Thesis Development

What’s your thesis?

(a.k.a. What’s your point, your argument, your assertion?)

Definition of a Thesis:

The foundation for an academic paper that is alive with good critical thinking skills is its thesis. The term, thesis, comes from the Greek work for putting or position. A thesis statement then is your position or argument about a subject. It is your promise or “cue” to the reader about what you are going to say in your paper.

Another way to think of a thesis: Your mom asks if you’d like to go to the store with her. You decide to go and hop in the car. Then along the way she stops at the bank, the cleaners, and the gas station. You complain because you thought you were only going to the store. She replies, “We are. I just thought while we were out, I’d go ahead and make these other stops.”

When you write, your “thesis” is your promise to your readers that you will take them where you said you would—with no unscheduled stops or irrelevant arguments thrown in along the way.

Thesis Sentences

What does a thesis do?

     In the prewriting stage, a strong thesis can help you focus and develop your own perspective on the issue. As you write, the thesis can serve to keep you “on topic.” When you have finished an essay, the thesis acts as a “cue” to guide your reader’s interpretation of the paper.

Does all writing require a thesis?

     No. You need to have a purpose in any piece of writing, but sometimes this purpose will not require you to take a strong position on your topic. A simple description, for example, might not require that you take a position regarding whatever you are describing.

     But most of the writing you will do in college—everything from argumentative papers to research projects—requires that you take a definite position on an issue. You will therefore want to be able to express your position in a clear thesis statement.

How is a thesis created?

      It depends. If you are writing a take-home paper (as all your essays demand), your thesis should probably be developed in a tentative and gradual manner—it should be allowed to evolve along with the paper itself. A good writing process involves change: your understanding of the issue should be more profound at the end of your writing process than it was at the beginning. Start out with a rough provisional thesis and gradually refine this initial position as you work through the various drafts of your paper.