What is a Thesis Statement - A Complete Guide

Ever wondered how important it is to write a perfect thesis statement for your essay or research paper? Well, it is as important as water is to the human body. You heard me!

Getting a write thesis statement for your academic writing is everything. If the thesis statement made is correct the whole essay will fall into place.

Take every step to ensure that your thesis statement is perfect and appealing. Continue reading the article to learn how to write a good thesis statement for your assignments.

What is a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a sentence that communicates the key idea of an essay or a research paper. It is mandatory in essays such as argumentative essays, expository essays, analytical essays, etc.

A thesis statement explicitly expresses the topic under discussion and is written for some specifically targeted readers. This statement is a part of your introduction and is used to build interest in the readers.

In other words, it describes your position in the essay. The purpose of a thesis statement is:

• It narrow downs the topic into a specific focus of research
• It sets a direction for the entire paper.
• It leads up to a conclusion.
• It is always to be presented on the topic.
• It is a stand that a writer takes and justify the further argument.

It is not a typical statement with facts. A thesis statement should be arguable and not factual. The reason behind it is that the factual statement can easily be proved.

It is impossible to write interesting essays and papers about facts. The purpose of writing is to show the analytical and critical thinking skills of a writer to its instructor which is only possible by creating an argument.

Another characteristic is it always takes the side and stand and justify the further argument in your work.

Thesis Statement and Topic Sentence

Apart from other elements of your research papers and essays, the two most common are a thesis statement and topic sentences. Students often confuse the two sentences, but in reality, they are remarkably different from each other.

A thesis statement, as stated before, is the major argument of the document on which the whole content is based. A topic sentence, on the other hand, is an opening sentence of a paragraph that includes an idea that is to be discussed in that specific paragraph.

All the topic sentences in the body paragraphs collectively support the major thesis statement.

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Types of Thesis Statements

Typically, differentiated on the explicitness of the statement, there are two types for your thesis statement. The types are:

• Direct Thesis Statement
• Indirect Thesis Statement

A type of thesis statement provided gives the reader a clue what a writer is going to discuss in his essay or paper.

Direct Thesis Statement

A direct thesis statement is a statement that explicitly indicates what your essay will discuss and talk about.

For Example: “Plastic bags are a major cause of cancer these days”. In this statement, it is pretty clear what your reasoning will be about. All of the information presented will be supporting this argument.

Indirect Thesis Statement

Unlike the direct thesis statement, the indirect thesis statement doesn't explicitly indicates the idea that is going to be presented in the essay.

For Example: “Plastic bags cause major fatal disease. The disease will be discussed further in the essay”.

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How to Write a Thesis Statement

Keep in mind that a thesis statement is written to reflect and highlight the key idea of an essay. So pay extra attention while drafting it.

They are tricky to write and because of this students find it confusing to write. Give time to yourself when drafting it and do not just write it to get over with it.

In order to make it easier for the students, essay writers of CollegeEssay.org have gathered some steps to take when drafting a thesis statement. Follow the steps provided below:

• Read the topic question carefully and attentively.
• Make sure to choose the topic according to the essay type.
• Research for your information and data related to the topic
• Collect pieces of evidence that are relevant and organize them.
• Know the significance of the topic selected and gather data to form a stance.
• Your statement or stance should be specific.
• Choose a thesis statement that is debatable

The thesis statement of different essay types is written differently as the purpose of the essay differs. A thesis statement of some common essay types are written in the following way

• Argumentative Thesis Statement - For argumentative paper it includes the main argument that a writer proves in his essay. In some cases, depending on the topic, there is more than one thesis statement.
• Analytical Thesis Statement - In an analytical essay, it highlights the in-depth analysis of a selected issue. In the introduction paragraph, tell your readers what your analysis is going to be about and how it will be done.
• Expository Thesis Statement - An expository thesis statement performs an explanatory function and describes an idea about the topic. In this, you simply explain to the reader what your main idea is.

The thesis statements for research papers are written in the same manner. No matter what writing type is, an essay, or college research, it should clearly present the main argument and subject of your writing.

Instructors believe that a strong thesis statement is the most important element of the document. A strong thesis statement is specific and direct and points towards the conclusion. Keep in mind to not make a weak thesis statement as it will weaken the whole introduction and body paragraphs of an essay simultaneously.

Thesis Statement in Essay Writing (PDF)

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4. Thesis Statement Examples

In order to make you clear of the concept, we have gathered some thesis statement examples for your better understanding. Learn how thesis statements for a research paper and essay are drafted to make your content impactful

Thesis Statement Examples for Research Papers

• Cyberbullying is the major cause of stress and anxiety among teenagers at this time. The common use of smartphones and social media have made children be part of this vicious crime of cyberbullying.
• More women should run for political office to get empowered. On a grassroots level, this can be done by educating women and telling them the need and importance of their power.
• It is important for teachers to tell students the difference between the illegitimate and authentic news as digital literacy is growing, which is spreading misleading and deceiving information.
• Companies and corporations should lay extra emphasis on the rights and comfort of their employees to make the best out of them and making it easier for them to maintain a balance in their work and social life.
• Although teaching about good and bad touch to students at school is helpful, yet parents should take part in teaching their children the meaning of consent in the early years of a child’s age.

Thesis Statement Examples for Essays

• Cultural diversity in the workplace leads to richer ideas for the betterment of the company, more cooperation, and empathy between different racial groups.
• Taylor Swift, being extremely influential, should run for political office to empower women as she has feminist perspectives which are quite obvious from the lyrics she writes.
• Mercy killing should be legal as it is a good thing to take people out of undue pain and struggle towards life when they know they will not survive.
• Fashion magazines are evolving and bringing forward diverse groups, but it has yet to break the stereotype of thin bodies as healthy images.
• Library culture is dying, and it should be preserved by the state as they are the best resource for communication.

In order to write a thesis statement, make sure you follow all the above-mentioned steps to make your essay and research paper effective.

People who are to write an essay or do research for the first time often have confusion and questions in their minds. If you are not sure of what to provide in your assignment it is always advised to get a professional’s help.

CollegeEssay.org is an essay writing company that provides assistance for all your academic assignment types. If you are having trouble in drafting any college essay type or research paper, get help from the qualified writers.

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