Thesis Formation

Now that you have developed a hypothesis and you have done your research you should know enough about your subject that you are prepared to write a thesis.  The thesis is an extremely important part of any essay because it helps you to scope the direction of your paper and clearly defines your intentions to the reader.  This is important because it tips the reader off what to look for in the essay but more importantly, it will help to keep you on track when you are writing your research paper.

Your goal when you write your essay is to prove your thesis so be sure you understand your research clearly.  Your thesis must be clearly written and your paper should be set up in such a way that at the end you have proven your thesis.

A few steps go in to writing an effective thesis:

1.      Check your hypothesis against your research findings

This is where you want to assess the results of your research to be sure that your hypothesis has been proven.  If it has then you are prepared to write your thesis.  If it hasn’t then you need to rework your focus to fit what you now believe through your research.

2.      Build your thesis

You should keep your thesis clear and simple.  It should be easily recognizable as the main thrust in your essay.  It should be brief (one or two sentences) and should set the stage for the remainder of the essay.

3.      Organize your paper based on your thesis

Now that your thesis is written you should organize your research so that you can build an outline that will help you to write your paper.  Remember, the paper must be supported by evidence from your research. 

4.      Create an Outline

In this part you want to build an outline around your thesis.  You should set it up in a format that outlines you main arguments in proving your thesis to the reader.  Think about the most important information you found in your research and scope your essay around those points.

Below is the Thesis sheet that you will be handing in for this section of the Research Paper.
 

 Your Topic: ____________________________________________________________________________

1. Write down the thesis statement and supporting evidence.

2. Write down any counter-arguments or misconceptions that you will be refuting or referring to in your    

    essay:

3. Please submit your updated list of sources (full bibliographic format)