Determining One's
Thesis: The Central
Idea of a Paper
COMPETENCY
• 16 Determine one’s thesis as
the central idea of the paper.
Agenda
• Introduction to Thesis Statements • Using Your Thesis Statement to Guide
Your Paper
• Purpose of a Thesis Statement
• Example Paper Outline Based on a Thesis
• Characteristics of a Strong Thesis
Statement
Statement
• Aligning Body Paragraphs with the Thesis
• Types of Thesis Statements
• The Role of a Thesis in the Conclusion
• How to Develop a Thesis Statement
• Reviewing and Revising the Thesis
• Examples of Weak vs. Strong Thesis
Statement
Statements
• Thesis Statement Checklist
• Refining Your Thesis Statement
• Conclusion
• Common Mistakes to Avoid
Introduction to Thesis Statements
A thesis It serves as a A strong thesis
statement is a roadmap for the statement is
concise paper, guiding crucial for clarity
summary of the the reader and focus,
main point or through the helping to
claim of an arguments and organize and
academic paper. supporting develop the
evidence. paper's ideas.
Purpose of a Thesis
Statement
Shaping the
Guiding the Reader Providing Focus
Argument
A thesis statement The thesis A thesis statement
helps guide the statement shapes provides focus for
reader through the the argument by the paper by
paper by clearly providing a concise narrowing down
stating the main summary of the the topic and
idea and the writer’s position. It highlighting the
direction of the helps in organizing writer’s specific
argument. It sets the evidence and stance. It ensures
expectations for points logically to that the content is
what is to come. support the relevant and
Characteristics of a Strong Thesis
Statement
A strong thesis statement is clear, avoiding
vague language and ambiguity.
It is specific, focusing on a particular aspect
rather than being broad or general.
The statement is arguable, presenting a claim
that can be supported with evidence and
reasoning.
Types of Thesis
Statements
Analytical Thesis Expository Thesis Argumentative Thesis
Breaks down an Explains a topic to Makes a claim about
issue or idea into its the audience a topic and justifies
component parts, without arguing for this claim with
evaluates the issue or against it. specific evidence.
or idea, and Provides information Example:
presents this and explanations. 'Implementing a
breakdown and Example: 'The four-day workweek
evaluation to the process of can increase
audience. photosynthesis productivity and
involves the improve employee
conversion of light well-being.'
energy into
How to Develop a Thesis Statement
Research Annotated Working Final Thesis
Question Bibliograph Thesis Statement
Topic Focus y Statement Outline of
Background Research Paper
Summary Plan
How to Develop a Thesis Statement
Refine and
Start with a Preliminary Formulate a Focus
Question Research Working Thesis
Begin by Conduct Develop a Refine the
identifying a broad preliminary working thesis working thesis
topic of interest research to based on the as more
and then narrow it understand the initial research. research is
down to a specific background of the This is a conducted.
question that the topic and gather provisional Focus on
paper will address. initial information. statement that making it more
provides a clear specific,
direction for arguable, and
Examples of Weak vs. Strong Thesis
Statements
Weak Thesis Statements Strong Thesis Statements
• The statement is too broad: • Narrow and focused: 'Social media
'Social media affects people.' platforms negatively impact
• Lacks specificity: 'Pollution is teenagers' mental health.'
bad for the environment.' • Specific and clear: 'Industrial
• Not arguable: 'Many people pollution significantly contributes to
climate change by releasing
use the internet.'
greenhouse gases.'
• Arguable: 'The rise of internet
usage among teenagers has led to
decreased physical activity and
Refining Your Thesis
Statement
Engage peers, mentors, or instructors to review
Seek your thesis statement. Use their insights to
Constructive identify areas for improvement and ensure clarity
Feedback
and strength.
Deepen your understanding of the topic through
Conduct Further additional research. This can help you refine your
Research thesis to be more specific and well-supported by
evidence.
Revise your thesis statement multiple times. Each
Iterate and revision should aim to make it clearer, more
Revise
precise, and better aligned with your paper’s
arguments and evidence.
Common Mistakes to
Avoid
1 2 3 4
Being too Using vague Failing to Overly
broad, making language that present an complex
it hard to does not arguable statements
focus the clearly claim, that confuse
paper on a indicate the resulting in a rather than
specific paper's statement of clarify the
argument. direction. fact rather main point.
than an
argument.
Using Your Thesis Statement to Guide
Your Paper
A clear thesis statement provides a roadmap
for your paper, outlining the main points that
Structuring the
Argument
will be addressed in each section. This helps in
logically organizing the content.
The thesis statement serves as a constant
reminder of the paper's central idea, helping to
Maintaining Focus keep the writing focused and ensuring that all
arguments and evidence presented relate back
to the main point.
By consistently referring back to the thesis
Enhancing
statement, you can create a cohesive narrative
Cohesion
that ties all sections and paragraphs together,
making the paper more coherent and easier to
follow.
Example Paper Outline Based on a Thesis
Statement
Discussion and
Introduction Literature Review Methodology
Analysis
Introduce the Summarize Explain the Analyze the
topic, present relevant research data or
the thesis research and methods used evidence in
statement theories that to gather relation to the
clearly, and support or data or thesis
give a brief provide evidence. statement.
overview of context for Justify why Discuss how
the main the thesis these findings
points to be statement. methods are support or
discussed. Highlight appropriate challenge the
gaps the for addressing thesis.
paper aims to the thesis.
Aligning Body Paragraphs with
the Thesis
Ensure each paragraph starts with a topic
sentence that directly relates to the thesis.
Use evidence, examples, and analysis in each
paragraph to support the thesis statement.
Conclude each paragraph by linking back to the
thesis to maintain cohesion and focus.
The Role of a Thesis in the Conclusion
Revisiting the Thesis Restating the Thesis
• Restate the thesis in a new • Use varied language to
way to reinforce your avoid repetition.
argument. • Ensure the restatement is
• Summarize key points that consistent with the original
support the thesis thesis.
statement. • Connect the restated
• Show how your paper’s thesis to the broader
body has addressed the implications of your
thesis effectively. findings.
Reviewing and Revising the Thesis
Statement
Reviewing the thesis statement helps ensure it
Ensuring Clarity
clearly communicates the main idea. Ambiguous
or confusing statements can mislead readers and
weaken the argument.
Revising the thesis statement based on feedback
Incorporating from peers or advisors can provide new insights
Feedback and strengthen the argument. Constructive
criticism helps refine focus and clarity.
As research progresses, new information might
Adapting to necessitate revisions to the thesis statement.
Research
Adapting the thesis ensures it remains relevant
and accurately reflects the paper's content.
Thesis Statement Checklist
Is the thesis statement clear and specific? It should
precisely state the main point or argument.
Is the thesis statement arguable? It should present a claim
that can be supported or opposed with evidence.
Does the thesis statement address the topic directly? It
should be relevant to the subject matter of the paper.
Is the thesis statement concise? It should be expressed in
one or two sentences without unnecessary details.
Throughout this presentation, we have
explored the essential role of a thesis
statement in academic writing. We
covered what a thesis statement is, its
purpose, and the characteristics that
Conclusion make it strong. We discussed how to
develop and refine a thesis statement,
common mistakes to avoid, and how it
guides the structure of your paper.
Remember, a strong thesis statement
provides clarity, direction, and focus,
making it a fundamental element for any
successful academic paper.
