Define the
Purpose, Consider the Audience and Develop the ThesisDevelop the Thesis Statement
In the last few pages, you’ve learned about
your
purpose and
audience based on the topic that you’re interested
in. The thesis statement is where those three elements come together.
Let’s consider what a thesis statement is, why you have to
write one, where it goes in the paper, when you should write it,
and how
you write one.
So, what exactly is a thesis statement? A thesis statement is the
controlling idea for your paper. It may include the main idea you
wish to communicate, your attitude toward the idea, and your purpose.
Your “attitude toward the idea” is your opinion of the
topic. Your thesis cannot be a statement of fact (i.e. husbands and
wives assume marital roles), but rather your thesis statement has
to be an assertion about that fact. Let’s look at an example.
| Audience |
Psychology students, especially those who plan to
offer marriage counseling, |
| Purpose |
need to be informed |
| Main Idea and Your Attitude |
that marital roles adopted by husbands and wives are determined
as much by their individual social networks as by family history
or personal values. |
In the example above, you can see that the writer identified the
audience for her paper. You also may need to identify your audience,
depending upon your instructor’s guidelines. But remember, even
if you don’t have to directly state your audience, your audience
will play a large role in what you’re writing about.
Another way to think about the thesis statement is to think of it
as a one or two sentence summary of your paper. As a “summary,” it
serves as a preview of the paper for the reader.
Why do you have to write a thesis statement and who is it
for? The
final goal of the thesis is to clearly inform your reader about
the purpose and direction of the paper. Additionally, the thesis
can be
incredibly useful to you by keeping you on track, or helping you
make conscious decisions about changing the direction of your
paper. In
the above example, you can easily spot “who” the paper
is for—psychology students. And, your readers, psychology students,
will be able to understand the direction of your paper— informing
them about marital roles.
Where does the thesis statement go in the paper? Generally, in short
papers, your thesis will appear toward the end of your introduction.
This issue is discussed in greater detail in the handout “Draft
Your Introduction.”
When should you write your thesis? Like your paper itself, you’ll
probably have many drafts of your thesis statement. Fairly early in
the research or writing process, you may want to draft a working thesis
statement that can serve as a focal point for your researching and
writing. Remember, that this thesis statement is a “working” thesis
statement, and you will most likely have to revise it as you research
and draft your paper.
How do I write a thesis statement? No one way or technique exists
for writing a thesis statement. Individuals write very differently—some
begin with an overall picture of what they want to write about that
can be turned into a thesis statement, while others begin with a list
of specific items that they want to write about. If you’re the
kind of writer who begins with an overall picture of what you want
to say, you might benefit from listing the specific items within your “overall
picture” that you want to discuss in your paper.
On the other hand, if you begin with a list of items that you’d
like to discuss. Write down your list and look for ideas that connect
the items on your list. If you don’t have either an overall
picture or a list of specific items to begin drafting a thesis,
you might try asking yourself questions.
Lester
and Lester (2002) discuss several questions you can ask yourself.
A few of these questions include “what is the point of my
research? What do I want this paper to do? Can I tell my reader
anything new or different?
and Do I have a solution to the problem?” (149).
Finally, a good thesis statement is a culmination of your consideration
of your audience, purpose, and topic. Good thesis statements share
several characteristics:
1. The thesis statement is appropriately focused for the purpose,
audience, and length of the paper. Another way of putting this characteristic
is that the thesis statement is appropriately narrow for the purpose,
audience, and length of the paper.
2. The thesis statement asserts a supportable opinion, rather than
a fact.
3. The thesis statement is a clear assertion of your supportable
opinion.
4. The thesis statement is specific.
5. The thesis statement unifies the ideas within your paper.
6. The thesis statement is a statement and not a question.
Essentially, your goal is to combine the main idea you wish to communicate,
your attitude toward the idea, and your purpose into a statement that
you will support with the body of the paper. As you write and complete
research, you will be evaluating and reevaluating your thesis statement
as you make modifications in topic, audience, or purpose.
| Our best advice: don’t
fall in love with your thesis statement.
You want to ask yourself throughout the writing process how
your purpose and audience relate to your topic as well as how
those factors relate to any assignment guidelines. You need
to be willing to change or refine your thesis statement as you
write, research, and consider your audience and purpose. |
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