Writing Center
The LBCC
How to Craft a Thesis Statement
Introductory Remarks
Sometimes even the term “thesis statement” sounds intimidating to students. Since having a
clear, effective thesis statement is essential to a successful essay or paper, it is helpful to have
a variety of ways to understand thesis statements. Here are other words for thesis that have
been helpful to students:
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The guiding idea
The journey you will be taking your reader on
A road map
The take home message of your paper
For your readers, the thesis statement helps them feel grounded; they know the focus of your
paper and feel better prepared to take in the points you will be making or the story you will be
telling. For you as a writer, the thesis statement is a way of becoming clear about your central
purpose or focus and helps you structure your paper.
Developing a Thesis Statement is a Dynamic Process
• Start out by writing a “working thesis.” This thesis is not set in stone and may not be
perfect yet, but it is something that you can begin to craft your paper from. Many
writers do not finalize their thesis statement until the end of their paper.
• Once you have a draft of your paper, look again at your thesis statement. Make sure it
still captures the focus of your paper. If it doesn’t, sometimes you will decide you need
to restructure your thesis to better match the direction of your paper. At other times,
you will decide that your paper has gone “astray” and you need to reshape it to remain
consistent with your thesis.
• Sometimes students will feel they cannot begin a draft of their essay or paper because
they don’t have a clear thesis statement yet. However, students often need to explore
their topic or ideas before a thesis emerges. Writing about even one portion of your
topic that you feel passionately about may define the direction for your paper or essay.
• It is important to consider the required length of your essay or paper and make sure you
have narrowed the focus of your paper so you can adequately develop your ideas.
Another way to think about this process is don’t promise more in your thesis than you
can deliver in your paper.
• It is also important to consider the type of paper you are writing. Persuasive or research
papers require a clear statement of purpose that can be supported by research. If you
are writing a personal narrative, the thesis must still be clear but it may be more subtle
or informal in tone than in a research paper.
• When crafting a thesis statement, it is helpful to pose a question you want to answer in
your paper. The answer to that question should become your thesis statement. For
example: Question: Why should drivers’ use of cell phones be banned? Thesis:
Drivers’ use of cell phones should be outlawed because people who talk and drive at the
same time cause accidents.
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Helpful Guidelines:
• A thesis statement must be a complete sentence that explains what you are writing about.
Title: Summary of Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me”
Thesis: In his essay, “Superman and Me,” Sherman Alexie illustrates the power
of reading and writing for Native Americans.
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A thesis statement is narrow, rather than broad, so that it can be fully supported.
Broad: Sexual education in high school doesn’t work.
Narrow: The current sexual education programs in high schools are failing to
prepare American students because they do not address safe sex practices, proper
sexual health maintenance, or emotional ramifications for sexual activities.
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A thesis statement is specific rather than vague or general.
Vague: A vacation in the tropics is better than a vacation in the mountains.
Specific: While either can be pleasant, the warmth, water, and color of the
tropics make for a better vacation destination than the mountains.
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A thesis statement has one main point rather than several main points.
Several: I can remember growing up in a small town, how special it was to me,
and also I remember the field trip I took in fourth grade to see the Oregon Trail.
One: I can remember growing up in a small town, how special that was to me.
An Informal Exercise for Checking Your Thesis Statement:
Though there are always exceptions in writing, as a general rule the thesis statement should
appear in the first or second paragraph of your paper or essay. Ask a friend, fellow student, or
family member to read only the first paragraph or two of your paper. Then ask that person to tell
you what they expect your paper will discuss, illustrate, compare, prove etc. based on what he or
she has read. If your thesis statement is clear, people should be able to state their expectations
easily – and your paper should fulfill those expectations.
For Further Assistance:
On the Writing Center web site (www.linnbenton.edu/go/learning-center/writing-help) under the
heading Structure of an Essay, you will find links to other Writing Center explanations of thesis
statements.