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.
    * Peer review
• 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.