THESIS WRITING AND DEVELOPMENT

Key ideas to know

Writing the Thesis

Your thesis is the position that you take on a subject when you make an argument.

What is an argument?

An argument takes a position on an issue. The argument is designed to persuade the audience of a point of view. An argument will not describe or summarize the ideas you present. Instead, it will require that you take a position and present compelling arguments that will justify your claims.

What is a thesis?

A thesis makes a specific claim to the reader about what you will argue in your essay and briefly describes how you will prove this claim. The thesis can be a few sentences or a single sentence, but it should not be longer than a paragraph. Of course, you will not present examples or evidence in your thesis.

In writing the essay, the thesis is your blueprint, and it

• Helps to determine the focus of your essay and refine your ideas
• Presents a hook for you to build your topic sentences

Revise the thesis as you build your evidence and arguments. In cases where you have presented new evidence, revise the thesis that you started with as the thesis gives your paper a united structure.

The thesis is also the blueprint for those reading your essay.

• It is a “map” to guide the reading of the paper.
• It allows the reader to focus on the arguments that you are presenting.
• It creates the framework for the readers to see the main points.
• It engages the reader in your argument.

How to write a good thesis?

• Identify the focus of your essay: Choose a thesis that will explore parts of your topic that will be important to your thoughts, or which allow you to say something new about your topic.
• Find the pattern: when you have determined your focus, reflect on the evidence that you have collected. In reviewing this evidence and patterns, create your argument and some conclusions.

Ways to Develop a Thesis Statement

Strategy 1:

In the case where the assignment asks you to answer a specific question, then it becomes easier for you to restructure your question to create the thesis. This means that you restructure the question and make it an assertion and then give reasons for your opinion.

For example:

How did the industrial revolution between 1760 and 1840 impact the labour market? Why were the changes important to the growth of the United States?

Starting Thesis:

During 1760 and 1840 the Industrial Revolution changed the labour market because it was the transition from hand-created jobs to machine-created jobs and this marked a period of transformation of rural agrarian societies in Europe and America into industrialized, urban ones in the late 18^th century.

Strategy 2:

          Develop a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay that you are writing.

Main idea:

The industrial revolution contributed to the transformation of rural agrarian societies into industrialized and urban ones in Europe and America.

Strategy 3:

Think about the ideas that you want to present and group these ideas under different headings.

Strategy 4:

Create a formula that allows you to write a working thesis statement. Of course, you may need to revise this at some point during the essay.

1. Although most readers of _____ argued that ____, research and examination of the issues at hand show that _______.
2. ____ uses ______ and ____ to show that ___.
3. Theory X results from _____, ____, and ____.

The formula above presents the basic characteristics that are common to all thesis: they present the argument and show how you will develop the argument. Still, there is a need for expansion in each case.

Refine

Your ideas for your essay will change as you make progress with your writing. This means that you might have to rewrite your thesis by changing them from weak thesis to strong thesis statements.