Writing Effective Thesis Statements

Writing Effective Thesis Statements



What Is a Thesis Statement?

* A “mini argument”
* A sentence or two that briefly describes the main idea of your paper and the main argument that you are trying to make
* Offers your readers a quick preview of what your paper is going to be about
* Makes an argumentative assertion
* Focuses your paper on a very specific, debatable point
* Gives your audience guidance about the conclusions you draw in the paper
* In some kinds of writing, such as narratives or descriptions, a thesis statement is less important, but you may still want to provide some kind of statement that helps to guide your reader through your paper



How Should I Write a Thesis Statement?

The structure and nature of your thesis statement will depend on the type of paper you are writing, so there’s not really a trick to thesis statements that works every time. However, below you will find some strategies that will help you develop strong thesis statements.



* Claim + Reason = Thesis Statement

This is an easy formula to remember to help you ensure that you have included both elements of the thesis statement. The claim is the assertion or main idea that you are making. Then, you will want to make sure you that you include the reason or support for that claim. A nice word to substitute for the + part of the equation is “because.” You don’t have to use this exact word or this style every time, but it often works quite well.



Example: You might be writing a paper on sexist language in textbooks and state this thesis: “Sexist language in college textbooks is harmful.” This is a good start and makes clear the claim part of your thesis. However, to make it more powerful and specific, try adding in the “because clause” and reason: “Sexist language in college textbooks is harmful because it reinforces negative stereotypes about many groups and individuals.” The section of the sentence after “because” makes clear the reason to support your claim, so you now have claim + reason = thesis statement.



* The Working Thesis Statement

The best thesis statements will evolve as your paper progresses, so try using a “working thesis statement.” Have a basic idea of your thesis statement before you begin writing your paper, but be willing to change and revise it as your paper changes. Often, the conclusion you draw before starting a paper may be different than the conclusion you make after you research and write your paper. This is a good thing—it means that you learned something during the writing process!



Example: Before you being the writing process, you might have this working thesis statement: “Many women suffer from eating disorders.” While this is a good start on your thesis, it needs more work and more complexity. Thus, after researching this issue and writing about it, you might have the following thesis in your final draft: “Magazine ads and commercials can ultimately influence how women see themselves and how they behave and can lead to harmful behaviors such as eating disorders.”



* The “So What” Question

Many times, writers will write what they think is a powerful thesis statement and, in fact, that statement makes no real argumentative assertion. This means that your reader may ask “so what?”



Example: You might state, “Many people in the world are victims of stereotyping.” While this may be a true statement, as a reader, I would ask, “so what?” What is so important or problematic about the fact that people are stereotyped? What more can you add to your conclusion or argument to make it more interesting and more complex?



A better thesis statement might be something like this: “Prejudgments are harmful because they limit the lives of the stereotyped individual and the person doing the stereotyping.”



Where Should I Place My Thesis Statement?

* A thesis statement does not have to be placed at the end of your introductory paragraph.
* The reason many writers place their thesis statements in the introductory paragraph is because: 1) it engages the audience in your argument early on, 2) it sets forth the plan or direction of your paper, and 3) it makes clear how the argument will be organized.
* A thesis statement can be situated anywhere in your paper, depending on the style and structure of your writing.
* Many writers prefer the “delayed thesis statement,” which means you delay your stating your thesis until later in your paper, sometimes until the conclusion. This method allows you to take your readers through your system of logic and leads them to draw a conclusion at the same time you do in your paper. However, as a writer, if you use this style, you must still know early on in your paper what conclusions you will draw—you just might not state the conclusion so early on in your paper.
* Regardless, keep in mind that your thesis can appear anywhere in your paper—just make sure you have given careful thought to why you placed the thesis where you did.

What Should a Thesis Statement Accomplish?

For the writer, the thesis statement:

* Serves as a planning tool.
* Helps the writer determine the paper’s real focus and clarify the relationship between idea.
* Becomes a hook on which the writer can “hang” the sub-theses or the topic sentences that present evidence in support of the argument.
* Anticipates questions about the topic and provides the unifying thread between pieces of information.



For the reader, the thesis statement:

* Serves as a “map” to follow through the paper.
* Prepares the reader to read.
* Keeps the reader focused on the argument
* Helps the reader spot the main ideas.
* Engages the reader in the argument.
* Offers enough detail for your reader to grasp your argument.



Thus, a thesis statement:

* Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic.
* Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper.
* Is focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper.
* Identifies the relationship between the pieces of evidence that you are using to support your argument.
* Can appear anywhere in your paper, but you must have a good reason for the placement of your thesis statement.