Thesis Statement Writing: Dos and Don’ts
Are you ready to write a thesis statement but worried if anything goes wrong? Of course, you want a persuasive thesis statement that catches readers’ attention and adds to your chances of approval.
In this blog, we’re going to guide you through writing an effective thesis statement, dos and don’ts, and who can write it.
Continue reading to find answers:
What is Thesis Statement?
A thesis statement is a crucial part of any academic essay or research paper. It gives clear writing direction, and to readers, a thesis statement provides a concise summary of your work allowing them a preview of what’s to come.
Formally, a thesis statement refers to a statement that summarizes the main objective or idea of your research paper or academic essay. The statement is written for a specific audience. The best placement for a thesis statement is the end of the introduction.
Given its importance, it’s important to craft a well-written thesis statement that is informative, compelling, and legible. So, let’s learn how to achieve it:
How do I write my thesis statement?
If you’re confident, you can write the thesis statement by yourself. Alternatively, students can consider hiring a reputable thesis statement writing service to make sure their statement is written in proper academic language. These professional services often have years of experience writing thesis and academic essays. So, they are knowledgeable and well-versed at all key aspects of a successful thesis statement.
Thesis Statement Writing: Dos
There are some important rules you need to follow. So, read the dos of thesis statement writing:
Do focus on the main objective of the paper
Keep your thesis statement focused and narrow, clearly highlighting the main objective or argument of your paper. This will help reviewers understand what the paper is about while helping writers keep the paper to a manageable topic.
So, don’t make your thesis too broad or vague. If you keep it too broad, it can become challenging to cover the entire topic in your paper. Remember: Also, don’t keep it too narrow; otherwise, you may not be able to write an informative and comprehensive paper long enough to be qualified as a research paper.
Do write in an academic style
Academic language is precise, factual, and impersonal. It distances you from the research, thus making your thesis statement as objective as possible. Academic writing styles involve using full sentences and specialized terminology without irrelevant or unnecessary synonyms. It is straightforward and conveys the meaning of the text clearly without requiring open directors or providing further information.
Particularly, academic language is:
- Formal
- Objective
- Impersonal
However, thesis writers are not provided with proper academic writing instructions. So, they should take time to understand how to write a good academic text.
Do formulate an arguable thesis statement
An arguable or debatable thesis statement makes a claim about which reasonable people can disagree. Statements of facts cannot be argumentative because only a few people disagree about them. Also, make it assertive so that it asserts the writer’s stance. Finally, keep your claims logical and supported by evidence.
Check out this arguable thesis checklist:
- Is the opposing arguments?
- Does it include words like “should,” “must,” or “need”?
Do place your thesis statement at the beginning of your paper
Your thesis statement should be one of the first things readers find. So, make sure you place it early in the paper, typically after the introduction.
Do proofread, spell-check, and revise as needed
Finally, your paper needs a professional revision, which is not only about linguistic correctness but also about logic, cohesion, coherence, formatting, and consistency.
Don’t rely on spell-check software; it may find typos but may not be able to address the challenges of academic texts. For instance, these software programs may not understand the specialized vocabulary of your discipline. So, make sure you read the statement manually and thoroughly. Be proactive at making changes to your thesis as required to reflect the focus of your paper.
Thesis Statement Writing: Don’ts
What should you avoid when writing a thesis statement? Here are don’ts of a thesis statement writing:
Don’t have sentence fragments
Sentence fragments are incomplete thoughts. Although they look like sentences, sentence fragments are grammatically incorrect. In academic papers, they degrade the quality of your writing and, thus, the trust in your research.
In order to fix fragmented sentences, you’ve to identify them by reading each sentence carefully. Read out each individual sentence aloud, as if you’re reading to a person – to identify fragmented sentences. Will the person clearly understand the meaning of what you’re saying/ Can you identify predicate, verbs, and subject in every sentence? Once identified, fix them right away to avoid missing any corrections.
Don’t write your thesis without research
Research helps expand the knowledge of the topic among the writer. It makes students well-versed in the topic of the thesis and open ways to think and criticize existing data about the topic. So, research equips students in effective and meaningful thesis statement writing.
In addition, research helps students to understand the actions performed regarding the topic. They can clearly understand the methodological approach used for exploring the topic and gathering existing data for the study. With all this, research is the foundation of your thesis and paper.
Don’t be general or make it overly complicated
As mentioned above, keep your thesis statement specific to the main objective of your paper. Using vague or general language may not convey your main argument properly. Also, avoid making your paper overly complicated, which forces readers to search for additional information to understand. Use proper academic language and vocabulary relevant to your discipline.
Don’t use first-person language
Using first-person language may distract readers from the main arguments present in the thesis statement writing. For example, avoid words like “I,” “we,” “our,” etc. Instead, changing the first person to the third person creates a more objective tone.
But like other rules, there are some exceptions. For example, when describing your own role in research, the author’s opinions are required, or when writing contains personal or reflective elements.
Don’t use insulting words
Avoid offensive language or words that insult someone or something. Whether implicit or explicit, using insulting words never works and sounds very unprofessional.
Don’t write your thesis as a question
It’s because a thesis statement isn’t a question. It’s all about providing clarity to readers about the main argument of your research paper or essay.
Don’t be neutral
Instead, take a stand to show that you’re passionate about what you’re doing. It will show you deep interest and hard work in the topic of your research.
Don’t add unnecessary details
Keep your thesis focused while avoiding irrelevant and unnecessary details. Otherwise, it will distract readers or reviewers from the main point or objective of your research work.
Who can help me write my thesis statement?
There are many reputable academic essay or PhD thesis writing services available. Simply look for “best thesis writing service near me” and choose a service that is well-known, has a proven track record of delivering high-quality work, and experience writing a thesis with a higher chance of approval.
Writing a thesis statement is a crucial step in the process of writing a successful research paper. So, by following the dos and don’ts of thesis statement writing, you can create a specific, concise, and arguable statement. Check your statement for these, even if you’re hiring professional essay or PhD thesis writing services.