How to Write a Thesis Statement: Examples & Tips

• Dec 27, 2022
• 7 min read

• Tags: Academic Research, Academic Writing, Essay, Research Paper, Writing Tips

While writing academic essays or papers, you have to pay microscopic attention to your train of thought. Whether it’s a college essay or a research paper, a strong thesis statement can either make or break your document. But how to write a thesis statement that best represents your work? 

In this article, we’ll answer this and other questions related to a thesis statement for essays, papers, or longer documents. We will discuss all aspects of a thesis, its importance, and its types. We’ll also provide a few thesis statement examples so you understand how to write a strong thesis.

Before we begin, we should have clarity on one question: What is a thesis statement?

What is a thesis statement? 

A thesis statement sums up the central point of your paper or essay in the span of a few sentences. It is usually placed near the end of your introduction. The rest of your essay builds upon the thesis statement by addressing different aspects of it.

The opening thesis statement serves as an assertion that the rest of your essay can validate and align with. Further, it serves as a roadmap to the entire essay. As such, it should heavily draw upon your unique understanding of the subject.

Since the thesis statement is placed at the end of the introduction, take your time introducing the subject. Structuring an introduction that conveniently leads to your thesis statement is a good practice.

A strong thesis statement:

1. introduces the subject,
2. makes an assertion, and
3. provides reasoning for it.

Take a look.

Let’s go through some guidelines to help you come up with a strong thesis for your essay.

How to write a thesis statement 

Here are some basic guidelines for writing a thesis statement:

1. Present your point of view in two sentences. 
2. Clearly indicate the logical progression of your research.
3. Always take a case-by-case approach. Based on your research, you may also opt for a 3-part thesis statement.
4. Clearly dictate your assertion on the topic. 
5. Create a thesis statement that is debatable, but can be proven with evidence and reasoning. 
6. Place your thesis statement as a conclusion to the Introduction section of your paper.  

We can only give you some tips on how to write a thesis statement, but a strong thesis only comes out of strong research and reading. So, make sure to read your sources carefully before you begin to write your essay.

Follow these tips to write a strong thesis statement:

#1 Formulate your research question. 

Filtering your line of research is the first step while writing a strong thesis. Conduct targeted research in your area of interest to formulate your research question. Be as specific as possible here, since it adds to the credibility of your research. Your research question should display the amount of research you’ve undertaken. 

As a continuation of the climate change thesis statement example we’ve cited above, a pertinent research question would be along these lines: “How does climate change affect different countries in the world?“

#2 Create a tentative thesis statement.

Answer your research question and shape it into a broad statement that sums up your topic. This should give you the first draft of the thesis statement outline wherein multiple changes will definitely be in order. 

A lot of effort goes into drafting your tentative thesis statement. You need to locate a general your area of interest and then conduct precise research activities. Revisit your tentative thesis statement and revise it as you invest more time, research, and resources in the project.

If your assignment requires you to argue a certain take on the subject, you’ll have to sharpen your tentative thesis with the help of evidence. Here’s such a thesis statement example for an argumentative essay: “The proletarian movie, The Grapes of Wrath, perfectly captures the psyche of the American labor class during the Great Depression.”

#3 Supplement reasoning with evidence.

Your tentative thesis serves as a dependable guide to entering the next critical phase of thesis writing. This phase demands the most attention since it requires you to critically engage with already-established literature. You must gather enough relevant information as evidence so you can support your ideas and arguments. 

The more exhaustive the research process is, the more prepared you will be. This is of substantial importance since your academic expertise will come in handy during the viva in which you will be required to firmly defend your arguments. 

So, pursue your research extensively and work hard to make your thesis foolproof. After all, academic work is worth nothing without sound evidence! 

#4 Anticipate counterarguments.

Counterarguments serve a significant purpose: They help you prepare stronger arguments. Anticipating counterarguments is a window into the broader scope of your research and how it fits into the larger discourse.

Counterarguments from your peers, cohort, supervisor, and others provide a learning curve for you as a scholar. You can always filter what aligns with your interest, but having a non-expert colleague can help you better prepare for your presentations and defense. 

Types of thesis statements

Every essay or paper is built upon two essential elements: a topic and an angle. The topic is the subject matter you’re writing about and the angle is your primary idea or opinion on the subject. Based on these, your essay falls under one of three types: expository essay, descriptive essay, or argumentative essay.

Your thesis statement varies depending on the type of essay you’re writing. There are three main types of thesis statements, so let’s go through them one by one. 

#1 Expository thesis

Also known as the explanatory thesis, this type of thesis statement requires you to explain a given opinion, idea, or concept. As the name indicates, this type of thesis applies to expository essays in which you are not required to provide your unique opinion on the matter.  

Thesis structure for expository essays

1. Introduce the topic.
2. Explain the categories that best represent the topic.
3. Determine the order of the categories to present the topic as it is.

Thesis statement example for expository essays

This essay looks closely at Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the reasons why it increases the incidence frequencies of fibrillation and cardiac stroke.

#2 Analytical thesis

The analytical thesis statement requires you to break down a larger idea into its basic components. You can further analyze the individual components to present the final assessment to your readers.

This thesis statement requires you to present various topics in the order in which your essay discusses them. So, it can apply to both persuasive and descriptive essays.

Analytical thesis structure

1. Introduce the core element(s) you are analyzing. 
2. Deconstruct the topic into its constituent categories.
3. Determine the order of the categories to best represent your findings.

Example of an analytical thesis 

John Steinback’s classic, The Grapes of Wrath, captures the Westward migration of the labor class to the promised land of California during the Great Depression. This paper attempts to revisit the proletarian novel through the political lens of new working conditions, poverty, and social change.

#3 Argumentative thesis

In this type of thesis statement, you make a claim and provide evidence to back it up. These are some common types of claims that you can make in an argumentative thesis statement:

• Opinion
• Evaluation
• Comprehension
• Cause-and-effect solutions

Naturally, this type of thesis works best for an argumentative essay, where you take a position on your topic and then reason it with substantial evidence.

Thesis structure for argumentative essays

1. Make your claim.
2. Present your reasons or pieces of evidence to support the claim.
3. Determine the order of the categories to best represent your claim.

Thesis statement example for an argumentative essay

The execution of proper legislation that will regulate gun ownership can substantially reduce gun violence in America. Such laws can re-establish the core democratic ideal that freedom is subject to accountability in the purview of public interest. This can significantly reduce the fatality rate as a result of open mass shootings, suicides, and domestic abuse.

Examples of a strong thesis statement

As academic editors, the most common type of queries we come across are in essays about global warming and climate change. So, we’ll demonstrate how you can write a strong thesis statement on these topics.

In the table below, you’ll find some examples of strong thesis statements compared to weak ones. Compare the two to understand how to write a thesis statement that perfectly sums up your take on the subject.

To sum up: place the thesis statement toward the end of your introduction, state your angle on the topic, and provide your reasoning with evidence. Since you only get 20–50 words to work with, make sure to use them wisely!

Keep reading with more resources from your loyal editors and proofreaders:

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.