How to Write a Good Thesis Statement
How to Write a Thesis Statement if Topic is Given
A thesis statement or simply a thesis is a one-sentence summary of the argument that you will prove in the rest of your paper. It is important to learn how to write a thesis statement whether the topic is assigned to you or if you have a free hand in choosing your topic. This article will discuss how you can formulate a thesis if the topic is already given to you by your professor.
The topic that is given to you is something broad which means that it tackles a huge amount of information. You are expected to research on that topic and concentrate on just one aspect of this topic. Before you can proceed, first, you need to read up on your topic. If your professor asks you to write a thesis about Socrates, for example, the first thing you need to do is go to the library and research about Socrates.
When you feel that you have enough material, this is the best time to learn how to write a thesis statement. Start by turning your topic into a question. For the Socrates topic, you can turn it into this:
• What are Socrates’ ideas?
Answer the question:
• Socrates has a lot of ideas about the good life, the balanced life, morality, and method of imparting knowledge.
Look at your answer. Do you think this will be a good thesis statement? Is it specific enough for your level? This is always the things to ask when you want to learn how to write a thesis statement. This can be a good focused topic for someone who is writing a PhD dissertation on Socrates.
Let us refine the question further:
• What is Socrates’ method of imparting knowledge?
And then, answer the question:
• Socratic Method is the method by which Socrates make people realize that they don’t know anything about the things that they thought they knew well.
Do you notice that the statements are getting more and more specific? Now, ask yourself, can this be my thesis statement? We can start with this statement as our working thesis. It is specific enough. It can be a good focused topic for someone who is doing a Master’s dissertation on Socrates. It talks only of one thing—Socratic Method.
But does this statement reflect your own interpretation of your reading? Does it give a unique perspective and argument?
Let us refine our working statement further and this will be most beneficial for those who are writing undergraduate dissertation. Let us turn the statement into an argument that you need to prove:
• Socrates’ best legacy in the field of philosophy is the Socratic Method because it facilitates the dawning of true understanding on people.
This is a good thesis statement. It is specific. It is debatable. It is your own argument that is based on your analysis of Socrates. You can follow these steps in learning how to write a thesis statement for the topic that is given to you by your teacher.
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Tags: how to write a thesis statement, masters dissertation, PhD dissertation, thesis, undergraduate dissertation