As you gather more information and begin reading and evaluating sources, you will probably refine your research question and change your hypothesis significantly. You may find that your interest shifts, that a whole line of inquiry is unproductive, or that your hypothesis is simply wrong. In each case, the process of research pushes you to learn more about your hypothesis, to make it more precise, to become an expert on your topic. Only after you have explored your hypothesis, tested it, and sharpened it by reading, writing, and talking with others does it become a working thesis.

You can also use Toulmin’s elements of argument to develop a working thesis.

Sample: A student researcher’s working thesis

For his research project, first-year student David Craig did quite a bit of research on messaging language, youth literacy, and the possible connection between the two. The more he read, the more he felt that the hypothesis suggested by his discussion with instructors—that texting and messaging had contributed to a decline in youth literacy—did not hold up. Thus, he shifted his attention to the positive effects of texting and messaging on communication skills, and he developed the following working thesis: “Although some educators criticize messaging, it may aid literacy by encouraging young people to use words and to write—even if messaging requires a different kind of writing.”

Find out more about how David Craig identified and narrowed a topic for his research project.

Student Writing: A student research essay, MLA style (David Craig)