When writing a thesis, it is essential to choose a good statement for your thesis. The thesis statements are the first point of contact with your reader, and you want to captivate them so that they are eager to read the rest of the thesis. Before you get into writing your next thesis statement, look at these few problems many graduate students have when writing their thesis statements.
- The non-thesis thesis
When writing a thesis, it is essential to note that its purpose is to stand on an issue. You cannot compare the thesis to the topic sentence where it is usually neutral, and the thesis statement needs to take a position. In addition to announcing the topic, it also brings forth the argument being made or a point that it was trying to be proven. Writing a thesis is you bringing out your opinion, and you have to back it up. It is the motivation and the reason behind your writing.
- The overly broad thesis
When writing your thesis statement, make sure it is very specific. It should not be broad; ensure that it reflects the scope of your paper. These topics should also be specific in method and perspective.
- The incontestable thesis
When writing your thesis statement, it puts forth an argument. Therefore, being arguable Is one of the characteristics of the thesis statement. For it to be arguable, the thesis statement should bring forward a view that a person can reasonably contest. Ultimately if dug deeper, most thesis usually communicates that ‘we all should be good or ‘bad things are bad.’ But having such statements in your thesis cannot evoke an argument. They are tautologies, and everyone accepts them. So, nothing needs to be proven there.
- The “list essay” thesis
When writing a good thesis, you need to ensure that the statement has a good argument. It means that the thesis provides a position on an issue and also suggests how you will structure the paper. When the reader is reading, the thesis should also grip their imagination and help them anticipate how the paper will flow. It means the sequence of points needs to prove the central assertion of the essay logically. When you put up a list, it does not provide any structure for the thesis. It looks like the different points in the list, and also, the paragraphs will appear like they are separate and they do not have any connection with one another.
- The research paper thesis
If you are writing another paper, having this type of statement is very okay, it is, to some extent, even admirable. But when it comes to the thesis, the statement has to make a factual claim that can only be verified with sociological, scientific, psychological, or any other kind of experimental evidence that isn’t appropriate. When writing the thesis, make sure it is one that you can and prepared to prove using the available tools without consulting an expert on the issue. It is to avoid getting a definitive judgment on your argument.
The thesis statement tests
How can you test if your thesis statement has what it takes to make a great thesis statement? Below are a few questions that you can ask yourself and check if your thesis statement is excellent.
- Is the thesis statement a whole complete sentence, or is it a question?
- Is the statement neutral, or does it bring out an argument that has an opposing argument?
- Does my thesis statement make sense? Are all the words clear? Is the meaning clear enough for the reader and doesn’t have any ambiguity in its meaning?
- Is the statement a closing statement or an open one that calls for an explanation or additional information?
- Does the claim given by the writer be able to be proven to be true in a few pages?
- What kind of evidence do you need to see before you believe that the thesis is true?