Thesis statement -Meaning, importance, and tips for writing a thesis statement
What is a Thesis Statement?
A thesis statement is basically a concise summary or a brief description of the main points in an essay, research paper, or any other form of academic piece.
In other words, a thesis statement is a portion of an essay, usually situated in the introductory part of the academic piece which tells the reader(s) the points or topics that will be extensively discussed during the course of the written piece.
Why is a Thesis Statement important?
A thesis statement is an important piece in any academic piece, this is so for the following reasons;
- It tells the reader(s) what to expect while reading the piece, in most cases, a lecturer or teacher who is knowledgeable in that particular area can simply read a thesis statement and tell whether or not the academic piece will contain the candid points relating to the subject matter.
- The thesis statement provides proof that the writer has a clear idea of what he/she should write in the academic piece. In other words, by writing a proper thesis statement, the writer automatically narrows down his/her further research to the development of the points stipulated in that area. This will save the writer from spending a lot of time conducting research which may not be used in the academic piece.
Important tips to note when writing a thesis statement
The thesis statement takes up only about two to three sentences in the entire academic piece, thus, it has no candid structure. Regardless of the small amount of space it may take up in the academic piece, it is the core foundation of the written piece. Hence, before and while constructing a thesis statement, it is vital to take note of the following tips:
Draft an Outline first:
Simply put, an outline in academic writing can be regarded as the compilation or description of all the points which will be used in the body of an academic piece. Drafting an outline for an academic piece does not require much attention, in fact, it can be as rough as possible.
An outline is important because it can serve as a guide for the writer during both the research and writing of the academic piece. Once a writer is able to come up with a complete outline for the academic piece, the next thing the writer needs to do is basically summarize the outline in the most formal and concise language possible, that is what becomes the thesis statement of the academic piece.
For instance, if the essay topic is ‘Domestic Violence and its impact on the Nigerian home’, the writer can draft an outline which may contain the following subheadings;
- Definition of Domestic Violence.
- The rate of domestic violence in Nigeria among women and children.
- The psychological and physical impacts of domestic violence on its victims.
- Notable ways to prevent and put a stop to domestic violence.
- Conclusion.
Hence, deducing from this outline, the thesis statement of the essay can be:
‘The core aim of this essay is to provide an in-depth analysis on the impacts of domestic violence on the well being of both Women and Children in Nigeria. During the course of this essay, different definitions of domestic violence as provided by different scholars will be aptly provided. In addition to that, the notable ways in which domestic violence can be prevented and stopped will also be provided’.
Be as brief as possible:
As fore-mentioned in this article, a thesis statement is usually the last part of the introduction in any academic piece. Basically, the aim of an introduction is to tell the reader(s) what to expect in the body of the academic piece. Hence, while writing the introduction of an academic piece, writers ought to take note of;
- The estimated word count of the academic piece and,
- The amount of information or points that the academic piece may contain.
Since the thesis statement is a parcel of the introduction, it is also important for the writer to take note of these factors when constructing it. Thus, it is important to note that the thesis statement does not require any form of description, decryption of points or definition of terms from the writer. All the writer needs to do is consider the points or theories which will be used in the academic piece, summarize them and present them to the reader(s) in formal and plain English.
The Thesis Statement ought to be tailored to the paper type:
This simply implies that the thesis statement in an academic piece ought to be written according to the paper type. For instance, if the essay is argumentative, the thesis statement ought to rhyme with the type of the essay. In this regard, a paper could either be Analytical, Expository or Argumentative.
- An analytical paper basically focuses on the provision of intricate information regarding the subject matter of the research. In order for this to take place, the writer has to break down the theories or issues relating to the subject matter of the research, break it down and provide solutions to the problem or a conclusion. Hence, when writing a thesis statement for an Analytical paper, the writer ought to provide a summary of the theories and the plausible results or analysis which may emerge as a result of these theories.
- An expository paper basically focuses on the in-depth explanation of the subject matter in the research. Hence, when writing the thesis statement for an expository paper, the writer ought to provide the key points or the core attributes which can be used to intricately describe the subject matter.
- In an argumentative paper, it is the duty of the writer to provide key arguments which will either agree or disagree with the subject matter or topic of the research. Hence, when writing the thesis statement for an argumentative paper, the writer ought to simply provide a summary of those key arguments which will be examined in the body of the paper.
While constructing a thesis statement, it is important to note that the points which will be used in the paper ought to rhyme completely with the thesis statement.
