Developing a Thesis Statement
Video Resources
For more guidance developing your thesis statement, consider watching the following videos by Arizona State University + Crash Course, York University, and Lund University:
Video one: Critical thinking and arguments
Video two: Evaluating arguments
Video three: Thesis statements 1
Video four: Thesis statements 2
Video five: Thesis statements 3
Video six: Thesis statements 4
Video seven: Thesis statements 5
Video eight: Thesis statements 6
Video nine: Thesis statements 7
Video ten: Thesis statements 8
Video eleven: Structuring an argument
Video twelve: Research questions and thesis statement
Now that you have some ideas on the topic, it is a good idea to develop a research question about the written assignment. The question should be neither too broad nor too narrow and contain all the elements required in the assignment. If you compose a great research question, you should be able to answer it easily, and this answer becomes a preliminary thesis statement.
A thesis statement is a sentence that tells your reader your topic, what you think about it, and possibly how you are going to prove it.
A thesis statement should answer how and why questions, and it should also engage the reader to want to know about the topic you are discussing.
Ultimately, the thesis should be significant to the reader. A thesis must take a position that others might challenge. If you, as the writer, cannot foresee any objections to the thesis, then it is not strong enough.
For additional thesis statement support, download the What is a Thesis Statement tip sheet and Thesis Statement Worksheet tip sheet.
