What Is a Thesis Statement?
A thesis statement is typically one sentence that appears in the first paragraph of an essay that captures the essay’s purpose. Think of the thesis statement as a one-sentence summary that tells the reader exactly what an essay says.
Rather than writing your essay like a puzzle, keeping the reader in suspense about what conclusion you’ll reach by the end, use the thesis statement like a treasure map to give the reader a sense of your essay’s direction. Tell them the conclusion up front, so they know where your piece is headed.
Once you’ve done your research and found your sources, craft a thesis statement that clearly indicates the direction your essay will take. As you write, think about how each paragraph connects to your thesis. If you’re struggling to understand how a particular idea relates directly to the thesis statement, it may be a sign that you’ve diverged from the purpose of the essay.
THESIS STATEMENT DEFINITION
A thesis statement is a one-sentence declaration of intention — a summation of the main idea your essay will explain at length. An effective thesis statement will make a unique claim or seek to answer an important question.
Tips for Writing a Good Thesis Statement
Be Specific
Essays should be based on a specific argument. Check your thesis statement to see if the central idea of your writing is too vague. If you argue for something overly general — for example, an argument that all pop music is bad — your essay will try to conquer too many ideas and be unfocused.
Refine your argument to be more specific. Perhaps you’ll say that pop music suffers from repetitive chord progressions or that pop songs have unimaginative lyrics. These narrower claims allow you to easily marshall evidence in support of your thesis.
Make a Clear Argument
Often, you need to write a paper within a very limited set of parameters — usually a few thousand words at most. Within a prescribed framework, you won’t have space on the page to fully address multiple arguments.
If a reader can’t ascertain the direction your essay will take from reading the thesis statement alone, then revise it to ensure your main point is stated plainly. If you’re struggling to make your argument clear, try formulating your thesis statement using this template: “In this paper, I argue that __.”
Because some writing instructors forbid or disapprove of the first-person point of view in academic essays, you may have to change your thesis statement later; however, using this template reminds you what your argument should be, which is a helpful early drafting technique.
Take a Strong Stance
When writing your essay’s thesis statement, ask whether it is a statement that can be argued with. For example, if your thesis statement is, “Computers are a popular technology in today’s society,” your essay might not be advancing a position so much as stating an objectively true fact.
Most essays will require you to take a stance, not make an observation, so craft a thesis statement that actually puts forward a unique perspective.
Question Your Assumptions
As you formulate the thesis statement of your essay, ask yourself what assumptions your argument is based on. In other words, what must your readers assume to be true before they can even begin to accept your argument?
Be particularly aware of your intended audience. For example, does your argument rely on a religious or moral code to prove that it is inherently right? If you are writing a paper for a class in Christian ministry, a dogmatic argument might be appropriate; for a sociology paper, however, such arguments don’t hold water.
Think about the ways in which your argument may not hold up for people who don’t subscribe to your viewpoints, then revise or re-approach your thesis statement so that your argument doesn’t depend on those assumptions.
Don’t Hide Your Thesis
Keep in mind that your thesis statement should come near the beginning of your essay. Conventional wisdom dictates that it should appear by the end of the first paragraph, though the exact positioning may vary, depending on how much introduction your specific essay requires. In any case, it should generally come at the end of your introduction to the material — the final statement your reader sees at the beginning, before moving into the body of your argument.
To some extent, it’s also important not to overthink your thesis statement. Don’t dress up a thesis statement with fancy language, and don’t be too clever in how you set the stage for your argument; both of these strategies sometimes disguise a weak central thesis. Whoever your professor is, they will appreciate you getting to the point in a clear, concise manner.