Tips for Writing a Thesis Statement

thesis statement

Did you know you can earn extra points for writing a thesis statement? Check out the rubric for your assignment and see how lecturers award your efforts. A thesis statement is a critical area that sells your paper. Your tutor will gauge your report by looking at your thesis statement. Here are some tips to help you write an interesting one.

What is a thesis statement?

Before we jump into writing a thesis statement, it’s essential to know what you are dealing with. A thesis statement is the last sentence of the first paragraph that gives the summary of your paper. If your question is, how long is a thesis statement in an essay? You now have the answer.

 A thesis statement informs your reader what to expect in your essay.  It’s the only writing where you have to summarize a twenty pages assignment in one sentence. It is, however, challenging for many people to put their ideas in one line.

The critical importance of a thesis statement is that it guides your essay. It prevents you from going off-topic in your assignment. It acts as a road sign warning you against wrong turns.

Let’s look at how to write a thesis statement

Write your thesis statement last

It sounds illogical when someone asks you to write your thesis statement last. It may surprise you that this idea has worked for ages.  Experts and professional writers use this tactic to help them write their essays fast. Here is the idea.

Your thesis statement determines your content.  It tells you what to write and what not to write.  In a sense, this limits your thinking because you can only write as far as your thesis statement can allow you.

Writing your thesis statement last gives you freedom. You are free to write what you want and then make a sense out of it at the conclusion. 

Formulate your question

The first step in writing a thesis statement is to have a question for your essay. If your lecturer has provided one, then your work will be easier. If not, you need to research one before writing your thesis statement.

Your topic determines what you will write in your thesis statement.  A thesis statement is like a summary, and it’s a challenge to summarize what you don’t know.

Format your thesis statement depending on your area of study

Your thesis statement’s format depends on your area of study. An argumentative essay writing is different from an analytical or a reflection paper. Essays differ in terms of your tone and how you phrase them.  For instance, you need to show authority when writing an analytical essay.

Edit your thesis statement

The worst mistake you can make in your essay is writing a grammatically incorrect thesis statement or having any other error. The first thing your reader sees is your thesis statement. It shows whether your paper is a time-waster.

Having errors in your thesis statement or introduction warns your audience to expect more in your essay. What will make your audience think that you will improve in conclusion and body sentences if you cannot edit the most visible section of your paper?

Use editing tools to clean your essay. Grammarly is one of the best applications you can use for your paper. It shows and corrects grammatical errors in your writing. For instance, it will detect annoying typos, wordy sentences, fluff, and misspellings. 

Proofread your essay after editing. Sometimes editing tools are imperfect. They will replace your paper with unintelligent words, especially in the case of repetition.  Go through your work to ensure you have fitting words in your essay.

Write a plagiarism-free thesis statement

 It’s easy to see an excellent thesis statement on the internet and try to use it in your essay. While this can make you look intelligent, it might be the beginning of your downfall. Academic integrity rules are strict on plagiarism. You can get a suspension or lose your scholarship because of one sentence in your essay.

Use Turnitin to remove plagiarism. This is a paid application that detects and highlights copy-pasted work. It will help you know the highly plagiarized areas and the percentage.  Using this tool will reduce your work to paraphrasing and proofreading. 

Summarize your argument

 Your thesis statement should summarize your main arguments. Let your readers know what to expect in your essay by reading your thesis statement.  For instance, will you support or oppose a particular idea? Which specific area of a broad topic will you discuss?

What next?

We have discussed tips on how to write a thesis statement. The critical thing to remember is to edit your work, be original and use the right tone. Use these tips to help you write your end-of-semester project. Alternatively, you can hire professional writers to help you write your thesis statement.