how to come up with an essay thesis

While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence)

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.

Arguable thesis with analytical claim

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.

Arguable thesis with normative claim

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.

Questions to ask about your thesis

Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?
Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?
Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?
Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?
Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
picture_as_pdf Thesis

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How to write a thesis statement, what is a thesis statement.

Almost all of us—even if we don’t do it consciously—look early in an essay for a one- or two-sentence condensation of the argument or analysis that is to follow. We refer to that condensation as a thesis statement.

Why Should Your Essay Contain a Thesis Statement?

to test your ideas by distilling them into a sentence or two
to better organize and develop your argument
to provide your reader with a “guide” to your argument

In general, your thesis statement will accomplish these goals if you think of the thesis as the answer to the question your paper explores.

How Can You Write a Good Thesis Statement?

Here are some helpful hints to get you started. You can either scroll down or select a link to a specific topic.

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Assigned How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is not Assigned How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Assigned

Almost all assignments, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single question. Your first step, then, is to distill the assignment into a specific question. For example, if your assignment is, “Write a report to the local school board explaining the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class,” turn the request into a question like, “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?” After you’ve chosen the question your essay will answer, compose one or two complete sentences answering that question.

Q: “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?” A: “The potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class are . . .”

A: “Using computers in a fourth-grade class promises to improve . . .”

The answer to the question is the thesis statement for the essay.

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How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is not Assigned

Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis statement still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to explore. In this situation, your job is to figure out what question you’d like to write about.

A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes:

take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree
deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment
express one main idea
assert your conclusions about a subject

Let’s see how to generate a thesis statement for a social policy paper.

Brainstorm the topic . Let’s say that your class focuses upon the problems posed by changes in the dietary habits of Americans. You find that you are interested in the amount of sugar Americans consume.

You start out with a thesis statement like this:

Sugar consumption.

This fragment isn’t a thesis statement. Instead, it simply indicates a general subject. Furthermore, your reader doesn’t know what you want to say about sugar consumption.

Narrow the topic . Your readings about the topic, however, have led you to the conclusion that elementary school children are consuming far more sugar than is healthy.

You change your thesis to look like this:

Reducing sugar consumption by elementary school children.

This fragment not only announces your subject, but it focuses on one segment of the population: elementary school children. Furthermore, it raises a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree, because while most people might agree that children consume more sugar than they used to, not everyone would agree on what should be done or who should do it. You should note that this fragment is not a thesis statement because your reader doesn’t know your conclusions on the topic.

Take a position on the topic. After reflecting on the topic a little while longer, you decide that what you really want to say about this topic is that something should be done to reduce the amount of sugar these children consume.

You revise your thesis statement to look like this:

More attention should be paid to the food and beverage choices available to elementary school children.

This statement asserts your position, but the terms more attention and food and beverage choices are vague.

Use specific language . You decide to explain what you mean about food and beverage choices , so you write:

Experts estimate that half of elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar.

This statement is specific, but it isn’t a thesis. It merely reports a statistic instead of making an assertion.

Make an assertion based on clearly stated support. You finally revise your thesis statement one more time to look like this:

Because half of all American elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar, schools should be required to replace the beverages in soda machines with healthy alternatives.

Notice how the thesis answers the question, “What should be done to reduce sugar consumption by children, and who should do it?” When you started thinking about the paper, you may not have had a specific question in mind, but as you became more involved in the topic, your ideas became more specific. Your thesis changed to reflect your new insights.

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

1. a strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand..

Remember that your thesis needs to show your conclusions about a subject. For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate. Here are two thesis statements:

There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.

This is a weak thesis statement. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase negative and positive aspects is vague.

Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.

This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand, and because it's specific.

2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.

Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion. If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements:

My family is an extended family.

This is a weak thesis because it merely states an observation. Your reader won’t be able to tell the point of the statement, and will probably stop reading.

While most American families would view consanguineal marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.

This is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. A good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see how you support your point.

3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.

Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. If your thesis statement expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. For example:

Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.

This is a weak thesis statement because the reader can’t decide whether the paper is about marketing on the Internet or Web pages. To revise the thesis, the relationship between the two ideas needs to become more clear. One way to revise the thesis would be to write:

Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.

This is a strong thesis because it shows that the two ideas are related. Hint: a great many clear and engaging thesis statements contain words like because , since , so , although , unless , and however .

4. A strong thesis statement is specific.

A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic. For example, if you're writing a seven-to-ten page paper on hunger, you might say:

World hunger has many causes and effects.

This is a weak thesis statement for two major reasons. First, world hunger can’t be discussed thoroughly in seven to ten pages. Second, many causes and effects is vague. You should be able to identify specific causes and effects. A revised thesis might look like this:

Hunger persists in Glandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.

This is a strong thesis statement because it narrows the subject to a more specific and manageable topic, and it also identifies the specific causes for the existence of hunger.

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How to Come up With a Thesis

Last Updated: January 29, 2023

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. This article has been viewed 126,878 times.

All students, whether in high school or college, need to write standard expository (explanatory) or persuasive essays. Each essay must include a thesis statement. A thesis statement is your main point and is presented as an argument. Writing a thesis statement involves answering the main question and doing a bit of research to make sure your thesis can be backed up.

Understanding Your Topic

Step 1 Determine the assignment or task the teacher has given.

Think about your assignment topic. What are you expected to write about? Then take this topic and make it a question you can answer. [1] X Research source
For example, if you are assigned a paper or report on explaining the safety benefits of buckling your seatbelt in the car, make it into a question you can answer.
Your topic becomes “What are the safety benefits of buckling your seatbelt?”
The answer to this question is the beginning of your thesis statement.

Step 2 Focus on the topic to be developed.

Knowing what kind of paper you’re writing will further help you construct a quality thesis. Though you may be writing a paper about World War II or The Great Gatsby, your statement should contain similar attributes.
A good thesis statement answers the question asked of you. It’s your interpretation of the subject. It should aim to make a claim that others can dispute.
Your thesis should also express one main idea that can be developed enough to cover all parts of the assignment.

Step 3 Consider what you want to say about the topic.

Whether you’re given a broad assignment like a paper on The Great Gatsby, or a more specific topic like the benefits of wearing seatbelts, you need to take a side and explain it clearly.
Break down your topic into an argument that you can adequately speak about. For example, if your topic is about the benefits of seatbelts, you have many points of view to explore. You can take a broader route and decide to talk about the decrease in fatal accidents since seatbelts became required. Or, you can get more specific and discuss the laws about wearing your seatbelt in the back seat. Your argument right now is that seatbelts save lives.
Consider a variety of viewpoints before settling on your thesis. Your argument may be that seatbelts don’t provide any new benefits. This side may be harder to argue in such a broad area, however. Because there may be a lot of information against you, you may consider getting more specific. You may consider arguing that seatbelt technology hasn’t improved safety in X amount of time. You may find that there is more information on the advancement of other vehicle safety measures which has progressed much farther than seatbelts.
If your topic is even broader, like a report on The Great Gatsby, you have to find an angle that you can argue about or what intrigues you about the book. Perhaps after reading the book, you became interested in how American consumerism and monetary pride led to the Great Depression.
Tailor how specific your topic is based on the required length of your paper. If you have a longer paper, you may want to explore a topic broadly, but for a shorter paper, you may need to be very specific.

Step 4 Come up with your own question to answer for this topic.

You might have the question: “What are the real world ramifications of the themes presented in The Great Gatsby?”
Therefore, you begin with this conclusion written as a sentence: “The monetary pride and dichotomy of old and new money depicted in The Great Gatsby led to the Great Depression”. This isn’t your thesis statement yet. This isn’t a well enough formed argument, but it allows you to have a starting opinion and main idea.
Remember that you want to take a stance that reasonable people could argue. This doesn’t mean that you have to take an unpopular opinion, but you should be able to create a conversation with your thesis.

Step 5 Think of how to express your point in a single, complete sentence.

You have already begun to do this by finding your point of view. However, your argument isn’t fully formed yet.
After you come up with your idea, do a little research to see if you have enough credible information to back it up.
Perhaps you look up seatbelt statistics and find that there isn’t enough information to argue that seatbelt technology hasn’t improved enough. Or, that there isn’t enough information to provide a counterargument. While researching, you read about front seat seatbelts and rear seat seatbelts. You then decide your argument is that backseat passengers should be required to wear seatbelts. Seatbelts are not always required to be worn in the back seat depending on the region. You find this topic has enough information to explore.
Now write down a few different sentence options that argue your point of view. Try to make a slightly different point in each sentence. One sentence may be: “Backseat passengers should be required to wear seatbelts at all times.” Another could be: “Not wearing your seatbelt in the backseat increases the risk of serious injury by X percent.”
If you are writing about a broader topic, like your book report on the Great Gatsby, you may find through research that your current argument is too hypothetical. You may not find enough factual correlation to support your topic in the context of your paper’s requirements. Further research is required to support or change your argument.

Gathering Information and Brainstorming

Step 1 Compile a few sources to back up your argument.

If you decide to argue that seatbelts should be worn in the back seat, find sources that give you crash and safety statistics. Look for articles and facts that argue both sides of the argument.
If you’re writing about the themes of consumerism and pride depicted in The Great Gatsby serving as a roadmap to the Great Depression, research causes of the Great Depression. Do further research to see if other people have a similar argument to yours. See how other similar topics and articles go about relating the actual story in The Great Gatsby to the Great Depression.

With enough information to back up your thesis, it’s time to go back to what you have written already and see what you may need to change about it. Perhaps your research gave you a new angle to include.
While you previously had “Backseat passengers should be required to wear seatbelts at all times,” you realize that this doesn’t fulfill all of the requirements of your thesis. Though you have a solid argument, you haven’t fully answered your question.
The question: “What are the benefits of buckling your seatbelt?” still needs to be addressed. Look through your research to find some specific stats to back up your statement.

Step 3 Make sure your sentence beats the “So what?”

While “Backseat passengers should be required to wear seatbelts at all times,” expresses your opinion, it doesn’t provide an argument yet that someone can really contest.
Get specific with the “why’s” or “what’s”. “Due to X percent of unbelted backseat passengers being ejected and fatally wounded in car accidents, backseat passengers should be required to buckle up at all times.” is a more structured thesis that provides a “why”.
The same applies to your potential book report. “The monetary pride and dichotomy of old and new money depicted in The Great Gatsby led to the Great Depression.” doesn’t exactly offer a specific interpretation of the literary work. Consider, “The fear of muddled class systems and the pursuit of the American Dream depicted in The Great Gatsby led to an age of consumerism and excess, which triggered The Great Depression.” This sentence more clearly defines your stance. It also passes the “So what?” test because you have outlined a controversial point of view which presents an interpretation of the literature.

Step 4 Read over your sentence one more time and see if it answers your question.

Getting more specific in your thesis is good, but it can sometimes cause you to wander as you try to incorporate everything you want to say. Remember, your thesis is a one-sentence introduction that gives an outline for the body of your paper.
You don’t have to include every little detail you will touch on in your thesis. It should provide a well-structured overview.
If your original question is “What are the safety benefits of buckling your seatbelt?” read over your current thesis and see if it still answers that question. “Due to X percent of unbelted backseat passengers being ejected and fatally wounded in car accidents, backseat passengers should be required to buckle up at all times.” Your current thesis doesn’t exactly answer this question, so it’s time to revise it again.
“What are the real world ramifications of the themes presented in The Great Gatsby?” is answered in our current statement: “The fear of muddled class systems and the pursuit of the American Dream depicted in The Great Gatsby led to an age of consumerism and excess, which triggered The Great Depression.” However, we can still revise and tighten our statement.

Finalizing Your Thesis Statement

Step 1 Make sure your thesis has an arguable point, that is not too general a fact or solely a personal opinion.

Your thesis is a statement that others may hold a different opinion about. And which you will develop in your essay to show why you have this point of view.
Check to make sure your thesis contains an argument that hits on the focus of your question.
Revising your seatbelt thesis to: “Increasing seatbelt laws to include mandatory buckling in back seats will provide further safety benefits by reducing the percentage of fatalities in vehicle accidents.” better answers your original question.

Step 2 Strike a balance between being too vague and too specific in your thesis.

While “The fear of muddled class systems and the pursuit of the American Dream depicted in The Great Gatsby led to an age of consumerism and excess, which triggered The Great Depression.” answers your question, it’s slightly broad.
“The themes of wealth disparity in American royalty, and pursuit of the American Dream presented in The Great Gatsby depict a parallel to real-world consumerism and excess which led to the Great Depression.” narrows down that you will talk about specific themes in the book and compare these fictional themes to the real world.
This is also an example of a thesis statement which can be broken up into two sentences.

Step 3 Make sure your thesis covers the assignment.

If your assignment was to discuss the benefits of seatbelts, read your thesis again and ask yourself if it can cover the criteria.
“Increasing seatbelt laws to include mandatory buckling in back seats will provide further safety benefits by reducing the percentage of fatalities in vehicle accidents.” In this thesis, you have taken a position that can be argued.
You have made it specific by narrowing your topic a particular aspect of seatbelt safety. And you have given an answer to how your argument will discuss the benefits of seatbelts.

Step 4 Make sure you can accurately explain your ideas well enough in your essay to support your thesis.

Before beginning your paper, make sure you have fulfilled all the criteria. Do you answer a question? Are you taking a position others can challenge or oppose? Is your thesis specific enough? Does it pass the “So what?” and “how and why?” test.
If your thesis doesn’t fulfill these requirements, take a break and then go back and revise. Sometimes, after taking a step back, you can come back with a better angle.
As you write your essay, follow your thesis and outline, but don’t feel that you have to compromise your paper to fit your thesis. If you find yourself needing to revise your thesis throughout your essay, do so.

Expert Q&A

Your thesis may appear as the first sentence of a short essay (2-3 paragraphs), but usually it is the last sentence of your introduction. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Be sure to follow up your opinion throughout the essay, without going off into another topic. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Look for good sample thesis statements in your textbook, handbook, or writing lab. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Be sure you don't simply copy something you find on the internet. Plagiarism is illegal and can get you removed from the class and school. Teachers can easily go on websites and check for plagiarism. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0