Writing a Thesis

Characteristics of a Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement asserts the purpose of your paper (or other product). It answers your research question, making a claim or argument that will be supported by evidence in the body of your paper. A strong thesis statement helps YOU organize your ideas and helps your READER understand where you are going. In a traditional academic essay, the thesis statement is often one or two sentences at the end of the introduction.

• Your thesis guides the paper. If it does not match the ideas you plan to talk about you either need to change your thesis or take new notes.

• Your thesis answers your research question. It is not a question itself.

• Your thesis requires proof through evidence and arguments that you will present. If you cannot imagine anyone disagreeing with it, your thesis is too simple and factual.

• Your thesis should fit the scope of your assignment, and not be too narrow or too broad.

• Your thesis should sound confident and focused. Avoid vague ("interesting," "important"), overly personal ("in my opinion," "it seems to me"), and cautious language ("might," "perhaps").

• You will revise your thesis statement several times before you finish your assignment, most likely returning to earlier stages of the research process. For example, as you write your first draft you may go back and do some more reading and note taking, then tweak your thesis to include your new ideas.

Developing a Thesis Statement

Here is an example of how a thesis for an argument/position paper could be developed:

Start with a topic.

• Red Sox

Pose a question that your paper will try to answer.

• How will the Red Sox fare in their division this year?

Now let's try to create a thesis statement.

• The Red Sox are a baseball team in the American League East division.

This is a fact. It is not a thesis. Try to take a position on the topic.

• The Red Sox will win their division this year.

Now you have taken a position, but you need to support it with sound reasoning.

• The Red Sox will win their division this year because they are a good team.

Your position is much clearer now, but your reasoning is still vague. Try to avoid words like good, bad, or important. Instead, be specific and explain your reasoning in more detail.

• The Red Sox will win their division this year because they have a strong pitching rotation, productive hitters, and experienced managers.

This is a stronger thesis statement because it takes a firm stand and explains your reasoning. In your body paragraphs, you will then give more concrete evidence to support each of your claims.

Sample Thesis Statements

Here are some thesis statements for other types of papers.

A comparison paper:

• The Red Sox and Yankees are similar in that they both have experienced players, a large payroll, and a historic legacy.

A policy recommendation paper:

• In order to win their division, the Red Sox need to keep their pitchers healthy and add more speed to their lineup.

An cause and effect paper:

• The downfall of the Yankees was caused by poor draft picks, aging core players, and the signing of overpriced free agents.