Students doing masters might and working on thesis might have come across thesis related terms like thesis statement, thesis proposal, problem formulation and various other such terms. Thesis statement is the widely searched term on internet. Students want to know thesis statement definition, its outline, and examples. Here in this blog, you will get to know what exactly a thesis statement is and how to write a good thesis statement.
What is a thesis statement?
The thesis statement is a kind of summary of the main topic of the thesis. In other words, it highlights the main idea of the thesis or a research paper. The thesis statement is a type of statement that highlights the main point regarding what we are writing in the thesis and helps in controlling the idea within the thesis paper.
Thesis statement is an important part of research papers. It is mainly added at the start of introduction paragraph of thesis paper.
There are three kinds of research papers namely:
- Analytical – In an analytical research paper, the main idea is broken down into component parts which are evaluated for the reader. Analytical thesis statement tries to answer that why something happens, how it happens. An analytical research paper will try to explain the following things:
- What are we analyzing?
- Components of analysis
- Order in which analysis will be done
- Expository – Expository thesis statement means adding background information to a description or explanation. In expository thesis statement we explaining something to our readers. Expository also means narration. An expository thesis statement will explain following things to our readers:
- What we want to explain to them
- How we are going to organize our explanation
- What is the order of our explanation?
- Argumentative – Argumentative means objection to some facts. Argumentative thesis statement explains why a topic is important and why readers should care about that topic. It is mainly a debatable statement.
What are the qualities of a good thesis statement?
While writing a thesis statement you should consider not only its format but also the qualities of a thesis statement. A good quality thesis statement should be written so that it is able to achieve its purpose for which it is written. Following are the characteristics of a good thesis statement:
- Length – The length of thesis statement depends upon the points it is trying to convey i.e. it can be short or long. It should be a single sentence of one or two lines that is around 30 to 40 words.
- Position – A thesis statement is considered good if it is added at the beginning of the thesis paper. It will give the idea about what we are going to discuss in the thesis paper.
- Strength – The thesis statement should be strong such that it should be able to convey the main idea of the topic that we are going to discuss. The thesis statement should be declarative rather than interrogative. It should also be arguable.
- Engaging – The thesis statement should be such that it immediately engages readers into reading. It should not divert from the main idea of the topic.
How to write a thesis statement?
Your thesis statement will most probably be the most arduous sentence to compose no doubt you are writing a short essay or a dissertation. Here are some of the ways which will help you in a great way in writing a good thesis statement.
- Know what you are writing (Purpose of the thesis statement) – The topic you have chosen should be something that you have knowledge about. You cannot write a thesis statement if you have no understanding of what you are writing. Personal experiences and thorough research will be beneficial in such cases. The thesis statement is usually added at the beginning of the introductory paragraph. Thesis statement should reflect the main idea of the thesis paper. You should also determine for kind of paper you are writing about i.e. whether it is analytical, expository or argumentative.
- Explore your topic – Before writing a thesis statement you should have a deep research on your topic for which you are writing a thesis statement. You should explore your topic such that you can argument about that topic. You should also know about the type of paper, purpose, and audience of the paper.
- Make sure that your thesis statement is clear as well as precise – Your thesis statement should be clear and precise—it should cover only those points that you have talked about in your paper and should be supported with a good proof. You should be able to address a single problem in detail so that the main body is the solution to this problem.
- Thesis statement should be original – Make sure that your thesis statement is original rather than generic. Also, ensure that your thesis is able to prove itself with some evidence and facts. It should not divert from the main content of the thesis.
- Make sure that your thesis statement does not exceed one or two sentences in length – Thesis statement should be clear and up to the point and should be about 30-40 words in length. Try to write a thesis statement in a single sentence that should not exceed one or two lines in length.
- Revise your thesis statement – After writing thesis statement, revise it carefully and thoroughly to make sure that there is no mistake in it and it is clear and ambiguous. This will make your statement good, interactive, and accurate.
A thesis proposal is a detailed summary of the thesis or dissertation to notify the committee that the subject and the topic of the thesis are appropriate for study. Thesis proposal includes the topic of thesis, thesis statement, problem formulation, introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, and Reference. A thesis proposal provides the outline of thesis. The main aim of the thesis proposal is to persuade the committee to approve the topic of thesis or dissertation so that a master’s students can start working on the main part.
How to write a thesis proposal?
Thesis proposal is an integral part of the thesis. Following are some of the ways to write an effective thesis proposal:
1.) Role of structure and arguments
The quality of thesis proposal determines the decision of approval of the thesis. The thesis proposal should not be compared to the essays or assignments as these are different things. Thesis should consist of arguments with valid explanations to illustrate them along with appropriate examples. So while writing a thesis proposal you should take care of the structure as well as include arguments in this also.
2.) Identifying the topic
You need to find out the topic on which the thesis is focused on. You need to analyze the previous work and evaluate it with the current work of your thesis. You have to specify that how your thesis work will contribute to the field you have chosen. The thesis proposal should give the outline of the work you are going to do in your thesis revolving around the main topic.
3.) Selecting appropriate methods
You need a list of appropriate methods to conduct a research on the topic of your choice as well as the field. These methods will help in elaborating the topic more effectively, will collect data and will then analyze it. You should ask for suggestions to develop your proposal more effectively.
4.) Choosing a title and research questions
The thesis proposal should start with the title of your thesis which is followed by a detailed summary of what the thesis and its proposal. Then there is the introductory part in which you should introduce your proposal. You have to come up with a set of questions and also state that your thesis work will be revolving around these questions. You also have to show previous research work. You should give an overview of the research work along with its aims and objectives. Finally, you need to specify all the references from where you have taken help from.
Thesis is an important part of academics for M Tech scholars and for research students. Thus thesis statement and thesis proposal should be good, precise and clear.
M.Tech and M.Phil Thesis Writing Stages
Writing a thesis is not a one day work. It takes time and efforts to complete the thesis. The timeline of the thesis is divided into the following stages:
It is the initial stage to start with the M.Tech thesis work. A mentor is allotted to students to assist them in their thesis work. Finalization of the topic is also done in the initial stage. Take a look at the things covered in the first stage of master’s thesis writing.
- Research papers review – Students should review the previously published research papers under the guidance of experts and mentors allotted. If a student has taken information from the reference, he/she should properly mention that and give reference to that thing. This is done to avoid any kind of plagiarism.
- Finalisation of the topic – They can also take guidance from experienced professionals. There should be reference made to the previous work done on the same topic. After this, the students need to give an overview of what the thesis topic is all about.
- Thesis Proposal – Thesis proposal is an important part of the thesis. Thesis proposal describes the outline of the thesis i.e. the problem definition of which we are going to write the thesis and also contains the details regarding what we are going to do in our thesis. You have to describe the plan that how are going to solve the said problem in an organized manner.
In the second stage, following all things are taken care of:
- Analysis of the available data – Analysis of the data is done depending on the type of study and research you are going to do. You can use various tools and hypothesis depending on the nature of your work. You have to clearly present the data in a formatted manner under the expert guidance.
- Outline of the thesis – The outline of the thesis is important for its quality and consistent nature of work. It will also determine whether or not the thesis fulfills your needs.
In this stage, the main writing work is carried out. Following are the things covered at this stage:
- Writing the thesis – The writing work is done in an organized manner taking care of necessary details. You must be aware of the thesis format while working on a thesis. You must also take into consideration that there should not be any plagiarism at all. Due to plagiarism, the chances of rejection of thesis are very high.
- Proofreading – After completing your thesis work, you need to proofread the report. During proofreading, the work is examined carefully to find out the typical errors like grammar and punctuation, spelling, style and certain such things. You also have to ensure that the tone and writing style is not distracted from anywhere in the thesis. You have to acknowledge the reference from where you have taken help.
- Editing – After proofreading, the editing is to be done. Following are the types of editing:
- Substantive Editing – For structure, presentation, and content
- Scientific Editing – For vocabulary
This is the last stage in thesis writing. Following are the tasks covered at this stage:
- Formatting – The formatting of the M.Tech thesis paper is done as per the standards set by the colleges and universities. In formatting, the font style, size, spacing, numbering, tables, figures and all such things are taken care of. You also have to check the margins of the page.
- Final Review – After successful formatting, a final review of the report is to be done to find out the minor errors that left unnoticed during the work. You should take the advice of your mentor and ask for his feedback and corrections in the report.
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