Developing Thesis Statement Text

Jonathan Friesen - Writing Coach

It's the big idea, the main idea, the most important idea, the controlling idea, whatever you want to call it. You give yourself a clear idea of what to include in the paper, and eventually you give your reader a clear idea of what to expect in the paper. You know that you want to research homeschooling and how it compares and contrasts to public schooling. You really aren't familiar with how homeschooling works, but you met someone who was homeschooled, and had an interesting conversation with him. You've decided that you're interested in the topic and it has enough depth for a research idea. As you collect information, you begin to better understand the pros and cons of homeschooling, and decide that you want your final research paper to focus on three aspects of homeschooling, two advantages and one challenge. You decide on this thesis, homeschooling offers flexibility and encourages individuality even though it requires parental obligations.

Once a thesis is decided, you are ready to group the research you've collected into these three areas. You know that one major body section of your paper will be about flexibility, one about students' individuality needs and one about the necessity of parental involvement. In other words, the thesis, that umbrella, includes all the major ideas that will be in the final research paper. On the other hand, you may choose a topic that you're interested in and already know a lot about. Having the thesis determined before beginning the research will help you research specific areas. You're an avid exerciser, study all nutritional labels and frequently read articles in health magazines to which you subscribe, about the dangers of sleep deprivation.

Mba Essay Writing Tips

You decide to continue to research your area of interest for your research paper. Diet, exercise, and sleep have a major impact on physical health and mental health. So, as you began your research on a topic about which you are already familiar, you will be looking for specific information on food and nutrition, aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and sleep patterns.

So, regardless, if you prepare that thesis statement before or after you research, it must be prepared before the actual writing is started. It clearly identifies the key ideas for your paper there are currently no faqs about writing research papers. Almost all academic papers contain a thesis an assertion you make about your topic that your paper is dedicated to defending.

Before you start writing, you should do some prewriting to develop a working thesis. It is analytic because it makes an argument the thesis it is interpretive because it bases its analysis on interpretation of texts, facts, or data. Consider these sample thesis statements: sor juana inés de la cruz and bartolomé de las casas were radical critics of the colonial world.

Because sor juana advocated eliminating an existing social tradition, while las casas advocated reforming the colonial system, sor juana can be viewed as a more radical social critic. Statement 1 is simply an observation that many readers might make about these authors' writing. This is not a particularly good thesis for a paper because you don't have to convince your reader that it's true you're merely stating a fact that few people would contest. On the other hand, statement 2 identifies some limitations of sor juana's and las casas' social critiques, distinguishing them in a controversial way. It proposes an interpretation of the two authors based on the observation made in the first statement. This will probably take some time! you don't have to come up with the best argument right away.

For example, consider the following prompt: did gender roles play a part in the french revolution? your answer should not simply say: yes, they did, in the following ways. Consider the following example: primary sources detailing the personal exchanges of women in late 18 th century france reveal that women exerted considerable influence on political events, not just as the wives of important men, but also as independent agents of change. Even when you're answering a concrete question, the argument still needs to be based on your analysis and interpretation of the prompt. If you're stuck trying to come up with a point to argue, these general types of argument might help you frame your thesis: what someone or some entity should or should not do. this kind of argument is the answer to we have a problem. What should we do? how can we solve this problem? for example, an argument addressing the question how should the government respond to the increase in homelessness in major cities? could be the government must increase funding for social programs to adequately reduce the number of homeless in major cities. This argument describes an action that the author believes should be taken, and the essay will go on to explain why that action is the correct one.