Tutorial On Writing A Strong Thesis For A Research Paper In English
As an English major, you’ve probably been exposed to the art of the thesis statement countless times. If you are a freshman, you can certainly expect it. However, sometimes creating the perfect thesis for your research paper is easier said than done. You so easily forget those steps as you enter panic mode. How do you synthesize all of your brainstorming, outlining, and sources into one single viewpoint to prove or simply express? Though this is a problem as you go into any research paper, English essays are particularly frustrating. Well, look no further, because here are some tips to help you craft a strong English research paper thesis.
Advice for English Research Paper Thesis
- Narrow Things Down It’s easy to get bogged down under a topic with many different sides to it, even in an English class focused on a literature review or journalism rhetoric. Think of different subtopics you could play with as your thesis, and refer to all the notes and sources you could use for each subtopic. After a while, you should be able to come across the specific area in which you want to delve into for several pages.
- Create a Driving Question: After narrowing down your options to one, create some driving questions. What is it about this subject that garners interesting or controversial questions? Can these questions be proven without a doubt, or do you have to work a little harder to convince your audience? The latter will allow for a much more engaging reading experience.
- Isolate the Parts, Satisfy the Whole: Some positions are simple, and written simply without that many moving parts. Some positions include conditional information, nuance, even an allusion to a counterargument you might want to make later on. When crafting your position, make sure each word serves its purpose. It should encompass what you wish to write about, mainly what you wish to argue for. If this isn’t an argumentative research paper, know what information you want your audience to know most.
- Write it Out: At this point, all that’s left to do is write it out, word for word. You could write it out by itself, rewrite it until it sounds clear. You could write your introduction and throw in the thesis statement, rewriting until it's clear here.
After perfecting your thesis with these tips, it should become much easier to write your research paper for English class.