Thesis Statements

This is Unit Thirteen of College Composition. Unit Twelve revised a draft from big to small. This unit looks at the biggest element of all, the one every paragraph answers to: the thesis. Carry one idea through this lecture. A thesis has a topic and an angle, and every paragraph in the paper should relate to it, so a thesis is judged by whether the body proves it. A worked example near the end chooses the best thesis for an existing draft. By the end you will be able to name a thesis's parts and test whether it is arguable and specific. To write and revise a working thesis. To place a thesis for its audience. And to match a thesis to its body and its genre.

Four entries on what a thesis is and what makes it work: a topic and an angle, an arguable position, and specific wording.

The central idea.

CMP 0301 What a Thesis Does

A thesis is the central idea of a piece of writing, the main point to which every paragraph should relate. It is usually stated in one or two declarative sentences, and in argument it is called the central claim. A paragraph that does not connect to the thesis is either off topic or a sign that the thesis needs to change.

Two parts.

CMP 0302 Topic and Claim

A thesis has two parts: a topic, what the paper is about, and an angle, the writer's own take on that topic. Choosing a topic, such as streaming services, is easy; the harder and more important part is the angle, what the writer claims about it. A sentence that names only a topic is not yet a thesis.

A position, not a fact.

CMP 0303 A Thesis Is Arguable

In argumentative writing, a thesis takes a position on a debatable issue, one on which reasonable people could disagree. "Recycling exists" is not debatable; "The city should require recycling in apartment buildings" is. If no one could disagree, there is nothing to argue, and the paper becomes a report.

Precise and specific.

CMP 0304 A Thesis Is Specific

A strong thesis is precise and specific about its subject and its claim. A thesis about invasive plants should say which environment they invade and that the writer proposes ways to stop the spread. Vague words such as good, bad and important in a thesis usually signal an angle that has not been thought through.

Two entries on the working thesis and on revising it as ideas change.

A first statement.

CMP 0305 Working Thesis

A working thesis is a first statement of the main point, written to guide drafting and expected to change. As research and drafting deepen your thinking, the thesis may shift, though it should keep both a topic and an angle. Do not treat the working thesis as final; treat it as a hypothesis the draft will test.

When the draft finds a sharper point.

CMP 0306 Revising a Thesis as Ideas Change

When the draft discovers a sharper point than the working thesis, revise the thesis to match. A paper that set out to argue that tuition is too high may find its real point is that state funding cuts drive the increases. Revising the thesis means rechecking every paragraph against it.

Seven entries on where a thesis appears, three common problems, and a way to frame a thesis with questions.

The usual position.

CMP 0307 Thesis Placement

In most American academic writing, the thesis appears near the start, often as the last sentence of the introduction. Like a lawyer who opens with "My client is innocent" and then presents evidence, the writer states the main claim and then supports it. Placing the thesis early also helps the writer, because it keeps every paragraph accountable to it.

Saving the thesis for last.

CMP 0308 Delayed Thesis

In delayed-thesis organization, the writer presents background and evidence first and states the thesis near the end. This order can gradually lead a resistant audience to accept a position they might reject if it came first. Delaying the thesis is a choice with a purpose; a draft whose thesis appears late by accident needs reorganizing.

Background first.

CMP 0309 Thesis in the Middle

A thesis can also appear in the middle of a piece when readers need complicated background before they can understand it. Wherever the thesis appears, the writer is obliged to make it unmistakable to readers. Beginning writers do well to keep the thesis near the start until they have a reason to move it.

An angle too wide.

CMP 0310 Too Broad

A thesis is too broad when its angle is so general that it could support almost anything. "Hospice workers need support" has a topic and an angle, but the angle is so wide that the paper may drift. A broad angle makes it easy to include information that wanders away from the point.

Only a fact.

CMP 0311 Too Narrow or Factual

A thesis is too narrow when it states only a fact or a statistic, leaving nothing to develop or argue. A turnover rate alone is a fact; "The high turnover rate among hospice workers shows a need for support systems" turns it into a claim. Facts belong in the support for a thesis, not in place of one.

Taking a position.

CMP 0312 A Thesis States a Stance

A strong argumentative thesis states the writer's stance, reflects the purpose of persuading, and rests on the writer's own judgment. "The state should fund community college tuition through a lottery" states a stance; "This paper will discuss tuition" does not. A sentence that announces the topic without taking a position leaves readers guessing what the paper claims.

Questions that frame a thesis.

CMP 0313 Thesis Frames

Answering questions about a topic is a reliable way to frame a working thesis. Ask the reporter's questions: what, who, who benefits, why, where, when and how. Write short answers, and notice which carry your position; the why and the how often do. Combine your position with the strongest reason into one declarative sentence. In the anchor's example, a student arrived at: to give every resident equal educational opportunity, the state should fund community college tuition through a lottery. Check that it takes a stance, and expect to revise it as drafting deepens your understanding.

Five entries on testing a thesis and matching it to the body, with a worked example. The opening idea is paid off at the worked example.

Naming what the paper covers.

CMP 0314 Thesis and Organization

A thesis often signals the structure of the paper by naming the points or aspects it will develop. A report's thesis can state the topic, the angle and the aspects to be covered, which limits the report's scope. If the body covers points the thesis never mentions, either the thesis or the body needs revising.

Questions before you build.

CMP 0315 Testing a Thesis

A draft thesis can be tested with a short list of questions. Does it have both a topic and an angle? Is the angle debatable, or a fact anyone would accept? Is it specific enough to guide the paper? Does it fit the assignment's purpose and genre? Is it worded in one or two declarative sentences, without announcing the topic? Can you imagine the evidence that would support it? A thesis can pass every test and still be wrong if the evidence points elsewhere; when the support keeps pulling away, follow the evidence and revise the thesis.

Delivering what the thesis promises.

CMP 0316 Matching Thesis and Body

Matching thesis and body means checking that the paper delivers what the thesis promises, and nothing else. Write the thesis at the top of a page and list each body paragraph's point. A point the thesis does not cover is a tangent, or a sign the thesis is too narrow. A part of the thesis no paragraph develops is a broken promise. Decide whether to change the body or the thesis, and check the order. When a revision item asks whether a sentence should stay, the deciding question is usually whether it serves the thesis.

Four candidates, one draft.

CMP 0317 Choosing the Best Thesis for a Draft

A worked example, constructed for this course, pays off the opening idea. An essay's three paragraphs show that working students study fewer hours, that tutoring closes before their shifts end, and that evening tutoring, when briefly offered, improved their grades. One candidate thesis states a fact; one is so broad it fits any paper; one announces the topic without a stance. The fourth, that the college should offer evening tutoring because working students cannot reach it now, takes a debatable stance and matches all three paragraphs. The tempting wrong answer is often the safest-sounding one. Summarize the paragraphs yourself, then choose the candidate closest to your summary.

Thesis by genre.

CMP 0318 Thesis for Different Genres

Every genre has a central idea, but what the thesis does differs by genre. An argument's thesis takes a stance; a report's states the main finding and its scope; a profile's gives the writer's angle; a rhetorical analysis's says how a text persuades. Using an argumentative thesis for a report, or a report's thesis for an argument, misreads the assignment.

Look at what you can now do. You can name a thesis's topic and angle, and test whether it is arguable and specific. You can write a working thesis, frame one with the reporter's questions, and revise it when the draft finds a sharper point. You can place a thesis early, late or in the middle for a reason, and fix one that is too broad, too factual or only an announcement. And you can test a thesis, match it to the body, and choose the thesis a draft and its genre call for. Unit Fourteen moves down a level, to paragraphs and their topic sentences.