Course Information
Course level: Beginners
Time to Complete: 15 minutes
Perfect for: First-year students
*Caution for WRTG 101 students: While this Quick Start Guide includes helpful information about thesis statements in academic writing, WRTG 101 courses require very particular patterns for thesis statements. Review your WRTG 101 Course Pack and other class materials for specific information on how to write thesis statements for your assignments.
Welcome to this Quickstart Guide on the Basics of Writing Thesis Statements!
In this Quickstart guide, we will discuss the following sections:
- The purpose and placement of a thesis statement
- Basic structure of a thesis statement
- A few different styles of thesis statements
- What kind of thesis statement style does my writing assignment need?
Let's begin!
Section 1 - The purpose and placement of a thesis statement
What is a thesis statement?
A thesis is a 1-2 sentence statement in which you introduce your topic, and indicate how you are going to address the topic. It shows your readers what the paper is about and what specific direction you will take in your discussion of the topic (UNC Chapel Hill, 2023). Your thesis should be clear and specific.
Your thesis should not be a fact that is agreed upon by everyone, but should be a statement whose main idea and supporting arguments are disputable (meaning a contrasting opinion could be taken).
Where do I put my thesis statement?
Your thesis statement should typically be placed as the last sentence of your introductory paragraph (University of Arizona, 2023).
Section 2 - Basic structure of a thesis statement
Every thesis statement should be able to answer a question. Identifying a question is the first thing you should do in your writing process. The question itself should not be written in your paper, but should be directly answered by your thesis statement.
Different styles of assignments (such as compare and contrast papers, personal responses, book reviews, etc.) may require different styles of thesis statements. However, all thesis statements should include the following two building blocks: the main idea, and sub-arguments (sometimes called “positions” of your claim. As stated above, these building blocks should be designed to directly answer your research question.
Main idea of the paper: Your thesis statement should make clear to your reader what the main idea of your paper is. The main idea is a claim that you plan to explain with supporting evidence (University of Arizona, 2023).
Example…
Let’s pretend you are writing a paper about the global coffee industry. Your general topic is–of course–the global coffee industry, but the main idea you want to communicate about coffee should be specific. Your first step would be to identify a specific question. Perhaps your question is, “How does the global coffee industry benefit developing countries?” The main idea of your thesis should specifically answer the question. For example, your answer–and therefore your main idea–could be, “The global coffee industry benefits developing countries.” Your reader now knows that your paper will specifically be addressing the effect (in this case, the benefit) of the global coffee industry on developing countries.
Sub-arguments: After making clear your main idea, you must insert a few words explaining how you will support your main idea. For example, the thesis statement about coffee needs to be more specific about HOW the global coffee industry has benefitted developing countries. The author could explain that this happens through: 1) creating consistent positions of employment for local farmers, and 2) providing a reliable source of national income.
Now the thesis–with the main idea and supporting arguments–looks like this:
“The global coffee industry benefits developing countries through creating consistent positions of employment for local farmers and providing reliable source of national income.”
This statement successfully answers your question, and shows your reader what the specific topic of the paper is–the benefit of the global coffee industry on developing nations–and how it will be discussed in the remainder of the paper (through the supporting arguments of consistent employment and reliable national income). In the body paragraphs of your paper you will provide specific evidence that fits within the subarguments and support your main idea.
Watch this video for supplemental information on the components of a solid thesis statement. Pay attention for these key words: main topic, position, evidence, concise, disputable, coherent, argumentative approach, expository approach, and analytical approach.
Let's review...
Section 3 - A few different styles of thesis statements
There are several different kinds of papers a student will write for university coursework, including argumentative essays, research papers, journal articles, personal responses, and more. The style of the thesis statement will adapt to the needs of the particular assignment. In this Quickstart guide, we will discuss three of the common thesis styles that will be encountered by first-year undergraduate students in their academic assignments. These three styles are the following:
1. Analytical
2. Expository
3. Argumentative
Below is an explanation of each style, and how to write a thesis statement for that style. Remember that for each of these thesis statement styles, the main idea and sub-arguments will need to be supported with specific evidence in the rest of your writing assignment.
Analytical Thesis Statements:
An analytical papers breaks down an issue or idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience (Purdue OWL, 2023). We will continue with our coffee industry example.
Question: “How does the global coffee industry benefit developing countries?”
Example analytical thesis statement:
“An investigation of the global coffee industry shows that it benefits developing countries by creating consistent employment opportunities for local farmers and providing a steady source of national income.”
The topic is the global coffee industry, and the author plans to present their evaluation of the employment and national income benefits to developing countries.
Expository Thesis Statements:
An expository (also called explanatory) paper explains something to the audience (Purdue OWL, 2023).
Example expository thesis statement:
“The global coffee industry benefits developing countries through creating employment opportunities and providing reliable sources of gross national income.”
The topic is the effect of the global coffee industry on developing nations. Employment opportunities and the source of consistent national income are provided as discussion points that explain the topic.
Argumentative Thesis Statements:
An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided (Purdue OWL, 2023).
Example argumentative statement:
“The global coffee industry should seek to benefit developing countries through providing ethical positions of employment for local farmers and a consistent source of national income.”
The topic is the argument that the global coffee industry should seek to benefit developing countries, and the paper should provide evidence for why this should result in ethical employment opportunities for local farmers and a consistent source of national income.
Check your understanding...
Section 4 - Which kind of thesis statement does my paper need?
Always check with your instructor about their guidelines for which kind of thesis statement your writing assignment should use. Thay may request that you use a thesis statement style other than the ones discussed above. However, the discussion above should prepare you to understand the basic building blocks of writing thesis statements.
Resources
Purdue OWL. (2023). Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements. Purdue OWL. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/thesis_statement_tips.html.
The Writing Center. (n.d.) Thesis Statements. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/.
Writing a Thesis Statement. (2023). University of Arizona Global Campus. https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/writing-a-thesis.
Scribbr. (Jan 10, 2020). How to Write a STRONG Thesis Statement. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFp1uGTXo4Q.
All thesis statement examples were written by the Trinity Western University Writing Centre, 2023.