Working Thesis Statements

Developing a Working Thesis

A working thesis is a tentative statement that you make about your topic early in the writing process, for the purpose of directing your thinking early. This thesis is likely to change somewhat or to be abandoned altogether as you move through the writing process, so it is best not to become too enamored of it.

There are two components of a working thesis. The first is, quite simply, your topic; and the second is your tentative statement about your topic. For example, if my narrowed topic is

“Rising property taxes in the New York City region . . . “

I might add the following statement about that topic:

” . . . have caused an increasing number of senior citizens to move to lower-taxed states.”

As I begin whatever research is necessary to support this thesis, I might find that I can’t make this much of a claim. Or I might find that there are complexities that I hadn’t considered. As I uncover new information about my topic, I will want to alter my working thesis accordingly, until it is workable and supportable.

From Writing @CSU: https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/page.cfm?pageid=428&guideid=20

Thesis Analysis

The Writing Center at The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill offers these questions to consider as you examine the effectiveness of a thesis statement. It’s effective strategy to revisit these questions several times throughout the writing process, to measure how well your thesis serves your project as it continues to grow and evolve.

  • What is your general topic or what problem area are you interested in? How would you express it in a few words?
  • What central question are you trying to answer about your topic?
  • What do you think is the best answer to your central question? From your research so far, what have you concluded? What is your main point about your topic?
  • In one sentence, how would you describe your findings to someone who asked you about your research?
  • How does your idea differ from other views you have read? What do you have to say about your topic that is new? 
  • Ask why? And how? Of what seems like a thesis statement when it begins to emerge. What relationship exists between the ideas you are describing? For example, are you suggesting that one idea causes another? Contradicts another? Subsumes another?