Best thesis statement examples – student’s guide to writing
The best thesis statement examples don’t just appear from thin air. Academics and writers usually have a hard time coming up with strong thesis statements for their research papers. In high school, subjects like basic research methods are discussed. If you’re off to university soon, you will most likely need more than the basics, though they are a good start.
Knowing how to write, or even just spot, a thesis statement can come in handy outside of the school setting. It can make you make sense of lengthy, complicated articles or think pieces you may come across. It can also even make you understand real-life situations such as the news better. Read on below for some tips on how to make the best thesis statements examples.
What Makes a Good Thesis Statement
Several things make a good thesis statement. The first is that it should be easily understood—clear, concise, and pretty many sums up the point of the entire essay. However, you cannot just point out any statement of fact as the thesis statement, and your thesis also needs to be debatable to make room for constructive criticism.
However, it cannot be so debatable that it becomes questionable in its credibility. The other main goal of the best thesis statement example is to thoroughly answer the research questions that have or will be asked. This is why it is always better to build your research around your thesis statement instead of the other way around, even if it might be easier to do the latter.
Writing a Strong Thesis Statement
Writing a thesis statement is one thing, and making it a solid one is another. For many academics, this means making their thesis statements as understandable to the general public as possible. For others, it’s as specific as possible to leave little room for vague interpretations. You don’t have to adhere to one or the other, but they could help.
But before you get started on writing your thesis statement, you need to think about what it is you want to write first. If the topic is assigned, it will be easier to form your statement. Also, if given a question, compose an answer and narrow it down until you have the best thesis statement example. If the topic is not assigned, it will be a bit tricker but try these tips on how to write it:
- Pick a topic that has been the subject of debate amongst reasonable people.
- Narrow down the topic and express one main idea.
- Choose a side — assert your conclusions that will be supported by evidence in the research.
- Conclude your topic.
Brainstorm the Topic
Something as broad as “choose your own topic” is a dilemma of its own accord. If you have the freedom to pick a topic, make sure it’s something you are interested in doing. Researching and putting in long hours for a study you don’t care about is just another form of torture. Start with something general. For example, young adult novels. It’s broad enough but still generally known to your audience and leaves room for plenty of ideas.
Narrow Down the Topic
Now that you have your topic, it is time to choose a specific area. Your sources, whether primary or secondary, should help you with this. You will keep narrowing down your topic until your main focus is specific and concise. For example, you choose the romance genre of young adult novels. Narrowing it further, you choose the age of readers who read mostly the romance genre of young adult books.
Take a Position and Stick with It
After reflecting on the topic, you will need to choose a side, whether it is negative or positive. For example, now that you want to talk about the age range of romantic young adult novel readers, you can say that readers aged 16 to 25 are the main target audience. You decide that this is the age range where people want to explore their social relationships and even discover their sexuality. Both aspects are almost always present in romance novels.
Make an Assertion and Conclusion
So you are now sticking to your position that a certain age range is the main audience of romantic young adult novels because this is the age that readers want to explore relationships and sexuality. Regardless of gender, people who read young adult novels belong in this age bracket. The plot, tropes, and setting of romance novels are perfect for young adults and blossoming adults.
Now you add in your sources. Say something like, according to research done by a certain group of experts, 8 out of 10 young adult novel readers are between the ages 16 to 25. You now have an answer to the question, “Who is the target audience of romantic young adult novels, and what’s the reason behind them reading these novels?’
What are the types of thesis statements?
A thesis statement can almost always be found at the beginning of a research paper or any other type of essay. It will typically be in the first introduction paragraphs. A weak thesis would drag on without properly establishing the thesis statement first. When you start your research with your statement, the following paragraphs will contain the supporting evidence.
Before all of that, before you come up with a solid thesis statement, it is worth noting that there are two main types of thesis statements: Informative and persuasive. The former is usually used for expository essays and the latter for argumentative essays. Informative thesis statements only seek to inform the readers of the research and help them reach the same conclusion as you. Persuasive statements will do just that — persuade readers to agree with your point.
Are all thesis statements argumentative?
By definition, the best thesis statement examples are argumentative. When you write one, your goal is to prove a point about a certain topic. To do so, you will need to counter-argue other claims of similar studies or provide enough evidence that your point still stands despite many saying no on the contrary. Does this automatically mean all thesis statements are argumentative? Not exactly.
Argumentative thesis statements are easy to spot from informative or expository ones. When you write an argumentative or persuasive thesis statement, you put all of your evidence to work. Contrary to informative thesis statements, argumentative ones will try to convince the reader of the researcher’s point of view and get them to agree. While not all the best thesis statement examples are argumentative, most are because that is the goal of many studies and research.
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Final Thoughts
The best thesis statement examples are strong, solid, and are always supported by reliable evidence. Writing them is not easy, and you will most likely go through several revisions. You can follow steps, but they aren’t so clear-cut that they will guarantee good results. They might help a lot, though, as they have worked for millions of writers and researchers in the past. First, come up with a topic, and the rest will follow.
Is it so important to know how to write the best thesis examples? In school, yes, it will help you plenty in many subjects that include research, which is to say, almost all of them. Outside of school, they still have their benefits.
It is knowing what and where you can find the thesis statement of any work that can help you better understand it as a whole. It is also worth noting that thesis statements can exist outside of research and can be found in books, movies, and any piece of literature or study.
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