What is a Thesis Statement? Here is a Definition and Explanation

What is a thesis statement? It is the most important sentence, or collection of sentences in any paper you produce while you are in college. What is a thesis statement supposed to do? The thesis statement serves two purposes.

1. First, it lets the reader know what the purpose of your essay or paper is going to be.
2. Second, it gives you, as the writer, a focal point as you write your essay. Having this focal point will help, because you won't be tempted to stray from your point, or include too many details that are not relevant. So, how do you decide what your thesis is going to be, and what is the best way to write your thesis statement? Here are a few tips that should help you get started.

Do Not Work on Your Thesis Statement Right Away

Too many students receive a writing assignment and immediately begin to wonder, “What is the thesis statement that I am going to use?” Please do not do this. Here is what will happen if you do. You will feel locked into that thesis statement, and it will skew all of the research, note taking, and pre-writing that you do. Why? Because, instead of exploring and learning about your topic with an open mind, you will find yourself omitting any information from consideration that does not support your thesis. So, do your research, take notes, write an outline, fill out note cards, and anything else that is either part of your required pre-writing, or that simply helps you organize your thoughts. Once all of this is done, you can review everything that you have learned and decide what is a good thesis statement for your paper. Here are a few questions that you might ask yourself.

• Are all bullies bad people?
• Do bullies really suffer from poor self-esteem?
• How should schools handling bullying in the hallways?
• What is the definition of internet bullying?

Then, when you come up with an answer to any one of these questions, all you need to do is turn the answer into a complete sentence. There will be your thesis statement. For example, a good thesis statement might be, “On common personality characteristic that all bullies share is poor self-esteem.”

Where to Find Help

To find help on thesis statements or other elements of an essay, you can visit trusteddissertation.com. You will find expert help in developing and refining thesis statements as well as all of the writing assistance you will ever need!