How do I write a thesis statement?

Answer 1

To write a good thesis statement we need to know what a thesis statement is. A thesis statement is a sentence that summarizes the main idea of your essay and it usually comes at the end of the introduction paragraph and tells the reader your point of argument. A good thesis statement is concise, contentious, and coherent. That means it should be short and clear, make a claim that requires further evidence or analysis, and relate to everything else in your paper. To write a good thesis statement, you can follow these steps:

1. Write your initial answer to the question. Based on your research or knowledge, write a tentative answer to your question. For example, “Social media has a negative impact on mental health because it increases anxiety, depression, and isolation.”
2. Develop your answer. Look for evidence or examples that support or challenge your answer. You may need to revise or refine your answer as you find more information. For example, “Social media has a negative impact on mental health because it increases anxiety, depression, and isolation among young people, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
3. Refine your thesis statement. Make sure your thesis statement is specific, focused, and clear. Avoid vague or general words, and check if your thesis statement expresses one main idea. For example, “Social media use among young people during the COVID-19 pandemic has a detrimental effect on their mental health by increasing their levels of anxiety, depression, and isolation.”

Answer 2

You can think of how to word your thesis statement by deciding what your evidence needs to prove. If you were a lawyer arguing a case, your thesis would summarize your case in a nutshell. Your thesis statement will depend on the evidence you'll supply in your argument. "My client is innocent" doesn't get you very far because there is no direction for the evidence. "My client couldn't have murdered the victim because he was in Walla Walla, Washington with his family at the time of the murder and his DNA doesn't match anything found at the scene of the crime" is much better. It points to what your argument will need to prove.

The difficulty and the art of crafting a good thesis statement is making it specific enough that it implies where your argument will go, but not so specific that it gets bogged down in unnecessary details. So you may have to draft several versions to arrive at a successful result. Be patient with yourself, and let your research and reading guide you!

Answer 3

Crafting a strong thesis statement often happens in steps. Do not be worried if you do not have a perfect thesis statement before you have drafted your paper. In fact, it is best to start with a question:

What am I researching and what do I want people to understand, do, believe after reading my paper?

Answer that question in a statement: I am researching and writing about____ so that people will know, do, and believe ___.

Then, work through HOW you are accomplishing that goal through your paper. Do you use particular sources, data, and/or methodology to build your argument? What are the main points of evidence that are supporting your perspective?

Summarize and write your response in a sentence.

Next, work through the goal of your argument:

What do you want to change with your words? What are you arguing for? What is the point? This is the "so what?" question. Why should people care and read YOUR argument and paper?

Combine these steps into a single thesis statement: What you are arguing, how you are arguing it, and why it matters.