Once you have read a variety of sources and considered all sides of your issue, you are ready to form a working thesis: a one-sentence (or occasionally a two-sentence) statement of your central idea. You will be reading articles and other sources that address a central research question. Your thesis will express a reasonable answer to that question, given the current state of research in the field.
In a paper reviewing the literature on a topic, the thesis analyzes the often competing conclusions drawn by a variety of researchers.
Following is a research question posed by Luisa Mirano, a student writing a review of the literature on childhood obesity, followed by a working thesis that begins to answer the question.
RESEARCH QUESTION
Is medication the right treatment for the escalating problem of childhood obesity?
WORKING THESIS
Understanding the limitations of medical treatments for children highlights the complexity of the childhood obesity problem in the United States and underscores the need for physicians, advocacy groups, and policymakers to search for other solutions.
Mirano, “Can Medication Cure Obesity in Children? A Review of the Literature”
Exercise: Thesis statements in APA papers 1
Exercise: Thesis statements in APA papers 2
Related topics:
Drafting a working thesis
Forming research questions in various disciplines