Download Thesis Statements

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THESIS STATEMENTS
Thesis: a one-sentence position statement that is argued through supporting details in an
essay
** Your thesis statement may be refined during the course of your research.
A thesis statement IS:
 A THESIS STATEMENT TAKES A STAND. It is your position on the main idea of your essay
 A THESIS STATEMENT SUPPORTS ONE MAIN IDEA. It is supported by every detail in your essay.
 A THESIS STATEMENT IS SPECIFIC. It is designed to suit your purpose and audience.
 The last complete sentence in your introduction (usually).
A thesis statement IS NOT:
 A question
 A fact
 An unsupportable opinion
 An “I think” statement
 Too broad or too narrow for the scope of your paper
A.
The polygraph was developed by Dr. John A. Larson in 1921. ____________________
B.
Because the polygraph has not been proved reliable, even under the most controlled
conditions, its use by employers should be banned. ______________
C.
Many drugs are now being used somewhat successfully to treat mental illness.
____________________
D.
Despite its risks and side effects, Prozac is an effective treatment for depression.
____________________
E.
Don’t you think the songs played on WXQP are disgusting? ____________________
F.
Of the songs played on station WXQP, too many depict sex crudely, sanction rape and abuse of
women, or foster gang violence. ____________________
Writing a Thesis: Individual
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Choose a general topic.
Read, read, read about your topic. Keep track of sources.
Brainstorm about your general topic and choose a specific focus for your essay.
Pose a question: For example, “Could the feudal system succeed without the Roman
Catholic Church?
5. Be sure to choose a position that can be supported.
6. Write a thesis statement. Turn the question into a statement.
7. Plan out how you will support your thesis statement.
MORE PRACTICE…
1. A strong thesis takes some sort of stand.
a. Remember that your thesis needs to show your conclusion about a subject.
Here are two thesis statement:
i. There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.
 This is a weak thesis. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase
“negative and positive aspects” are vague.
ii. Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the
loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.
 This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand.
2. A strong thesis expresses one main idea.
a. Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. If your thesis expresses
more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper.
For example:
i. Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and web pages
can provide both advertising and customer support.
 This is a weak thesis statement because the reader can’t decide whether the
paper is about marketing on the internet or web pages. To revise the thesis,
the relationship between the two ideas needs to become clearer. One way
to revise the thesis would be to write:
ii. Because the internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies
should exploit this potential by using web pages that offer both advertising and
customer support.
 This is a strong thesis because it shows that the two ideas are related. Hint:
a great many clear and engaging thesis statements contain the following
words: because, since, so, although, unless, and however.
3. A strong thesis statement is specific.
a. A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you
keep your paper to a manageable topic. For example, if you write a paper on hunger, you
might say:
i. World hunger has many causes and effects.
 This is a weak thesis statement for two major reasons. First, “world hunger”
can’t be discussed thoroughly in five or ten pages. Second, “many causes
and effects” is vague. You should be able to identify specific causes and
effect. A revised thesis might look like this:
ii. Hunger persists more in Appalachia than other areas of the U.S. because jobs are
scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.
 This is a strong thesis because it narrows the subject to a more specific and
manageable topic and it also identified the specific causes for the existence
of hunger.
USING KEY WORDS AND PHRASES IN RESEARCH
Selecting keywords is probably one of the most useful things you can do to get good search results. It is
something of an art. A search engine cannot think. The art is trying to think like a search engine.
Remember! The more specific instructions and keywords provided when searching for information, the
better your results will be.
For example if you type the keyword ‘ turtle’ into a search engine, you will receive over one million results.
Search engines will not distinguish between a chocolate turtle and a rock band, The Turtles unless you specify.
The art of searching is to know what to add (or subtract!) around keywords such as turtle.
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Keywords that MUST be included in the search:
Select keywords specific to your research problem. These can be single words or phrases. "Keyword phrases"
must be used with quotation marks. Include phrases in your list of MUST words. Many find it helpful to first
phrase a research problem in the form of a question to ensure all keywords are included. Then you can
identify and extract words and phrases from your questions. Example: What do koala bears like to eat?
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Keywords that MIGHT be included in the search:
Synonyms, related and variations of words listed in the MUST category Be creative! Try to think like a
search engine. For example, if you want to know the day Abraham Lincoln was born, a Web page will most
likely list the information as Abraham Lincoln’s birth date or date of birth. The word born might not be used.
Keywords that SHOULD NOT be included in the search:
Think of words that might be associated with your topic, but do not interest you. For example, you might be
researching horses, but do not want any information about racehorses.
Adapted from: Kajder, S. (2003). The tech-savvy english classroom. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
YOU TRY IT!
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Develop your thesis statement
Read about your topic
Generate a list of key words and phrases that will help you explore the topic in more depth.
Key words and phrases lists ALWAYS EVOLVE. You must ADD new key words and phrases to your list
as you discover new information.
Example:
Original Thesis statement:
The First Crusade was the turning point that opened the door for Western Europe to connect to the
rest of the world.
Key words and phrases:
Pope Urban
Pope Urban + Speech at Clermont
Byzantium + Alexius Comnenus
First Crusade + Peasants Crusade
First Crusade + Noble’s Crusade
Siege of Jerusalem 1099
First Crusade + effects
First Crusade + changes in trade
Crusades + Muslim traders
Social hierarchy in Europe after Crusades
These will help familiarize you with the topic
These will help support your thesis
The plus + sign
Plus (+) and minus (-) signs can help you organize a search query so that you are looking for exactly
what you wish. They can be used in between keywords. Here's how.
When you see a + sign, you usually think about adding things together to get a larger sum. The + sign
in search engines works the opposite way. A + sign in between keywords will return a smaller amount
of results.
When you put a + sign in between keywords you are asking a search engine to find results where both
words appear in the search. An example might be: birds +"north america".
Tips
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Use quotation marks around words that should appear together
Only use keywords that are important
Avoid words such as "the," "in" or "a" in your search
The minus (-) sign
In math class, - usually means subtracting or taking away. In search engines it means do not include.
Here are some examples.
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Suppose you wanted to search for birds in North America but didn’t want any information about
eagles. Here is a prime example of when to use the minus (-) sign.
In this sample search, I am asking the search engine to show me information about birds in
North America, but no eagles, please. Note: Be sure there is NO space in between the minus
sign (-) and the keyword. The - sign will help narrow a search.
Boolean Operators
Booleans are used when searching with keywords. They include AND, OR, NOT and must be used in ALL
CAPITAL LETTERS to work properly. A space should be provided on either side.
Boolean AND
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AND in a search means you are looking for sites that contain both words. It may help narrow a
search and works the same as adding a + sign. For example, if researching information about
aquariums in Florida, the Boolean search would be: florida AND aquarium
An even more specific search for dolphins in these aquariums would mean adding another AND,
along with the keyword “dolphin.” florida AND aquarium AND dolphin
The more ANDs, the smaller the search results.
Boolean OR and NOT
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Placing OR in between two keywords in a search means you are searching for both words at the
same time. Your search will yield more results. OR works differently than AND. AND makes sure
both words appear in your results. OR makes sure either word appears in your results.