A thesis statement is like glue: if it isn't solid, it won't hold anything together, so it's important to make sure your thesis is clear, concise and to the point.
What is a thesis statement?
It's important to know the exact purpose for a thesis statement, if you are going to write successfully. So, put simply, a thesis statement is a sentence that clearly states the writer's argument or stance on a specific topic. It seems easy enough, but there are several stages to creating a statement that fulfills this description.
How to craft a thesis statement
First of all, you have to decide what topic you want to write about. This initial step is important, but it is by no means the only thing that needs to be decided. Once you have your topic, you might find that you have an opinion on it right away, or you might not know what you think about the subject. Either way, it is important for you to do a little research before you start formulating your thesis. Sometimes you will find that your opinion changes, or that your stance is unsupported by any real evidence. It's hard to write an essay without anything to back it up, so make sure that you can support your opinion with facts and other sources.
Once you have picked your stance on your topic and discovered that it is supported by other sources, it is time to write your thesis. State your stance on your topic, being sure to include what it is that you are specifically trying to prove or disprove.
Also, if you are a student or working for an employer who has requested the essay you're working on, don't be afraid to ask them if your thesis statement fulfills their expectations. You don't want to spend hours on an essay just to find out that it isn't what your boss/teacher/professor wanted from you.
Examples of thesis statements
If you are given a topic that asks you to explore the possible health benefits of pomegranates. At first you might thing that pomegranates are just regular fruits, but a quick Google search will actually provide you with proof that they actually serve several health benefits. So, with that knowledge, you could write a thesis that say something like:
"Pomegranates provide several health benefits."
This is a thesis that can be proved, but it's a little bland. You can get a little more specific with a thesis. This makes it more interesting, and it also gives the reader a better idea of what to expect from the rest of your essay. Keeping this in mind, a good thesis statement could read something like:
"Pomegranates can help prevent and slow cancer as well as providing several other health benefits."
This thesis makes a claim that is supportable with evidence, and it also sets the tone for what the rest of your essay should be about. You can apply this process to your own topics to come up with different results, but either way, your thesis should make a claim that is proven throughout the rest of your essay.
Where should my thesis statement go?
Generally, your thesis statement should be located at the end of your essay's first paragraph. The introduction to your essay would typically lead in to your thesis statement, giving enough background on your topic to make the thesis make sense in context. You don't want your thesis to seem like it's random in any way.
Checking your thesis
Once you're done writing your essay, it's important for you to go back and check your original statement to make sure that it fits with the overall theme of your essay. This might be surprising, but it's fairly common for people to stray drastically away from their original purpose in the process of writing and researching. If this happens to you, don't panic! It isn't too late to tailor your thesis statement to fit with the essay you wrote, even if it's not specifically what you intended.
Alyx Johnson - I'm a twenty-one year old college student and I'm studying English and Education. I've got big plans for my writing career, but I'm still ...
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