How to State a Thesis

Once you have a notion of a topic and main point, use these pointers to state or improve a thesis to guide your planning and drafting.

TOO GENERAL There are a lot of troubles with chemical wastes.
Are you going to deal with all chemical wastes, throughout all of history, all over the world? Will you list all the troubles they can cause?
MORE SPECIFIC Careless dumping of leftover paint is to blame for a recent outbreak of skin rashes in Atlanta.
For an argument, you need to take a stand on a debatable issue that would allow others to take different positions. State yours exactly.
SPECIFIC STAND The recent health consequences of carelessly dumping leftover paint require Atlanta officials both to regulate and to educate.
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See more on revising a thesis.

If the suggestions in this chapter have helped you draft a working thesis — even an awkward or feeble one — you’ll find plenty of advice about improving it in the next few pages and more later about revising it. But what if you’re freezing up because your thesis simply won’t take shape? First, relax. Your thesis will emerge later on — as your thinking matures and you figure out your paper’s true direction, as peer readers spot the idea in your paper you’re too close to see, as you talk with your instructor and suddenly grasp how to take your paper where you want it to go. In the meantime, plan and write so that you create a rich environment that will encourage your thesis to emerge.