The Ultimate Guide to Developing a Strong Thesis Statement

Whether you’re writing an essay, putting together an academic book chapter, or writing any other type of research project, developing a strong thesis statement can be one of the most important things you do.

Once you’ve got your thesis statement in place, it will be much easier to figure out how to approach your topic and how to structure your paper overall, ensuring that you deliver an argument that’s well thought-out and clearly presented from start to finish.

Here are some tips on how to develop the best possible thesis statement for your writing projects.

 

Step 1 – Discover Your Topic (The Who, What, Where)

In order to develop a strong thesis statement, you first need to know what your paper is going to be about.

This means that you need to have discovered your topic. For instance, if you are writing a paper on the effects of global warming, then global warming would be your topic.

Once you have discovered your topic, the next step is to narrow it down into a more specific focus. What aspects do you want to explore?

What angle will your research take? Figure out these specifics before moving on to step two.

 

Step 2 – Gather Information

In order to write a strong thesis statement, you need to gather information about your topic.

This can be done through reading, research, and interviews. Once you have gathered enough information, you can start to form an opinion about your topic.

Then create an outline for your paper that includes the introduction, three main points with supporting details, and a conclusion.

After writing each point in its own paragraph, come back to the introduction and state what your overall point is.

Next, add in a sentence of transition between each paragraph so that it flows well from one idea to another.

When writing this introductory sentence, it is important not to just say I believe or it seems.

Instead, think of how your reader will react when they read this opening sentence.

For example: Based on my research I believe that….

 

Step 3 – Come Up With At least Two Main Points

Now that you’ve done some brainstorming and have a general idea of what you want to say in your paper, it’s time to start developing your thesis statement.

This will be the main argument of your paper, so it’s important that you take the time to craft a good one.

There are two main components to a strong thesis statement:

1) It must be arguable – that is, someone could reasonably disagree with it.

2) It should not be too broad or too narrow.

3) It should relate directly to the rest of the essay.

4) It should give readers an idea of the point of view they can expect from the author.

5) A strong thesis statement usually contains a word like because or therefore to show how it relates back to the point made in the introductory paragraph.

 

Step 4 – Determine Ways to Support Those Points

In order to have a strong thesis statement, you need to determine ways to support those points.

This can be done by finding sources that back up your claims or by using logic and reasoning.

Additionally, you can use personal experiences or examples to help support your points.

Finally, make sure that your thesis statement is arguable and that someone could reasonably disagree with it.

If there are no reasonable arguments against your point, then the argument will not be persuasive.

 

Examples of strong thesis statements

A strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand.

Remember that your thesis needs to show your conclusions about a subject.

For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate.

Here are two thesis statements

1) My personal evaluation of this diet plan is that it could be a good choice for someone who does not want to make drastic changes in their diet and lifestyle but still wants to lose weight and get healthier.

2) My personal evaluation of this diet plan is that it would not be an appropriate choice for people who have diabetes or any other chronic disease because it does not offer them the appropriate nutritional balance needed by these groups.