A thesis statement is considered the most important of an essay for obvious reasons. It is the reason an essay is written. It is the central idea that an academic work revolves around. A thesis statement also clearly states the main idea of your essay and helps your reader understand what the rest of your essay is about.
No matter the type of essay you are writing: argumentative, analytical, or expository essay, it needs a well-written thesis statement. Once you get your thesis statement written, the essay becomes easier to compose.
Writing a thesis statement can be tricky and take more time than other parts of an essay because it usually contains an argument and the central idea of your essay in a few sentences but is not impossible to write.
Your argument will fall flat if you don’t have a thesis statement, and your information will be scattered. And because a thesis statement is essential, it’s advisable to learn some helpful tips on writing one.
In this article, we will teach you how to write a thesis statement. Read carefully and assimilate.
What is a thesis statement?
A thesis statement is simply a sentence that summarizes the main point of your essay or paper. It normally comes towards the end of the paper or essay’s introduction.
The type of essay or paper you are writing will determine your thesis statement but, it must state the central idea of your essay. A reader should be able to understand the main idea of an essay or paper by reading the thesis statement. Everything in your paper or essay should reflect your thesis statement.
A thesis statement tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the essay or paper. It also directly answers the question asked by the essay or paper’s paper’s topic. It can also make a claim that others can argue.
Why is a thesis statement important?
A thesis statement helps the reader to understand your point of view and what to expect from your paper or essay.
- It is a good way to develop and organize your statement.
- It sets the tone for the rest of your essay or paper.
- A thesis statement helps you summarise the main point (s) of your essay or paper into one or two sentences.
- It makes writing the rest of the essay easier and faster.
What makes a good thesis statement?
A good thesis statement should be coherent, concise, and contentious.
- Concise
A good thesis statement must be short and straight to the point. It should show the main point clearly in one or two sentences. It should not use more words than required.
- Coherent
A good thesis must be coherent and relate to the rest of your essay or paper. Do not write a paper or essay that does not correspond with your thesis statement. Your essay must support your thesis statement. It must support the main idea in the thesis statement. Your thesis statement must make sense.
- Contentious
A good thesis statement must leave room for further argument. Your statement should raise more questions and arguments. It must not be something that is a fact.
Finally, A good thesis statement must be found near the ending of the introductory part of your essay or paper.
Types of Essays
Before you learn how to write a thesis statement, it is essential to know the types of essays. There are three main types of essays.
- Analytical essay
- Expository essay
- Argumentative essay
- Analytical essay
An analytical essay is an essay that analyses a topic and breaks it down into its constituent parts. This type of essay allows writers to dissect another author’s work or argument about a subject. Writers can also use this type of essay to discuss movies, books, or other long texts.
The thesis statement of an analytical essay will usually answer a “why” or “how” question.
- Expository essay
An expository essay simply explains the topic. It investigates an issue or elaborates on a subject. An explanatory essay is another name for an expository essay. It is also a general term that can be used to describe other types of essays.
A thesis statement for an expository essay also answers the “how” or “why” questions. A writer can repeat the question and answer it with a “because” statement.
- Argumentative essay
An argumentative essay allows a writer to take a stance and defend their point/opinion. It involves evaluating and presenting data that buttresses a writer’s opinion.
A thesis statement for an argumentative essay is also called a “point statement”. It involves stating an opinion and previewing the details needed to strengthen it.
In an argumentative essay, the writer is taking a stance and defends their opinion. They are making an argument about the topic of the essay. In an argumentative essay, you will evaluate and present data that reinforces your opinion.
How to write a thesis statement
The importance of a thesis statement in academic work can not be overemphasized. Below are the steps you should take when writing a thesis statement.
- Ask a question about the research subject.
- Map out the main idea of your essay or paper
- Develop your Supporting points or opinions
- Merge your main idea with your Supporting points into one statement
- Ask a question about the research subject
The first step to take when writing a thesis statement is to look at your topic and understand the question it is asking.
Ask yourself questions about your topic. The question will lead your research and help you uncover the main idea for your paper or essay.
To arrive at the question you need to research the subject of your essay. Is it a book, text, or movie? Once you are done investigating your subject, you can now decide what information you want to relay to your reader.
The question will help you understand the topic and the information you want your reader to see. Getting your research question makes your work easier.
- Map out the main idea of your essay or paper
The next step to take after you have gotten your research question and understood your essay or paper topic is to map out the main idea of your essay or paper.
If your research question is “Should vacancies be mandatory?” Then, the main idea could be “Yes, vaccines should be mandatory” or ” No, Vaccines should not be mandatory”.
This next step answers your question and becomes the main idea, point, or opinion of your essay or paper. Depending on the scope of your paper, this step might take months or even years to uncover.
Your answer might change when you start writing your essay and paper, and that’s okay. You can just rewrite your thesis statement to match the rest of your work.
- Develop your supporting points or opinions
After getting and answering your research question. It is time to develop points and opinions to support your answer. You can also gather all your supporting points or data before answering your research question.
Understand that these supporting points and data are what will lead to the main idea for your essay and paper. You can list three reasons that will help you argue your point and take it from there.
Have an open mind when researching and developing your data and points. Allow your research to lead you to a conclusion. Be honest about it.
This step simply helps you get data that prove and support your main idea.
- Merge your main idea with your Supporting points into one statement
This is the last step when it comes to writing a thesis statement. You need to merge your main idea and the supporting points into a statement. This can be done in one to three sentences.
The best way to do this is to state your main point in the first sentence and preview the supporting points in the two remaining sentences. You need to make sure that your sentences are clear and well structured. Your reader needs to understand what you are arguing or your main idea when they read it.
Before you conclude your thesis statement make sure that:
- It is clear and concise.
- It is an opinion, not a fact.
- It shows the main idea of your essay or paper.
- It previews the points that support your main idea.
- It should also be in the introductory part of your essay or paper.
- Your thesis statement should be a combination of your main idea and a preview of your supporting details.
It is advisable to read other people’s thesis statements to get a better understanding of what a thesis statement should look like.
Conclusion
A thesis statement is essential in the writing of essays and academic papers. It states the main idea of the essay or paper. It is also what determines the path a paper or essay will take.
A good thesis statement must be clear, and easy to understand and leave room for further argument. Once a writer gets their thesis statement ready it will be easier to finish a paper or essay.
We hope you found this article on “How to write a thesis statement” informative.
