A thesis statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove. A good thesis statement makes the difference between a thoughtful research project and a simple retelling of facts.
A good tentative thesis will help you focus your search for information. But don’t rush! You must do a lot of background reading before you know enough about a subject to identify key or essential questions. You may not know how you stand on an issue until you have examined the evidence. You will likely begin your research with a working, preliminary or tentative thesis which you will continue to refine until you are certain of where the evidence leads.
The practice of writing:
It’s hard to get started, especially if you’re out of practice in academic writing: writing doesn’t seem to flow as well as it did as an undergraduate. [did it ever flow?
even if you have experience in other areas, academic writing is different
you feel capable of producing an acceptable end product, with adequate prose, but the process of getting there is painful
feeling inadequate when your writing doesn’t come up to your (or others’) expectations
First, you must decide on your subject of a topic was not already assigned to you by your teacher or instructor. Or maybe you have a personal or business reason for wanting to communicate this information. Whatever the case, choose your topic and write it down.
Next, you will need to organize your thoughts and ideas by writing an outline of your proposed thesis. You will need to decide what information you want to, or need to, convey, such as information on your topic, your viewpoint and the explanation on why you feel this way, the facts which support your your viewpoint, etc.
Write your outline in the usual manner, by writing your topic at the top of the page, then, mark down the left side of the page your numerical listings-Roman numerals are normally used.Next to each numeral, write down the main ideas that you wish to include in your thesis. Then, mark down A, B, C, and so on, below the Roman numerals. Beside each letter, list the minor points, or subpoints, that you wish to include in your thesis.
About this Title
Revised, updated and more useful than ever
If you are writing a thesis–whether edging towards it, wrestling with it, or just plain stuck–this sensible, thoroughly practical book is bound to help.
As in the hugely successful first edition, the emphasis is still firmly on structure. Having supervised countless postgraduate students and seen all the pitfalls, David Evans is convinced that clear and logical structure is the key to a good thesis. He and Paul Gruba give concrete examples of common structural problems, and offer numerous devices, tricks and tests by which to avoid them.
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