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How to Create an Effective Thesis Statement in 5 Easy Steps

Creating a thesis statement can be a daunting task. It’s one of the most important sentences in your paper, and it needs to be done right. But don’t worry — with these five easy steps, you’ll be able to create an effective thesis statement in no time.

Step 1: Brainstorm Ideas

The first step is to brainstorm ideas for your paper. Think about what you want to say and write down any ideas that come to mind. This will help you narrow down your focus and make it easier to create your thesis statement.

Step 2: Research Your Topic

Once you have some ideas, it’s time to do some research on your topic. Look for sources that support your ideas and provide evidence for the points you want to make. This will help you refine your argument and make it more convincing.

Step 3: Formulate Your Argument

Now that you have done some research, it’s time to formulate your argument. Take the points you want to make and put them into one or two sentences that clearly state what your paper is about. This will be the basis of your thesis statement.

Step 4: Refine Your Thesis Statement

Once you have formulated your argument, it’s time to refine your thesis statement. Make sure that it is clear, concise, and specific. It should also be arguable so that readers can disagree with it if they choose.

Step 5: Test Your Thesis Statement

The last step is to test your thesis statement. Does it accurately reflect the points you want to make? Is it clear and concise? Does it make an arguable point? If not, go back and refine it until it meets all of these criteria.

Creating an effective thesis statement doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With these five easy steps, you can create a strong thesis statement in no time at all.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

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Writing a Thesis Statement for a World Literature Paper--PowerPoint

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Use the link above or the viewer below to access a PowerPoint workshop on writing a thesis statement for a world literature paper. The file includes notes for instructors who wish to use the PowerPoint in the classroom but is also a useful student resource. See also the Purdue OWL's general resource on thesis statements .

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Thesis Statements

The thesis statement clarifies to the reader exactly what it is the writer is arguing, what position s/he is taking regarding the topic, and what the writer wants to convince the reader of.

A  good thesis  is: ( Rutgers, J. Lynch)

Argumentative.  It makes a case. That's the biggest difference between a  thesis  and a  topic  — a topic is something like “Slavery in  Huck Finn .” That's not a case, only a general area. A  thesis , on the other hand, makes a specific case, it tries to prove something. One way to tell a thesis from a topic: if it doesn't have an active verb, it's almost certainly still a topic.

Controversial.   That doesn't mean something like “Abortionists should be shot” or “George W. Bush's election was illegitimate” — it means that it has to be possible for an intelligent person to  disagree  with your thesis. If everyone agrees on first sight, your thesis is too obvious, and not worth writing about. It also has to be something you can reasonably argue about: it's not enough merely to give an unsupported opinion.

Analytical, not evaluative.  A college English paper isn't the place to praise or blame works of literature: theses like “ Paradise Lost  is an enduring expression of the human spirit” or “ The Sound and the Fury  isn't successful in its choice of narrative techniques” aren't appropriate. That's the business of book reviewers. No need to give thumbs-up or thumbs-down; evaluate the work on its own terms.

About the readings, not the real world.  Never forget that books are books and, if you're in an English class, you're being asked to talk about  them . Many books are unreliable guides to the  real world  outside the texts, and it's dangerous to talk about, say, Renaissance attitudes toward race based only on your reading of  Othello . Talk about  Othello .

Specific.  It's not enough to deal in vague  generalities . Some students want to write their paper on man and God, or on the black experience in the twentieth century. Both are far too nebulous to produce a good paper. Get your hands dirty with the text.

Well supported.  That's the key to the rest of the paper after those first few paragraphs.

A good thesis also answers the “so what?” question, therefore explaining to the reader why the topic is important to address and why the reader should care about the argument the writer is making.

Purdue OWL: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/03/

Rutgers, J. Lynch: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/EngPaper/thesis.html

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