A Proper Thesis

Use the Checklist Before Drafting the Outline or Essay

Summary:

This resource outlines the generally accepted structure for thesis statements in an academic argument paper. Your structure needs to be flexible enough to meet the requirements of your purpose and audience [while focusing on exactly what your instructor has asked for with your assignment.  If any of the content below goes against specific attributes your instructor expects in your writing, please adhere to your instructor’s notations instead of the content below.]

                       

---

                                                        

Thesis Checklist

Your thesis is more than a general statement about your main idea. It needs to establish a clear position you will support with balanced proofs (logos, pathos, and ethos). Use the checklist below to help you create a thesis [that you can be proud of as well as assured that an audience will understand].

This section is adapted from Writing with a Thesis: A Rhetoric Reader by David Skwire and Sarah Skwire.

Make sure you avoid the following when creating your thesis:

A thesis is NOT a title: Homes and schools (title) vs. Parents ought to participate more in the education of their children (good thesis).

A thesis is NOT an announcement of the subject: My subject is the incompetence of the Supreme Court vs. The Supreme Court made a mistake when it ruled in favor of George W. Bush in the 2000 election.

A thesis is NOT a statement of absolute fact: Jane Austen is the author of Pride and Prejudice.

A thesis is NOT the whole essay [or even a paragraph]: A thesis is your main idea, claim, refutation, or problem-solution expressed in a single sentence.

[A thesis is NOT a question: A Thesis is a statement.  This is why it is officially termed the Thesis Statement.  A statement is definitive and absolute.  It is not interrogative and suggestive.  Make sure that your thesis asserts exactly what you plan to prove in your body-paragraphs.]

Please note that according to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition, "A thesis statement is a single sentence that formulates both your topic and your point of view" (Gibaldi 42). 

---

Make sure you follow these guidelines when creating your thesis:

A good thesis is unified.

NOT: Detective stories are not a high form of literature, but people have always been fascinated by them, and many fine writers have experimented with them

---

A good thesis is concise, NOT floppy.

BETTER: Detective stories appeal to the basic human desire for thrills (concise).

---

A good thesis is specific.

NOT: James Joyce’s Ulysses is very good. vs. …

BETTER: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious.

---

Try to be as specific as possible (without providing too much detail—meaning: be concise and do not use source materials) when creating your thesis.

NOT: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious. vs.

BETTER: James Joyce’s Ulysses helped create a new way for writers to deal with the unconscious by utilizing the findings of Freudian psychology and introducing the techniques of literary stream-of-consciousness.

---

Quick Checklist:

_____ The thesis/claim follows the guidelines outlined above

_____ The thesis/claim matches the requirements [writing style] and goals [topic argument] of the assignment

_____ The thesis/claim is clear and easily recognizable [use clear, concise language]

_____ The thesis/claim seems supportable by good reasoning/data, emotional appeal [be sure to locate ways to persuade the audience through the use of ethos, pathos, and logos PRIOR to drafting your thesis/claim].

This section is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice. Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved.

Content available at the Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/argument_papers/index.html

This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site [and its content] constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

---

© 2018 Jeanette L. H. Dick

For Educational Purposes Only

All Rights Reserved

A Proper Thesis