Thesis Statement
The Thesis Statement
 The thesis is the controlling idea of your research
paper.
 The thesis is in the form of a statement, not a question.
 The thesis expresses your true opinion and not an
exaggerated version of it.
 The thesis covers exactly the topic you want to talk
about, no more and no less. "Drugs should not be
legalized" is too large a thesis if all you want to talk
about is marijuana. "Boxing should be outlawed" is too
small thesis if you also want to discuss wrestling and
football. Bite off as much as you can chew thoroughly-then chew it!
Choose the Best Research Thesis
 Thesis A: There
are many causes of
anorexia nervosa.
 Thesis B: Anorexia nervosa has both
emotional and social causes which work
hand-in-hand.
 Thesis C: Anorexia nervosa occurs
most often in young women aged 13 22.
Thesis "b" is the best working
thesis. It identifies specific
causes of anorexia nervosa and
indicates the grouping and
order in which the causes will be
discussed in the research paper.
Choose the Best Research Thesis
 Thesis A: Business practices in former Soviet Union
countries.
 Thesis B: Business practices in the countries of the
former Soviet Union have changed significantly since
the break-up.
 Thesis C: Since the break-up of the former Soviet
Union, business practices in those countries have
changed most in the fields of marketing and
customer service, reflecting the changes in
government and political philosophy.
 Thesis "c" is the best thesis. Thesis
"c" provides more focus than thesis
"b" by identifying the particular
areas of business practice to be
researched.
Choose the Best Research Thesis
 Thesis A: Shakespeare intended the
audience to question the existence of
Hamlet's father's ghost.
 Thesis B: The appearance of Hamlet's
father's ghost raises an important
psychological as well as dramatic dilemma
in the play.
 Thesis C: Critics through the ages have
debated the significance of Hamlet's father's
ghost.
 Thesis "b" is the best thesis.
Thesis "b" focuses its thought on two
types of dilemma raised by the
appearance of Hamlet's father's ghost.
You could use evidence from the play as
well as evidence from critics'
interpretations of the play in order to
support this stance.
Choose the Best Research Thesis
 Thesis A: The whole language approach has been
effective in raising the reading skills of elementary
school children and in helping the children
understand the relevance of reading to all fields of
study in school.
 Thesis B: The whole language approach has
considerably helped elementary school children to
read.
 Thesis C: More public schools should implement
the whole language approach since it has
considerably helped elementary school children
to read.
 Thesis sentences "a," "b," and "c" are all potentially usable
as working thesis for a research paper. Thesis "b" is an
example of a working thesis for an analytical research
paper while thesis "c" is an example of a working thesis for
an argumentative research paper. Both "b" and "c" are
researchable and, once you started to research, you'd
probably find ways of defining the phrase "substantially
helped." Yet the best thesis is thesis "a," since it already
does specify the ways in which the whole language
approach has helped elementary school children to read.
Thesis "a" functions better as a working thesis, since it
focuses the search in what might be a very broad field of
benefits.
Choose the Best Research Thesis
 Thesis A: U.S. government policies on health care
have changed during the past 20 years; this change
in policy has made hospitals currently function as
oligopolies.
 Thesis B: U.S. government policies on health care
differ greatly from those of Asian nations due to
the different social and economic structures
underlying the government.
 Thesis C: U.S. government policies on health care
should be changed to reflect citizens' current
concerns
 Thesis "a" is the best thesis since it is the
most focused and specific. Thesis "a" focuses
the argument on the hospital as an oligopoly
(a certain type of economic structure). It
also implies that the writer will explain how
changed policy has influenced hospital
economics
Research Topics
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Race and Society .
Gender and Sexuality
Multiculturalism and Diversity .
Advertising and Marketing
Economic Issues .
Environmental Issues
Media Issues
Consumerism and Convenience Culture
TV and Film
Sports and Entertainment
Criminal Justice
Education