The thesis statement is the DNA of every academic essay essay. No essay can be born without it. No matter how many good observations you have, if you don’t have thesis statement––in other words, an argument based on evidence––you don’t have an academic essay.
Tips regarding your thesis statement
- Read carefully. Use a pencil when you’re reading, and mark down passages that you find particularly grab your attention
- Next, come up with a topic that is sufficiently narrow to argue effectively in 3-5 pages, yet intriguing enough to sustain a competent reader’s interest.
- Within this topic, think of a specific question you’d like to answer. Go back to the original source material––the text, the lab report, the data table––and see what kinds of answers it provides.
- The text should generate your paper. Do not force the text to “fit into” an argument. That is, look at your evidence and ask yourself what it wants to say. Don’t force your observations and new information into a pre-existing argument. Let it sing a little.
- A thesis is a provocative, challenging, and interesting argument. It should be contentious; if everyone agrees with it, it’s not a thesis. It should not be self-evident.
- A pattern might inspire an argument, yet a pattern is not a thesis. A real thesis should answer the “So what?” question. It should explain why patterns/observations/contradictions etc. are important or relevant.
- A thesis should be one to three sentences.
Remember point #1: Read with a pencil
Then, you will always have something to look back at. Underline, make notes, mark anything that feels weird, interesting, happy, sad – mark anything you notice. Don’t obsess about what you’re underlining. Over time, believe it or not, you will develop a style for annotating your material; for now, go with what feels right.
Above all, do not reach for what you should be observing or what your thesis should be. Instead, allow yourself to be the source of an insight. Teachers can always tell––and often revel in––this attempt, even if it has a handful a grammatical errors and clunky moments. If you are trying to be creative, a good teacher will see your effort and reward it.
Good luck – and enjoy!
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