Controversial subjects can be very interesting to research, but you must keep your emotions in check and objectively assess the credibility of sources. Academic research is scholarly and rational in tone and style. A thesis statement that is bombastic or judgmental is difficult to prove or disprove. For example, a thesis statement asserting that human genetic modification is evil and morally wrong is a matter of somebody’s emotional opinion that may or may not be swayed by facts. A better approach to such a topic would be to make the claim that further study is needed on the ethics and health implications of human genetic engineering.
A thesis is the main idea of an academic paper that expresses the writer’s position on a topic. In other words, if you are writing about the death penalty, you would state your viewpoint upfront and introduce the arguments you will be presenting in defense of your stance. Having a clear, unmistakable thesis shows strength and confidence in your beliefs.
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How to Write a Thesis Statement
Generally, students in a master’s degree program write a paper called a thesis, whereas doctoral students write a dissertation. Master’s degree programs and thesis papers are typically shorter than Ph.D. programs and doctoral dissertations. Expected length varies considerably by program and school. Some schools call the dissertation a doctoral thesis.
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One of the biggest mistakes students make is jumping into a writing assignment before narrowing their topic, writing a thesis and developing an outline. A thesis that is too broad is unmanageable. A good thesis is clear and precise. An outline helps to ensure that the paper is cohesive and easy to follow. Ironically, a paper can take three times as long to write if you make it up as you go instead of developing major talking points when you first sit down at the computer.
You start by drafting a thesis proposal outlining the who, what, when, how and why of your proposed research project. Once that is approved, you complete a review of the literature, conduct original research, analyze your results, discuss findings and make recommendations for future study. As you might guess, all that can take months or years to finish. If your dissertation committee says your study is too broad, believe them and adjust accordingly if you want to graduate with your cohort.
A good thesis introduction is very important because this section will decide the fate of your thesis paper. Divide this section into logical sections by using subheads. You can also explore our step by step guide to write a good thesis introduction.
- Cite all the concepts, ideas, data that does not belong to you
- Cite single author by its surname followed by the publication date
In this part of your paper, you set the topic its purpose, relevance and eventually tell the reader what to expect in the paper.
It should answer the research questions in a precise manner. This should be written in a way that will leave the user with a clear understanding of the main argument of the paper.
Methods
Documents used in your paper that generally do not fit the main body of your thesis paper can be included as Appendices. Keep in mind the following elements:
- Avoid using footnotes
- List down all the references in alphabetical order
- Put the initials of the authors behind their last names, e.g. Pfirman, S.L.
The method section explains how you have conducted the whole research. This will let the users check the paper's validity.
The main body includes the following
Start writing early. Do not delay writing until you have finished your project or research. Write complete and concise “Technical Reports” as and when you finish each nugget of work. This way, you will remember everything you did and document it accurately, when the work is still fresh in your mind. This is especially so if your work involves programming.
A conventional thesis has five chapters – chapter 1-5 which will be discussed in detail below. However, it is important to state that a thesis is not limited to any chapter or section as the case may be. In fact, a thesis can be five, six, seven or even eight chapters. What determines the number of chapters in a thesis includes institution rules/ guideline, researcher choice, supervisor choice, programme or educational level. In fact, most PhD thesis are usually more than 5 chapters(RE: write a thesis or writing a thesis).
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation: This is normally the chapter 5. The last section discusses the summary of the study and the conclusions arrived at based on the findings discussed in the previous section. This section also presents any policy recommendations that the researcher wants to propose (RE: write a thesis or writing a thesis).
Steps in writing a Thesis
Spot errors early. A well-written “Technical Report” will force you to think about what you have done, before you move on to something else. If anything is amiss, you will detect it at once and can easily correct it, rather than have to re-visit the work later, when you may be pressured for time and have lost touch with it.
The appendices
The introduction: The introduction is the first section and it provides as the name implies an introduction to the thesis. The introduction contains such aspects as the background to the study which provides information on the topic in the context of what is happening in the world as related to the topic. It also discusses the relevance of the topic to society, policies formulated success and failure. The introduction also contains the statement of the problem which is essentially a succinct description of the problem that the thesis want to solve and what the trend will be if the problem is not solved. The concluding part of the statement of problem ends with an outline of the research questions. These are the questions which when answered helps in achieving the aim of the thesis. The third section is the outline of research objectives. Conventionally research objectives re a conversion the research questions into an active statement form. Other parts of the introduction are a discussion of hypotheses (if any), the significance of the study, delimitations, proposed methodology and a discussion of the structure of the study(RE: write a thesis or writing a thesis).
A thesis statement is the central element of any academic paper. It summarizes the main ideas of the paper, gives a roadmap for the project, and prepares readers for what will follow.
At the same time, thesis statements for different types of papers are not the same. Here’s how to write a thesis statement for a research paper.
- “Communication with peers helps adolescents achieve a sense of belonging.”
- “Social interaction improves adolescents’ self-esteem and communication skills.”
Combine everything you have by this step into a whole. Here’s a rather good example of a thesis statement for a research paper:
👣 Steps to write a thesis statement for a research paper
Step 1. Write a description of the subject of your research. Why is it so important?
Step 2. Use your overview to narrow down your research subject and make it clearer.
Step 3. Provide evidence to support your thesis statement.
Step 4. Mention your potential opponent’s evidence (if available) based on your overview.
Step 5. Write the thesis statement in such a way that it clearly and concisely summarizes the information you gathered from the first four steps.
Step 6. As you research, write, arrange your main ideas, and think through other supporting ideas in your research paper, you should refine your working thesis statement in the following ways:
The thesis statement for a research paper (that is an argumentative or persuasive piece of writing) must be debatable.
Revisit your thesis statement to add some controversy and counterarguments to it and improve its logic.
Students usually end up using different terminology than simply “because,” but having a template is always helpful to get the creative juices flowing.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best type of sandwich because they are versatile, easy to make, and taste good.
This is more arguable because there are plenty of folks who might think a PB&J is messy or slimy rather than fun.
Position: A thesis statement always belongs at the beginning of an essay. This is because it is a sentence that tells the reader what the writer is going to discuss. Teachers will have different preferences for the precise location of the thesis, but a good rule of thumb is in the introduction paragraph, within the last two or three sentences.
___________ is true because of ___________, ___________, and ___________.
Most other types of essays, whether compare/contrast, argumentative, or narrative, have thesis statements that take a position and argue it. In other words, unless your purpose is simply to inform, your thesis is considered persuasive. A persuasive thesis usually contains an opinion and the reason why your opinion is true.
Length: A thesis statement can be short or long, depending on how many points it mentions. Typically, however, it is only one concise sentence. It does contain at least two clauses, usually an independent clause (the opinion) and a dependent clause (the reasons). You probably should aim for a single sentence that is at least two lines, or about 30 to 40 words long.
Instead, we’re talking about a single sentence that ties together the main idea of any argument. In the context of student essays, it’s a statement that summarizes your topic and declares your position on it. This sentence can tell a reader whether your essay is something they want to read.
Strength: Finally, for a persuasive thesis to be strong, it needs to be arguable. This means that the statement is not obvious, and it is not something that everyone agrees is true.