information

How to write a thesis statement.

What are the effects of television violence?

Contemporary research shows television violence devalues the importance of developing healthy relationship.

Violence on television desensitizes children and is making violent acts more acceptable in our culture.