Excerpts from an article about thesis statements, written
by Dr. Wendy Carter for FinishLine,
the free newsletter
which provides graduate students with tips, tools, and techniques
a thesis or dissertation.
What Is a Thesis Statement?
If you’re looking for examples of thesis statements or sample thesis statements, you probably have an academic
thesis to write.
- • An academic thesis is a substantial academic paper written on an
original topic of research. A thesis is usually one of the final
requirements for a Master’s or Ph.D. degree.
- • A thesis statement:
- • Is an initial
building block of the thesis, and is "a
basic argument” that clearly describes what a
thesis is expected to demonstrate
- • Is a sentence or
paragraph that summarizes the argument you plan to make in your
thesis, and the supportive evidence you plan
to use to back up that argument
- • Provides a “roadmap” for
the reader telling where you plan to go with your thesis
- • Must persuade the reader that the claim you make is important
to your academic field
- • Must convince the reader that the claim is likely to be true based
on the evidence provided
A Good Thesis Statement:
• Makes a knowledge
claim offering a new approach or idea
in a particular field, and to explain why it is new. The
purpose of any academic thesis is to add to the existing
pool of knowledge in a particular area, or to “fill
in the gaps of knowledge.”
• Makes an argumentative
assertion that summarizes the conclusions you have
reached about your topic after reviewing the literature. This
assertion must be:
• Specific enough to be “proven” within
the boundaries of your thesis
the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you
provide in the paper
• Outlines the scope, purpose and direction of
your paper. After finishing your thesis statement, readers should clearly know the essence of your intended project,
the boundaries you intend to place on it, and no more. Your
thesis statement should not make readers expect more than
you are presenting in your final document.
Types of Thesis Statements
• Analytical: a statement
that breaks down an idea piece by piece and analyzes and evaluates
each individual part;
• Expository: a statement
that explains an idea or concept to an audience.
• Argumentative: a statement
that claims a position that is open to debate and justifies the
truth of that position through concrete examples and evidence.
What type of statement you choose to take will depend
upon the nature of your research. Analyzing why you are writing
this thesis can provides important clues regarding the approach
you should take.
• Are you proposing a new point
of view, or agreeing someone else’s point of view with some
disagreement or alternative interpretations?
• Are you trying
to make an existing point of view clearer or better in some way? Or
are you criticizing or dismissing an existing point of view because
of its inadequacy or irrelevance?
The answers to these questions can help you pinpoint
the type of thesis statement you should write.
What Is the Relationship Between a
Thesis Statement and a Research Question?
The thesis statement is a preliminary
answer to the research question you pose. A
strong introductory thesis statement, followed by thorough
research in the body of the paper, should convince the reader
that you are, indeed, addressing and resolving a pertinent
research question. The strategic restatement of the
thesis statement in the conclusion should carry a convincing
rhetorical effect to the readers that your research problem
has been resolved.
Narrow down your
thesis statement by brainstorming a list of responses to your research
question. Your task is to turn your working research question
into a thesis statement.
The type of questions that can be helpful to ask
yourself when writing your thesis statement are:
• What am I analyzing, explaining or describing,
or what am I claiming or asserting?
• What are the reasons/evidence I have to
support my claim or assertion?
• What did I discover in my analysis?
• How can I categorize my discoveries or organize
• In what order should I present my discoveries,
and the different parts of my explanations and reasons?
Where Does Thesis Statement Appear in the Thesis
The thesis statement
is usually, though not always, expressed in several sentences
or in a whole paragraph at your paper's
opening. In addition,
each result chapter in your document should have an introduction
and a thesis statement. This is important because a thesis is such a long document, readers need reminders of the
research question your document is designed to resolve.
Finding a Starting Point When Writing a Thesis Statement
Getting started is always tough. However, the first step
to writing an effective, strong thesis statement is to begin with your
purpose and audience.
• What purpose do you wish to achieve?
• What viewpoint do you
wish your reader to adopt?
do you want to describe or explain?
Articulating the answers to these questions is the major part of
the battle. Begin by getting your thoughts down on paper. Once
you do that, the rest will flow much more easily. Don’t attempt to write anything polished
Don't wait until your coursework
or qualifying/preliminary exams are finished to start writing your thesis or dissertation.