How to Write a Thesis Statement

21 Aug How to Write a Thesis Statement

Are you planning tho write your thesis? Here are some helpful tips to help you write your thesis statement and plan your thesis.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is just like a synopsis, a conclusion at the end of an essay, or a statement of what an essay encompasses. It works as an interpretation of an entire work. It answers questions and interprets the subject matter that is being discussed. Also, the thesis statement works as a navigator

through which readers go through the subject – like an adventure.

What exactly is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement is a simple statement that constitutes the contents of your essay, which comes after the introduction. The statement tells the reader about the argument the essay projects.

These statements are usually coherent, concise, and clear.

Coherent: Being coherent means that everything in your essay must be properly explained and also supported.

Concise: Your thesis statement should always be short and clear –This is for it to be easily understood by the readers. Usage of ambiguous words should be avoided; they make the writing verbose. Your writing must be succinct, and your points should be in one or two sentences.

Contentious: Write your thesis as a claim or argument to be investigated, not something already debated and known. It should be a mystery or a case to be investigated and solved.

The thesis statement can either be generated when a topic is assigned or not. When a topic is assigned, you can decide to make your assignment a simple question; and if it doesn’t put up a question, it still needs answers. This is because either way, you will write your essay and interpret the content using a thesis statement.

How do I write this statement?

While writing, there are numerous styles and or techniques invented by writers which serve the purpose of clarification and relationship between the content and the reader. The thesis is not just written after reading an assignment rather it is a lengthy process that requires critical thinking.

The first thing that should be done after reading the assignment or topic is drafting a thesis statement – to direct the readers on the contents of the essay – remember I mentioned ‘navigation’ above; this is where it sets in. 

The next is the collection of data and evidence, looking for the possible connection between previous data collected by different writers. This data collection and connection of facts make you think critically, and critical thinking is the bedrock

of a good thesis. That would bring up arguments and ideas you can back up with good evidence. While writing on your subject, try to connect each paragraph to it, and when you figure out or notice a possible diversion from the main topic through your paragraph, try to readjust your writing.

To create a good thesis, you must know the subject you would like to explore or write an already assigned topic. There are some features your thesis will need to possess.

• Your thesis should portray or present one idea.
• Your thesis should be argumentative when presented to either your readers or professionals.
• After writing, write your observations about the data you collected and researched.
• Write on a topic that can be written on, and conclude whatever topic you started.

When writing an essay, always suspend your readers so they wouldn’t know your conclusion before you present them at the end of the essay. Do not write using figurative expressions that’d be hard to comprehend or make a puzzle out of your essay. Write in simplified terms to be clear and concise.

Read Also:

Summary of the Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka

How to Use Spinbot for Free

Other techniques for writing a thesis statement include:

Choose your style – There are types of essays you must know

The expository essay – This is the type of essay that ‘exposes’ something or a topic. It gives an explanation of an event, how it went, when, why, and where it took place. This type of essay deals with information because it projects topics to compare and contrast them. It also analyzes the cause and effect of a given topic.

The argumentative essay – This essay is investigative, thus the name. It is argumentative because it brings forth a topic to navigate, collect and evaluate evidence. The research done on argumentative essays is usually deep and contains enough information to back up the data collected. This type of essay should not be mistaken for an expository essay, as it goes deeper into research.

The narrative essay – Here, you tell a story of an event or of an experience you had. This type of essay is usually presented in a straightforward direction, just like the storytelling, and it should be well constructed and comprehensible.

The descriptive essay – Descriptive essay is often a personal experience, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for a narrative essay. Writing this type of essay demands great details of your

experience. Here, you’re no longer telling your reader; you’re showing them how it went, exactly how it happened. It involves feelings you felt, places you visited, what you said, literally everything!

The persuasive essay – this type of essay tends to convince the reader with logic and arguments, and appeals to him to accept your point of view. In this essay, you must know your audience to channel the right words. 

Other skills that will help

You must be specific – While writing an essay, you have to be specific in your writing for it to be less verbose and vague. You mustn’t misconstrue your expressions, so your readers don’t read wrong meanings into your work. In other words, the argument you present should be plain and simple to understand.

Always question what you assume – When presenting your thesis statement, what are your assumptions? You must know your audience and what your arguments are about before

presenting them. Are your assumptions offensive to some beliefs or a group of people? You must defend your assumptions or revise your thesis statement.

Your arguments must be clear – For example, you may want your argument to be presented as in this thesis – 

I argue that _____________

or  

I present my point to be ___________. 

These statements will make your position, and that of your argument clear and neat.

Conclusion

There are a host of other points on how to go about your thesis statement, but the above are parts of

the major ones. Your writing must have a stance that you must be able to argue upon. Also, you must learn to put up a thesis statement that is beautifully crafted and unique.

Author: Izuchukwu Ugwu            

Reviewer & Editor: Chinyere Nwosu