How to Write a Thesis Statement

 What is a Thesis Statement?

Most assignments can be reduced to a single statement that highlights the overall argument. A thesis statement is a single assertion that recaps the key argument of your essay. The statement is usually placed towards the end of your introduction and helps you set the tone for your essay. The statement allows your audience to understand your essay’s general context and scope. It is crucial to note that your thesis may differ based on the essay type you are writing. However, your statement should always state your main idea clearly, regardless of the kind of essay. Your statement is one of the first things your audience reads, making it the most crucial sentence in your essay. This article explains different forms of thesis statements, how to create a strong statement, and the steps to writing it.

Types of Thesis Statements

There are different types of thesis statements based on the form of essay you are writing. Therefore, your thesis should always match the goals of your essay. Given the many kinds of statements, this article will provide examples of essays commonly written in an academic setting.

Argumentative Essay: In argumentative essays, your statement should state a position on a contentious topic while providing evidence to support it. For example, “Parents should restrict cellphone usage for children under 13 because it facilitates a balanced and proper development.” This statement provides evidence as to why parents are advised to restrict smartphone usage among their children, which lays the basis for the rest of the essay.

Expository Essay: A thesis statement for an expository essay should state the central point you intend to explore in the essay on the significance of a subject. The statement should also mention the key elements that you intend to argue. For instance, “The rise in populism in politics is a reaction to increased globalization, automation, and social media growth in the past decade.” This thesis provides an overview of the topic and the key elements discussed in the essay.

Cause-and-Effect Essays: In cause-and-effect essays, the writer identifies the connection between actions and outcomes. The thesis statement in this essay should include what you view as the main cause and effect of an event. For example, “Having a diverse group of employees has led to better ideas, more understanding and cooperation, resulting in higher job satisfaction and productivity.” This thesis states that diversity (the cause) has resulted in higher satisfaction and productivity (effect).

Descriptive Essays: A descriptive essay will provide an overview of a particular topic. Therefore, a thesis should make a claim regarding your specific topic. For example, “School uniforms remove the visual differences in income among students providing a more equal atmosphere.” This is a thesis on why schools should wear uniforms. The statement provides the subject of discussion and describe why the writer holds this view.

What Makes a Strong Thesis Statement?

A strong thesis statement is succinct, argumentative, and coherent. You should always state your point plainly to avoid using more words than necessary. Remember that the thesis indicates your standpoint on a topic. It should provide a clear argument that summarizes your essay’s intention concisely.

A strong thesis should not be a simple statement that everyone agrees with; rather, it should be a claim that needs more evidence or analysis. In other words, your thesis should encourage a discussion. For example, if you are writing a paper on climate change, the following statement conveys the message but is weak. “Climate change is happening because of human activities.” While the statement provides an overview of what you are discussing, it does not leave much room for a discussion. Therefore, a stronger thesis would be, “Human activities have gradually upset nature, resulting in the acceleration of climate change at an alarming rate.” This statement leaves room for debate while providing an overview of your viewpoint on climate change.

A strong thesis should indicate the “what, why, and how” of your argument. The statement should provide what your argument is, why this topic is essential, and how you will approach the subject in your discussion. Doing this provides context for your topic for the reader while helping you organize the essay in an easy-to-follow approach. For example, “Technology has a negative impact on interpersonal relationships because it reduces the frequency of face-to-face interactions among many young people.” After this statement, you can state how you will approach the topic in your discussion.

A strong thesis also explores alternative viewpoints on the topic. There can be reasonable claims that have been made that contradict the argument you are trying to make in your essay. Therefore, you must consider different angles to your argument to ensure your thesis is complex. For example, while other scholars may agree on a common problem, they may have varying viewpoints on how to approach it. By considering the different stances, your thesis statement may contribute important information on the topic under discussion.

How to Write a Thesis Statement?

The rhetorical theory of writing argues that a writer must know their intention and target audience before writing (Moxley, 2023). As a writer, you should consider what you want to achieve before writing to ensure you tailor the message to the audience’s expectations and potential biases (Moxley, 2023). These guiding principles should also be used when formulating a thesis statement because you need to understand your topic and audience before you create your thesis. The following are the steps that you should use when writing a thesis statement.

Step 1:Topic Selection

Writing a thesis statement without knowing your topic is impossible. Therefore, the first step is to select a topic that interests you to ensure you are inspired throughout the research and writing process. You must narrow your topic to something specific so your paper is not too broad. Your topic should be manageable to avoid challenges during the writing process. Sometimes, your professor assigns you a specific topic. In this case, you just skip this process and move on to step two.

Step 2:Research and Analysis

Conducting research is an essential step in your writing. You can create a thesis statement without knowing what you want has been discussed previously. Therefore, the research process allows to examine patterns and gaps in existing literature, which helps you in deciding how you want to approach your topic. You can choose to examine concept surrounding your topic, and how researchers have approached it in the past. From this information, you will have an understanding on the best way to approach your essay.

Step 3:Identify a Position

Identifying the position that you intend to argue in your paper is essential. Your position on the topic could address gaps in research or a counterpoint from previous research. As stated earlier, your position should be a take that can be discussed by your readers. For instance, if the topic you are discussing is on childhood obesity, you can discuss its causes or impact on children. Therefore, your standpoint on the issue should be “Childhood obesity is serious issue affecting many children across the world caused by familial and diet factors.”

Step 4:Formulate a Debatable Statement

After identifying your position on a topic, the next step is to create your thesis that should be arguable. For example, the thesis “pollution is bad for the environment” is not arguable because it has already been established that pollution results in poor outcomes for the environment. However, “Governments should create strict legislation to bring air pollution under control” is arguable because this is not a stance that everybody agrees with. During this step, you should avoid vague statements without precision. Therefore, you should phrase your topic as a question first. For instance, in the previous thesis example, you can ask, “What can the government do to deal with the effects of pollution?”

 

You might also want to read how to write an article review since its one of the assignments that will come up in your coursework.

Step 5:Scope and Direction

While some statements will provide an essay’s discussion scope, others may not. Therefore, it is crucial that you state the scope and direction that you intend to follow when writing your paper. Doing so provides the audience with more information about what to expect for the rest of the paper. For instance, if your topic is on the impact of technology, you could specify the type of technology and the demographic you intend to discuss. Additionally, you may include the specific region that your essay will be based on given that demographics from different regions may experience technology differently. This step should help you refine your thesis.

Conclusion

You must write a thesis statement for most of your academic essays. Therefore, you strive to ensure that your statement captures the central claim concisely, coherently, and expressly. This will make it easy for your readers to understand your central argument and what to expect when reading your paper. You should understand the type of essay you must write to ensure your statement matches the requirements. A strong thesis statement lays the foundation for a great argument in your paper. Since one might get overwhelmed by school coursework Skilledtutorials offers thesis writing help service online since they have some of the best thesis tutors for hire online.

 

Reference

Moxley, J. (2023, October 18). Rhetorical theory – The ultimate tool for effective communication. Writingcommons.org. https://writingcommons.org/section/rhetoric/rhetorical-theory/