If you want to know how to write a thesis statement for a research paper or essay. Then here in this post, we have briefly described how to write a thesis statement step-by-step.
A thesis statement is a very important part of a paper or essay. Therefore, a well-written thesis statement helps the reader to understand easily the main purpose of the paper or essay.
For that, you need to understand what the main idea of your paper is and how you are explaining it in a concise way.
Let’s first understand what is a thesis statement and what are the types of thesis statements and How to write a thesis statement for a research paper or essay, these things you need to understand very well to write a thesis statement of your own.
Table of Contents
What is a Thesis Statement?
A thesis statement provides your reader a preview of the content of your paper, presenting your main idea and expressing an informed, reasoned response to your research question.
A thesis statement is about the overall idea of your chosen topic. The topic you choose should be something that you know well or can learn about.
If you have chosen a topic as a thesis topic then the main idea behind working with it is how you are going to work on this topic and what new things you want to do.
The thesis Statement is not a title or excerpt. The thesis statement depends on the type of paper you are writing, such as an expository paper, argumentative paper, or analytical paper.
Example of thesis statement:-
Australian Shepherds are the best dogs due to their agility, skills at helping their humans, and overall intelligence.
Here in this above thesis statement example, we can see the topic in Australian Shepherds then the three paragraphs as follows:
The body paragraphs first will be about dogs’ agility, the body paragraph two will be about their skill in helping humans, and the last paragraph before the conclusion will discuss overall intelligence.
The reader knows from this thesis that by reading each of the set paragraphs they will learn what is special about this dog.
Types of Thesis Statement
The following are the types of Thesis statements:
- Argumentative Thesis Statement
- Expository Thesis Statement
- Analytical Thesis Statement
1. Argumentative Thesis Statement
An argumentative thesis statement is in this writer makes a claim something about a topic and takes a position to justify that claim about the topic with proper proof, reasons, and evidence. For this type of statement, you can start by giving your opinion and the information you have come up with to protect it.
This claim should be a statement that the audience may disagree with. Also, It supports your conclusion. Usually, the author uses examples to better illustrate the point of view and justify his stand.
For example:- Exploration of outer space is a waste of money and time, instead of this money and time should be used to solve issues like hunger, poverty, global warming, and deforestation on earth.
2. Expository Thesis Statement
An expository thesis statement is sometimes also called an explanatory thesis statement. An expository thesis statement is a very straightforward explanation of a topic. It simply explains to your audience what you found.
An expository thesis statement explains:-
- What will this paper analyze?
- The Reader should expect various parts of your analysis.
- The sequence in which the analysis will be presented.
For example:- Factors associated with student success include effective time management, self-discipline, motivation, and family support.
3. Analytical Thesis Statement
In an analytical thesis statement, the writer analyzes the topic and divides the topic into different parts and evaluates each part, and presents this evaluation to the reader.
An analytical thesis statement explains:-
- What are you going to explain with this thesis statement
- Categories to organize your explanation
- The order of the categories you present
For example:- An analysis of the student admissions process reveals that counselors face a challenge: admitting students with high grades or good in extra-curricular activities.
How to write a thesis statement?
Writing a thesis statement for a research paper or essay is all about figuring out the main idea of your research paper or essay and then presenting that main idea to your audience. But where to start it?
You can write a thesis statement for a research paper or essay by following four steps:
Step 1. Begin with raising a question
By asking questions on a broad topic, it will help the reader to know easily which area of study you have mainly focused on.
Beginning with an interesting question will help attract more audience to you. And with that comes clarity in writing.
What I want to say is
Start writing your thesis statement with the formulaic expression of what I want to say…
Example:- What I want to say is that become overly confident in India’s abilities if teachers only praise their work.
Step 2. Writing the main idea of an essay or research paper
The next part is to develop answers to the questions raised in the statement section. This requires intensive research which it may take more than two to three hours.
While developing answers to questions, you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with this answer.
Once you find the answer to the question, the answer becomes the primary idea of the thesis. Then you can make your thesis paper on the basis of your answer.
Step 3. Work for the Supporting Information
Once you have got the primary idea of your thesis statement, now it is time to collect the data and other additional information to give the thesis write-up an appropriate shape.
All that collected information and data will serve as evidence of your main idea of the thesis. Ensure that all data collected is from reliable and relevant sources.
However, it is not necessary to gather data to support only the main idea. You can also collect important information for the main idea. This brings more openness to your thesis statement and the whole work.
Improve and revise your thesis statement as you continue to write essays or papers.
Example:- What I want to say is when teachers focus on positive student outcomes will be less balanced, therefore their students could develop inaccurate perceptions of their work and abilities.
Step 4. Integrate the Main Idea & Supporting Information
After you have raised the question, you need to create two to three lines for the main idea that will be strengthened based on the supporting information. Therefore, systematically integrate both the main idea and the supporting statement in the thesis statement.
Simply remove the formulaic expression and you will have a quality thesis. Clarify your thesis in such a way that write answers in a thoughtful, creative, and even in-depth manner.
Example:-
When teachers focus only on positive student outcomes, their feedback will be less balanced, their students could develop inaccurate perceptions of their work and abilities.
Key Tip:-
- When writing a thesis statement, Begin sentences where you can, especially in your thesis, try and start them with words such as whilst, whereas, and although. Also, starting the second sentence with the words such as however, yet, nonetheless, is the key tip.
- It sounds so simple to use those words but they are going to force you to do what you should do, which is to explore more attention there is no value to an argument. If you are not telling us anything insightful, insights come from a complication, a complexity in human nature.
Conclusion:
We hope that now you understand very well “What is a thesis statement” and “How to write a thesis statement for a research paper or essay”.
If you want, review some good thesis statement examples, and decide which one better describes your thesis. After reviewing these examples of thesis statements, you will get some idea about how to write a good thesis statement for a research paper or essay.
Also, if you still have any queries related to writing a thesis statement. Please feel free to ask in the comment section below. We will definitely help you to write a good thesis statement.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below we have shared some frequently asked questions and answers related to how to write a thesis statement which will definitely help to resolve frequently asked queries.
Q.1 What are the guidelines to take care of while writing a thesis statement?
Ans: You should always keep the following guidelines in mind while thesis statement writing.
- Avoid only expressing facts.
- Avoid making announcements.
- Avoid making overly opinionated stands.
Q. 2 why do need a thesis statement?
Ans: The thesis statement is very important in a research paper or academic essay for below two main reasons:
- A Thesis statement provides your writing direction and focuses on the reader.
- A thesis statement provides the reader with a concise and comprehensive summary of your main idea of the study.
Q.3 What are the characteristics of a good thesis statement?
Ans Following are some of the characteristics of a good thesis statement:
- A good thesis statement is clear and specific to the topic.
- The Thesis statement demonstrates the main idea in one or two sentences.
- The Thesis Statement mainly focuses on a specific issue.
- The thesis statement discloses your point of view on the topic.
- Demonstrates appropriate tone and approach to the identified purpose and audience.
Also Read:-
- 30+ Best Thesis Statement Examples
- 11+ Best Research Paper Examples and Samples
- Top 100+ Best Research Paper Topics [2024]