Stages of Developing a Thesis
Introduction
- Thesis statement: a single, complete sentence that succinctly expresses your argument concerning a particular topic.
- It will generally be included in the introductory paragraph of your essay, and you must be sure that you can support the statement in the body of the essay.
- The thesis should be specific and debatable.
- Every thesis statement is an argument to be proved and supported by the body of the essay.
Developing the Thesis
- Understand and think about argument the text is making.
- Annotating can help with this
- Brainstorm through free writing and discussion to create a tentative thesis.
- Write a first draft using that tentative or working thesis.
- Tentative: not certain or fixed
- Working thesis: thesis that’s in progress, and will likely change as you write and think more about your argument.
- Get feedback from readers of your first draft.
- Discuss and brainstorm more.
- We usually figure out our essay’s argument through the act of writing the first draft.
- In revision, you must revise both the thesis and the overall essay, so that the essay proves that revised thesis.
- Revise the essay so it proves your refined thesis.