Thesis Statements

Introduction

Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.

It is important to note, however, that not all college writing is argumentative. There are occasions when you will be asked to write an informative essay, one that demonstrates how something works, illustrates your understanding of important concepts, or analyzes something (an argument, an article, a speech, etc.) without arguing for or against these matters of the effectiveness of an argument in a text, video, speech, and so on.

A thesis statement:

  • tells a reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. Such a statement is also called an “a central claim” when writing  persuasive essay, a “main/central/controlling idea” when writing an informative one.
  • is a road map for the paper via a preview; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper
  • makes a claim that others might dispute or identifies relevant information and considers how that information works together.  
  • is usually a single sentence somewhere in your introduction that presents your central claim or idea to the reader.
    • the rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade and/or inform the reader of the logic of your argument, analysis, and/or information.
  • contains a preview of the ideas that will develop the essay, in the intended order of development

If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze and respond, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is possible that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out understanding assignments for more information.) On the other hand, when an assignment asks you to demonstrate, explain, or analyze without response, a more informative-based thesis might be in order. .

How do I get a thesis?

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument or central idea on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis,” a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way.

Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, take a look at brainstorming.

Works consulted

Anson, Chris M. and Robert A. Schwegler. The Longman Handbook for Writers. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 2000.

Hairston, Maxine and John J. Ruszkiewicz. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.

Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. The St. Martin’s Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin’s, 1995.

Rosen, Leonard J. and Laurence Behrens. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook. 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1997.