The essay writing process often starts with planning out your piece and making an outline. However, the real core of any essay is the thesis statement. It might be pretty difficult to come up with a good one for your essay, but we will hopefully help you out. Keep reading to learn how to create a proper thesis for each of your papers.
Understanding Thesis Statement
First and foremost, what is a thesis statement? It is the central argument that you are making in your essay. Sometimes, it might be supported by evidence and proof, or sometimes, it might even be debunked by the essay itself. A thesis statement is typically placed at the end of your introduction paragraph and provides a concise summary of the main point or points of your essay that you will be addressing in the following paragraphs. Think of your thesis statement as the basis or foundation for your essay. If it is weak or poorly constructed, the entire paper might be too weak as well.
Characteristics of a Strong Thesis Statement
When working on the main point of your essay, you might be thinking of characteristics that it should have. Here are the ones that you might find valuable and useful when working on a thesis statement for your piece:
- It is specific. A good thesis statement is clear, focused, and specific. It should clearly articulate and explain the main idea of your essay to leave no room for confusion.
- It is arguable. Your thesis statement should contain an argument or perspective, which means it should provide some space for debate. It should not simply state something but rather take the stance that can be discussed later, supported and defended with proper arguments and proof in your essay
- It is relevant. Your thesis statement should be directly relevant to your essay, its topic, and its content. It also should address the central issue or question and not focus on anything else.
- It has a scope. While you should keep your thesis statement specific, you should also remember to give it some space to be broad enough. It should be done in order to provide some insights and ground for the following arguments that will be discussed in the paper. By avoiding overly narrow or overly broad thesis statements, you can improve the depth of your analysis.
So, basically, it is important to find the balance. Your thesis statement shouldn’t be too narrow or too broad; address the main point of your essay but still leave a bit of space for the following discussions. If you find this task challenging, don’t worry – you are not alone. Many college students have issues with thesis statements as well as other parts of the essay writing process. This is completely fine as we all have different strengths, and academic writing might not be just one of yours.
You might want to try an essay writing service to help you with any essay that you need to be done. We are a team of experienced writers who can help you out. You can surely delegate some of your academic tasks, and it will significantly help with the stress that college often causes.
How to Craft Your Thesis Statement
Now that you understand what your thesis statement should be like, it’s time to start crafting it. Remember that it might not be the final version that you will include in your essay. Sometimes, after you complete your writing, you may need to come back to your thesis statement and change it a little bit so it is more suitable for the paper that you have created.
Identify the topic
First of all, of course, you need to understand what your essay will be about and, thus, its central and main idea that will be addressed in your thesis statement. Ask yourself questions “What am I writing about?” “What is the main goal of my essay?” “Why is the topic important?” “How will my reader understand my point?” By answering these questions, you can identify the core that should be specified with your thesis statement.
Phrase the main question
In order to create the thesis statement itself, formulate the main question that it should answer. For example, let’s say you are writing about caffeine intake. After you gather the basic info and answer the questions from the previous step, you know that you should be writing about caffeine intake problems. So, you might come up with the following question that your thesis statement will answer:
“Is daily caffeine intake damaging to a healthy person with no heart disease and blood pressure issues?”
In the case of such a question, your future thesis statement might be the following:
“Excessive caffeine intake among healthy individuals can lead to a myriad of adverse health effects, including but not limited to increased heart rate, disrupted sleep patterns, heightened anxiety levels, and potential long-term consequences on cardiovascular health, even if they never experienced any health issues before.”
Take a stance
Based on a question that you come up with, you might try to sketch the thesis statement itself. Make sure that it really provides that answer to your question and has potential for the following arguments and discussion.
Come back and edit
After you are done writing your essay, be sure to come back to your thesis statement and reread it. Chances are that you will have to edit or slightly change after you have all of your arguments and points addressed in the essay.
You might also want to check your thesis statement and ask yourself the following questions:
- Is my thesis statement clear and specific?
- Does it present a strong argument or perspective?
- Is it directly relevant to the topic of my essay?
- Does it encompass the main points I’ll be discussing in my essay?
- Can it be supported with evidence and examples?
If your thesis statement needs improvements, be sure to polish it and change it a little so that it suits the main topic of your essay and your point of view.
Conclusion
A perfectly strong thesis statement often needs some extra effort. That is because it is the heart of your piece, its voice, and the main message. So, be sure to pay extra attention to your thesis statement and use our tips to polish it.