Thesis Statement: 3 Steps to Construct a Great Thesis

Thesis Statements 

A thesis statement is a sentence in the first paragraph of a document or essay that introduces the reader to the major topic. Your thesis statement is one of the most significant sentences in your dissertation because it is one of the first things your readers see—but it is also one of the most difficult to create! 

The purpose of a thesis statement is to inform the reader about the topic of your paper or essay. It gives your readers a bigger picture and scope of your topic.A thesis statement also makes it easier to find publications on a specific topic, which is particularly useful in academic writing, such as thesis papers and research papers ( sometimes known as dissertations when written for doctoral degrees). For example, if you’re creating your own paper you’ll want to find other papers to utilize as proof and sources. Simply examine the thesis statements of numerous publications to see which ones match your topic and might be worth citing. 

The thesis statement appears at the start of a paper, in the first paragraph, and is an important approach to begin an essay. A thesis statement isn’t always the first sentence in an essay; you’ll want to engage the reader in the first sentence before introducing your major idea or argument later in the first paragraph. Because they both establish the essential idea of what follows, a thesis statement and a topic sentence, the first sentence in a paragraph, are sometimes mistaken. The thesis statement can be thought of as the first sentence of your paper. 

Now, let us take a look at how to write a thesis statement in just three steps. 

1. Brainstorm the Best Topic for Your Essay: 

You can’t construct a thesis statement until you know what your paper is about, so pick a topic first. 

If the topic has already been assigned, that’s fantastic! This concludes this stage. If not, consider the following suggestions for selecting the appropriate topic for you: 

• Choose a topic about which you are enthusiastic. Even if you don’t know much about it, if you’re sincerely interested, it will be easier to learn about it while writing. 

• Your paper will be too wide and possibly too long if you don’t narrow down your topic to something precise. Just don’t make it too particular, or you’ll run out of things to write about. Look for a happy medium. 
• Make sure there are enough strong, reputable sources to employ for research ahead of time. You don’t want to run out of references in the middle of your project. 

It’s time to put your thesis sentence idea into words after you’ve chosen a topic and the angle or attitude you wish to take. 

Slides 20-22 

2. Phrase Your Topic as a Question and Then Answer It: 

It’s not always possible to condense your entire thesis into a single sentence, let alone one that’s well-written. Here’s a simple method to get you started. 

To begin, formulate your topic as a question. If you wish to write about Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, for example, consider the following question: “What influences did Gandhi have on society after his death?” 

If you already know the solution, write it down as a starting point for your argument. If you don’t know the answer, conduct some preliminary research to find out; you may utilize what you learn as proof and sources in the body paragraphs of your essay. 

Slides 23-26 

3. Add Some Polish: 

It’s likely that your first thesis statement won’t be flawless. Try reviewing, editing, and adding what’s lacking to make it better. 

Always keep in mind the criteria for writing thesis statements: decisive language, a happy medium of specific but not too specific details, and subtopic mention. If you’re having trouble fitting everything into a single sentence, move the supplementary information to the next sentence. Only the most essential information should be included in the thesis statement. 

If you’re not sure, read your thesis statement out loud to a buddy and ask what they think your paper is about. If they respond correctly, your thesis statement has accomplished its goal. 

Slide 27 

Then comes the difficult part: writing the rest! While you still have a lot of writing to accomplish, you’ve hammered down your main point.