Students may know how to write a research paper or any other assignment. However, they still find it difficult to write a thesis statement. Students always have many questions like: “How long should a thesis statement be?”. Yes, these few words mean a lot and can even determine your future as a student. But you won’t struggle with writing if you read this guide. We will help you understand the topic and compose a strong thesis statement.
What a thesis statement is, and why use it in your paper
A clear thesis statement is like a brief explanation of an article, a high school essay, and so on. It is placed right after the introductory paragraph of your paper. The thesis statement explains the main idea of the paper to the reader. You will find this tool useful. It will help you focus on the essence of your work and not get bogged down with unnecessary information.
It does not matter whether you are writing a high school essay or a dissertation with many pages. A couple of sentences with a brief explanation of the topic should be present in your text. You must have the skills to write a thesis statement because this is a crucial part of the paper. Readers will read the first paragraph and decide if they want to continue.
In essence, a strong thesis statement is a gateway to your paper that invites readers to delve into your ideas and arguments. It must be clear and precise. A good statement must grab and hold the reader’s interest from the start.
Importance of a Strong Thesis Statement
Even if you decide to simplify your task and use a thesis statement generator, it is not a guarantee of success. The generator will offer you some good ideas, but you have to be sure that the thesis statement exactly matches the paper’s objectives. Having a strong thesis statement is very important, and here is how it helps you in writing your paper:
- Build the foundation of your paper. A properly composed thesis will help you determine the main idea of the assignment, present the right arguments and analysis, and so on.
- Set the course of the main thought. When your assignment is a thesis on dozens of pages, the thesis will help you and the reader not miss the point of the paper.
- Clear statement of thought. The thesis will help you get extra points if you demonstrate how cleverly you can convey your thoughts.
- Avoid unnecessary information in the text. There is always a risk of getting carried away with writing a paper and wanting to talk about everything in the world. The thesis, like a beacon, will help you remember the main idea of your paper.
- Grab the reader’s attention. Good thesis statements intrigue the reader and motivate them to read the articles to the end to find the answer to their question.
- Show your originality. If you are a creative person, feel free to give your thesis statement a slightly unconventional look. Professors always appreciate students’ creativity in writing papers.
How long should a thesis statement be?
A thesis statement can be a real struggle for students. There is always the question of how to fully convey your point to the reader without making the text too long. Putting all your thoughts into one sentence looks like an extremely challenging task.
In fact, there is no strict framework for a thesis statement for any type of paper. Depending on the number of pages in your essay or dissertation, the thesis statement lengths can be different.
For example, if you are writing a one-page essay, you can easily explain the main point of the paper in one sentence. If you are writing a research paper or a dissertation, you can expand the thesis to two or three sentences. When you do a fairly lengthy assignment of several dozen pages, the thesis statement can be more than 4 sentences and reach a whole paragraph. In any case, remember that the shorter you can express your thoughts, the better your dissertation will turn out.
For your convenience, we have summarized a brief guide to writing a thesis statement, including tips on the ideal length of thesis statements, within the table of contents:
- Length of the thesis statement for an essay — 1 sentence
- Thesis statement length for a research paper, dissertation — 2–3 sentences
- Length of the thesis statement for projects of more than 20 pages — 4 or more sentences
- Where the thesis statement should be located? — At the end of the introductory paragraph.
- What information should the thesis statement contain? — The main topic of the paper, the questions you will raise, and for what purpose.
Crafting a Concise Thesis Statement
Now you know that a thesis statement is a small detail for 1–2 sentences, but it plays a crucial role in your paper. But, most likely, the question remains open for you as to how to put this knowledge into practice. That’s why we have prepared for you some tips on where to start writing a strong thesis statement. We hope you put them into practice and find them useful.
- Understanding your argument. Avoid writing an essay or dissertation before being clear about the purpose that you are going to convey to the reader. Spend time brainstorming, sketch out your ideas, and only then go directly to writing.
- Focus on the main point. If you are doing a long assignment, you may want to cover several important points at once. However, this approach is not always appropriate. You may confuse yourself and bore the reader. Pick one question that is most essential and work with it well.
- Use clear wording. Try to make one sentence that is simple enough. It won’t help you get the point across and will only confuse the reader. Write simply, without complex constructions.
- Avoid water. Even if you add creativity to your thesis statement, don’t overuse two-syllable words. Use relevant terms and specific wording.
Thesis Statement Examples
Our essay writing service usa would like to show you some examples to help you understand better what a quality dissertation looks like.
Here is a good example of a weak thesis statement. That looks vague and does not take a clear position: “Many people think that climate change is a serious problem.”
On the contrary, a thesis statement should be accurate in presenting the essence of the specific topic and the problems that will be discussed. For instance, “Climate change, which is a consequence of humans like deforestation and fossil fuel consumption, is one of the greatest threats that ecosystems are faced with and requires immediate action to mitigate its effects.”
In this case, you can notice another variation of the weak and fuzzy thesis, “Social media has an impact on society.”
Here is a good thesis that raises certain issues for discussion: “Social media platforms have fundamentally altered the way individuals communicate, leading to both positive and negative effects on interpersonal relationships and mental health.”
To understand how strong your thesis statement is, read it carefully and see if it matches the good examples above. The perfect thesis statement should be clearly formed so that the reader understands what issues your paper will raise.
In conclusion, to understand how strong your thesis statement is, read it carefully and check if it matches the examples above. Formulate your thesis statement so that the reader understands what issues your paper will raise.
The Thesis Statement in Different Types of Papers
A thesis can vary not only in word count but also in content. Depending on the type of paper you are writing, abstracts can convey the following meanings:
- Analytical papers. In this type of paper, you reveal a certain issue, give it an evaluation, and conclude. Actually, this is what you should indicate in your thesis: the essence of the issue, how you relate to it, and what conclusions you have come to.
- Expository Papers. This is a paper where you tell the reader about something. The reader will probably learn some interesting or completely new information from your paper. An appropriate thesis statement would be one where you explain to the reader what they will learn about by reading your paper.
- Argumentative Papers. In this type of paper, you are not just sharing your reasoning. Here you are stating facts and backing them up with evidence. Accordingly, you should not just let the reader know what the paper is about. Write the main claim of your paper and support it with an argument.
