Writing a Thesis Paper

How to Write a Thesis Paper

Writing a thesis paper can be a nerve wrecking affair. Picture yourself in the shoes of members of a thesis committee, listening to a Masters student defend their graduate thesis. The opening argument, Facts, IDEA POWER and how everything little detailed is interwoven to create a logical and consistent defense offers the snippet into whether or not the presentation will pass the test of fail miserably. If anything, a great thesis defense proves to the faculty and the committee that you have mastered your respective field substantively. When a masters student cannot write a coherent paper, it also means they won’t be able to defend it. Thesis defense is the last stage towards earning a masters degree. And yet, you cannot be able to defend a poorly written thesis paper because it will not be accepted in the first place.

Thesis Statement Writing Tips

Before we proceed to a thesis statement writing tips, we should start out defining what a thesis statement is. Any paper you intend to write ought to have the central argument or message. While the arguments of a thesis paper should reflect your central message, a thesis statement is what guides the central arguments in your paper.

Is your thesis statement written in the right place?

A thesis statement does not simply inform the reader on the whereabouts of the paper, but also plays a vital in directing your thesis paper writing by ensuring ideas are focused. At that point, a thesis statement should be written in the introduction chapter of a thesis. This affords the reader the sense of direction. Clarity and specificity of the central idea is noteworthy. In most of cases, a student should avoid the use of vague words. While it is prudent to demonstrate the point of your paper, some vague sentence structures such as “The rational for my thesis is….” should be precluded.

How specific is the Thesis Statement?

A great thesis statement is not just clear but also specific. In most cases, a thesis is amended along with how the central argument of the paper develops. Again, a writer can only get the right perspective of redefining a thesis statement based on where the contentions in the paper are headed. Most students get thesis statement wrong by connecting two large statements quite slackly. A great thesis statement requires one to be focused as they progress with the paper. Nonetheless, there has been a common trend where students try to lump two statements that shows lack of focus.

Avoid Writing a General Thesis Statement

A thesis paper that has a general thesis statement may indicate that a student does not really understand what the paper aims to achieve. Inasmuch as a thesis ought to be written within a given scope, many students fail to mold their topic hence unable to get to the Crux of the matter. Writing a detailed paper is better off than being general and saying least.

Scratching the surface shows superficiality of your thesis

While the core to writing a great thesis paper lies in the focus of the thesis statement, many students are tempted to write general, rambling and shallow thesis. Instead of writing a general thesis statement that goes like: “There are serious protestations to modern horror films”. You can refine your thesis statement to be as precise and directed as possible. For instance, here the refined version of the previous statement: “While modern horror movies have infiltrated in every society courtesy of the streaming model, they consistently fail to offer the emotional purification that post World War One films did.

How clear is your thesis statement?

The clarity of your thesis statement remains central to writing an outstanding paper. Clarity of a thesis statement helps the audience to interpret exactly what you’re trying to present. To communicate clearly, one should avoid using complex wordings or technical lingua. Again, it is improper to use abstract phrases such as society in a thesis statement because they hardly the reader nothing, which is why you need to explain the impression.

Whenever you write a paper, the audience is the first thing you need to consider. Your conception of society could mean something completely different from where the audience stands.

Original Thesis Statement: While the mountain bear is shy and gentle, it has become an endangered species. This thesis statement is ambiguous since it uses generalizations and not specifics. It would make more sense by demonstrating why the bear has become endangered yet it not a threat to people.
Reviewed Thesis Statement: While the mountain bear is shy and gentle, it has become an endangered species because of the perception it is a deadly killer.

Thesis Statement Should Have the on the Issue

A thesis statement does not promulgate a topic. Instead, it shows what position you need to take concerning that topic, and how the subject matter or issue can be evaluated. That said, a good thesis statement should specify the position or lenses through which you need to approach your paper.