Writing a Good Thesis Statement
Writing a Good Thesis Statement
A thesis statement summarises the contents of the thesis and the author’s view point on the same. A good thesis statement crisply summaries the contents of the thesis, highlights the main focus of the paper, author’s standpoint and objective behind writing the paper. And yes, it must most definitely advocate researched evidence.
A good thesis statement is one that immediately gets the reader interested in the paper. It is figuratively the face of your thesis paper. When writing a good thesis statement, always keep in mind that you are trying to brief your reader on the purpose of the paper and your intention behind writing it. You can say a lot in a few short sentences. Even if your topic does not interest your potential reader, an enthralling thesis statement can.
Features Behind Writing Good Thesis Statements
• Always have a congealed thesis topic before attempting to write a thesis statement.
• Turn your topic into a question. Writing good thesis statements means being able to answer this question instantly and precisely.
• When initially replying to the question, also list all the spheres of your response. Do not waver from the topic when doing this.
• Research is important. Once you have your thesis statement drafted out, it can help you focus in the right direction to writing your thesis.
• It is common to redraft or rephrase your thesis statement as you write your thesis paper. Sure your thesis statement helps you with direction; however, it is not unusual to find new and gripping facts while writing your thesis. Hence it is mandatory to keep checking your thesis statement to incorporate the fresh developments of your paper.
• Determining the tone is one of the important factors when writing good thesis statements – explanatory, analytical, comparative, argumentative, etc.
• Be valiant when writing that thesis statement, especially if it is of an argumentative structure. You have to take a stand. You cannot sit on the fence. You must be assertive.
• Always have evidence – facts and figures – to back your thesis. Writing good thesis statements go hand in hand with substantial proof and evidence in your thesis paper. When you compose an assertive thesis statement, your paper should back it up with evidence. Without evidence you risk sounding ambiguous. Letting your evidence peek is essential when writing a good thesis statement.
• Finally, when the thesis statement is ready, take it for a test drive. Get someone to read it and then explain it to you. Also, are they intrigued by the thesis statement? A good thesis statement should entice the reader to read your thesis paper.
If you are still not sure of the quality of your thesis statement, a library can be your best guide. You may go through various approved thesis statements to get an idea of what a good thesis statement should look like. The internet also provides a variety of options – comparisons between a strong and weak thesis statement. Even blogs such as those available on this site provide for interesting and helpful reads.
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