What is your Main Idea (Thesis Statement)?

A thesis statement is the main idea of your paper. Developing a working thesis should be among your first priorities. "Working" is the operative word here; your thesis may change through the writing and research process, but it is imperative to start with a definite plan in mind.

Ask questions Mulling over a topical checklist can help you circumvent writer's block; it can also help you discover a number of possibilities for developing a thesis. While thinking through these questions, consider whether you want to inform or persuade your readers.

1.
Exactly what is my subject? Can my paper inform or persuade my audience on this point? Should I emphasize the positive or the negative aspects of my subject?
2.
Can my subject be divided up into parts? Is one aspect more important or more relevant to my audience than others? What point should I stress in my thesis? How should I organize the paper to achieve this emphasis?
3.
What does my subject remind me of? Is my subject—whether a person, a thing, or an event—similar to another subject that may be familiar to my readers? Are there any unexpected and enlightening similarities? Is the comparison favorable or unfavorable? Does this comparison make my subject easier to understand? How can I use these comparisons to clarify my point for my reader?
4.
If my subject is an event or object, what caused or created it? Would understanding the cause or a precedent make it easier for my audience to understand my subject?
5.
What effects has my subject had or is it likely to have? Are the effects important or unexpected?

Developing a working thesis Once you’ve chosen a topic, you need to decide what you’re going to say about it. Remember the working thesis should have two parts: the topic itself and your comment on the topic. You can make the thesis more explicit later, but for now, get the basics down. For example: “The use of public school vouchers by the states should not only be allowed but encouraged by the federal government.” Note that the chosen topic is at the first of the sentence, and what the writer wants to say about it is at the end. This working thesis is enough to get you started. You can begin researching and reading about the topic, gaining information to support the above claim.

An explicit thesis statement When your research is underway, you can make the thesis statement more explicit by articulating the lines of argument, analysis, or explanation, depending upon what you need for the type of paper you
are writing. You can complicate the language and make the thesis more interesting later. For now, using the following template may help you get started on your writing project.

In this essay, I plan to (argue, defend, explain, demonstrate, analyze) that ____________________ because (1)_______________, (2)_________, and (3)_______________.

When this formula is applied to the sample working thesis stated earlier, it becomes:
In this essay, I plan to argue that the use of public school vouchers should be encouraged by the federal government because public schools will be forced to improve if they have to compete for students, because students should be able to have access to the best education possible, no matter where they live, and because the future of our country depends on quality education for everyone.

Refining the thesis statement After working on the paper and building an introduction, the thesis can always be reworded, or refined.

While the use of school vouchers is currently up to the discretion of the states with no interaction or interference from the federal government, the country would be best served if the government would not only recommend but encourage the use of vouchers.

Notice that the lines of argument are not articulated in this version of the thesis statement. If you’ve created an outline or developed an explicit thesis and are sure where you’re going with the rest of the paper, this is an acceptable way to approach the assignment. The obvious danger in this method is the temptation to wander or stray off topic.

One way to curb that tendency is to go ahead and fully detail your plan for the paper in the thesis statement. You may prefer this method even if you don’t tend to wander off track! Consider this version of our sample thesis:

While the use of school vouchers is currently up to the discretion of the states with no interaction or interference from the federal government, the country would be best served if the government would encourage the use of vouchers; if more people used vouchers, public schools would be forced to improve because they would be competing for students, students would have access to quality education, no matter where they lived, and the future of our country depends on a quality education for all its citizens.

You’re probably thinking, “But that’s too long!” It is a long sentence, but it’s a grammatically correct sentence. And really, a thesis doesn’t have to be just one sentence. A period could easily replace the semi-colon after “vouchers” and before “if more people.” Sometimes for longer papers, a thesis paragraph is perfectly appropriate.

The bottom line is, keep your options open—develop a working thesis and then an explicit thesis to guide you, but allow yourself the freedom to write the type of thesis that’s right for your writing assignment. Think of the thesis statement as an umbrella shielding your whole paper. If a portion of your paper falls outside the umbrella, either cut it out or extend the breadth of your umbrella.