Thesis Statement: Formula, How-to Guide, & 18 Mind-blowing Examples [UPD 2024]

by OvernightEssay

Oct 6, 2024

9 min

The picture contains a thesis statement definition.

Stuck with a thesis statement? We’ve got you. We’ve been there. Almost any paper requires writing a thesis statement. It isn’t as easy as one might think. Our goal is to help you and many other students and professionals. We’ve prepared for you a unique set of thesis statement rules. After reading this article, you will get the answers to the following questions:

What is the purpose of a thesis statement?
How long is a thesis statement?
Where is a thesis statement located?
How can a thesis statement be improved?
What is a working thesis statement?
Can a thesis statement be a question?
How to write a successful thesis statement?

📝 The Basics
🖊️ Thesis Statement Parts
💡 Step-by-Step Guide
🔑 Thesis Formula
✔️ 18 Examples: Bad & Better
🔗 References

📝 Thesis Statement: The Basics

The mission of any thesis statement is pretty simple – to sum up your paper’s most essential points. These include a question or problem, several supporting arguments, and the conclusion that you’ve come to. A good thesis statement guides the reader through your work. It also gives a general impression of the paper structure.

Not too short, not too long. Usually, it includes two well-structured sentences, which cover all the necessary points. Although sometimes you may have 3-4 established sentences, it depends on the type of work you are doing. It would help if you found a perfect balance between being not too obvious and not too exposing.

We usually find thesis statements closer to the end of the introduction. However, sometimes a thesis statement consists of several sentences. This happens in monumental works such as dissertations. In this situation, it might take even an entire paragraph, but it’s not a common case.

A working thesis statement helps the reader understand what question the author is asking. It also explains why that problem is worth talking about and what answer the writer has found for the query.

It also follows the SODA rule:

S: Is your thesis statement specific?

O: Does it discuss one crucial topic?

D: Is it possible to discuss the problem?

A: Is your thesis statement assertive?

🖊️ Thesis Statement Parts

The thesis statement formula consists of 3 most essential parts:

The subject of the article.
The opinion which you support.
An outline of reasons for your opinion.

If your goal is to compose a good, structured thesis statement, you can’t miss any of these three parts. Sometimes it may be puzzling to understand what every one of the mentioned parts of a thesis statement has to be about. Let’s look into it in more detail.

The subject of the paper you are writing has to be limited and meet your instructor’s requirements. It usually broaches a problem, engaging enough for the reader to continue diving into your paper.
The opinion you support is supposed to be precise. The goal here is to avoid ambiguous wordings, or the statement might sound weak. This part of the statement aims to give the reader an answer to the question about the subject. An accurate opinion is vital for the reader’s understanding of the goal of your paper.
An outline of reasons helps to show the bigger picture of your work before you go into detail. It is always good for the reader to know what grounds you have for the article’s question.

These are essential parts of a thesis statement, which you need to include to make the thesis statement formula work.

💡 How to Write a Thesis Statement Step by Step

You already know a lot about thesis statements, but we bet you want to get a short thesis statement formula. We are here to help!

The picture contains a list of steps for writing a thesis statement.

Step #1: Formulate a Question

Perhaps you already have a question in your assignment. Or maybe you still need to formulate a question based on a subject you will talk about. Anyway, building a question, it’s better to consider what you want to find out about your topic.

Step #2: Answer your Question

When you finish your research, it is time to compose a suggested answer to your question. The answer is usually straightforward, but it guides both the writer and the reader through the research process.

If your work is argumentative, it is crucial to pick and support one side of the argument.

Step #3: Develop your Thesis

And for the final step, you need to explain how you have come up with this answer. You should try to convince the reader to agree with you on your point.

As you continue working on your research and begin writing your paper, the results will get specified.

As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed. The thesis statement you get as a final version should clearly state your position. It should also review your overall argument.

We are sure that it is necessary to know how to write a thesis statement step-by-step. But it is not all you need to get a working thesis statement. Based on the type of paper you are working on, you should differentiate between various thesis statements.

Argumentative Thesis Statement

While writing an argumentative essay, it is better to focus on expressing your position on the question. The goal here is to persuade the reader that you make a good point, and you also have enough evidence for it.

Strong thesis statement example is: The U.S. government should invest in international educational programs. As it is the world’s most forceful economy, it can take such programs as Erasmus on a new level of funding. This could include improving students’ living and learning conditions worldwide.

Expository Thesis Statement

If your paper is expository, your purpose will be to clarify your question or the process stages. You don’t need to state your opinion on this kind of writing, although you still have to raise an important issue. It is also helpful to outline the key elements that you will discuss in your article.

Example: The invention of penicillin in the 20th century reformed modern medicine forever. It opened the way for saving the lives of many people and the discovery of other antibiotics.

Analytical Thesis Statement

Sometimes your paper suggests analyzing a text. To do that, you need to focus on one aspect that you will discuss. You also need to write about the vision it gives the readers into the text’s meaning.

Sample Thesis Statement: Jane Austen changes the narration perspective to describe the difference between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth as the novel progresses. The story begins with a contradiction between the two characters, but the similarities become more evident closer to the end.

🔑 Thesis Statement: Formula of Success

Trust us, writing a persuasive and well-established thesis statement is not that difficult. You just need to follow several simple rules. Your thesis statement must be:

Debatable
We have already discussed that while writing an argumentative essay, it is essential to express your perspective. But what about the other side of the argument? Your thesis should be debatable. It means that it should set up a discussion and let the readers agree or disagree with you. If the hypothesis you are stating is generally true, you have no grounds to convince the audience.

Non-debatable Thesis	Debatable Thesis
Children should eat more vegetables.	Vegetables contain vital nutrients, which help improve heart condition.
There are no grounds for the discussion.	It is an argumentative thesis that the audience can agree or disagree with.

Narrow
The extent of your research sometimes may look astonishing, but it doesn’t mean that your thesis should be as broad. If you want to make your writing effective, you need to limit your thesis. Remember that your point has to be supported by evidence. It means that the more extensive your thesis is, the more proof you will need to include in your paper.

Too Broad Thesis	Narrowed Thesis
All people disagree with the government’s policies.	The British disagree with the government’s policy of reducing the pensions due to the rising food prices.
It is unclear what people and why they disagree, what policies we are talking about.	Now we clearly understand who, where, and why they disagree, but we also have the basis for the discussion.

Assertive
The idea of any thesis statement is to make an assertion. In other words, it states a position rather than an observation. If you say that humans are 60% water, you just name a fact and don’t make a statement. It is crucial that the audience can discuss your work, but you stick with your opinion in this discussion. You have to take a stand and claim your point in a clear and concise, debatable way.

Thesis Statement to Avoid	Suitable Thesis
Reading may improve children’s cognitive skills.	Reading helps a child’s mind evolve. It results in cognitive improvements and an increase in motivation.
This thesis statement clarifies that you are not entirely sure whether reading affects children’s abilities.	Here you can see that the author is confident in his thesis and can argue it.

Concise
Make sure that your thesis statement isn’t long or wordy. It should be short and balanced. However, the aim will be to make your point clearly in 1-3 sentences. Don’t forget about your arguments and conclusion.

Long and Wordy Thesis	Concise Thesis
There are many negative sides to Internet use, but also there are many benefits for education: the internet provides and helps with access to any information, a possibility of seeing from different perspectives, and a useful and comfortable environment for students and teachers.	Many advantages for education outweigh the negative effect of Internet use: the Internet helps access the information easier, it provides exposure to different perspectives and a comfortable environment for students and teachers.
The thesis is too long and wordy, so it is easy to lose the main idea.	The thesis is clear and easy to follow.

Coherent
When writing a thesis statement, remember that multiple elements of one point should add up to one coherent whole. It would be best if you concentrated on expressing one particular idea. You can demonstrate different but logically connected aspects. It is necessary to support with evidence and arguments everything you say in the paper.

✔️ 18 Thesis Statement Examples: Bad & Better

	A bad thesis	A better thesis	Why is the second one better?
1	Everyone should read more.	British people should add reading to their daily evening routine because it keeps their minds sharp and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s.	It’s specific and debatable.
2	Smoking is bad for you.	Frequent smoking has adverse effects on your health, such as lung cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure.	It is narrow, debates a particular position, and brings arguments.
3	Math can improve a child’s analytical skills.	Math develops a child’s mind by improving cognitive skills, increasing motivation, and unveiling new logical systems they might not otherwise encounter.	It’s more assertive and supported by several arguments. It is also debatable.
4	The government should fund all retirees.	The American government should fund all retirees, as the U.S. economy is one of the most potent systems globally and has an opportunity to support different layers of society.	It’s more specific. It’s also more assertive and gives arguments.
5	The technology providing online pavements has changed the world’s economy forever.	Today’s online payments serve as a means of immediate exchange of money between people worldwide, fostering new businesses and online platforms, which would never have occurred without them.	It is narrow and coherent. It’s also more assertive and provides reasons.
6	Volunteer organ donors should be funded by the government.	In light of the strenuous surgery and meaningful changes they go through, kidney and heart donors should be funded for their sacrifice.	It is detailed and specific. It’s also distinctive and provides evidence.
7	Water pollution is bad for the world’s oceans.	Russian anti-pollution measures should concentrate on privately owned factories built on the banks of lakes and rivers. It would allow persevering clean water resources for a more extended period.	It specifies not only the focus of national policy but also the result that these measures might have.
8	Drugs are detrimental to society.	Illegal massive drug use and storage may end up with the increase in gang conflicts.	The topic of drugs is narrowed, and the detriment has been specified to gang conflicts.
9	In his video, a famous blogger explains why we don’t have the right to free speech.	Max Katz’s argument that free speech in Russia existed in the late 90-s and early 2000-s proves that it helped create a general cultural atmosphere of tolerance that the X-generation ultimately promotes today.	It contains a position and evidence on the issue.
10	This essay will discuss the pros and cons of certain limitations on free speech.	Because there may be significant benefits in limiting hate speech, the option of direct discussion on significant racial problems is too engaging.	It is debatable and assertive but, at the same time, coherent.
11	Society will not welcome the restrictions on the First amendment.	The First Amendment limitations can’t be supported if intended to defend individuals from undefined or unobjective emotional disturbance.	It is narrow, assertive, and gives reasons for the statement.
12	The authorities are entitled to restrict free speech.	The U.S. authorities are entitled to restrict free speech in the event of racist, sexist, or other hate speech because our failure to handle such insults would suggest that our society supports such views.	It doesn’t only state a fact, but it debates an existing problem and provides proof for the position. It is also assertive and concise.
13	It is easy to hurt other people’s feelings if you always say what you want.	Let’s consider emotional injuries being just as distressing as physical ones. We should protect all people from hate speech in ways similar to how we restrict speech can be a reason for bodily harm.	It’s debatable. There’s room for disagreement. An argument for the position of the author is expressed.
14	You always have a choice not to use hate speech.	When discussing free speech, there should be an exception for hate speech since it is not an action, as it is wrongly considered at the moment.	The thesis is debatable and argumentative. There’s room for disagreement.
15	We know numerous reasons why hate speech should be restricted.	Among the many reasons why we have to restrict hate speech, the essential ones all apply to the world’s history of discrimination, and it happens because we are trying to fix our troubled society.	The thesis is disputable, and it also helps the reader to predict the structure of the paper.
16	There are no persuasive arguments for regulating horror films.	None of the arguments for regulating horror films are convincing because they are all based on the doubtful premise that horror movies negatively affect people’s emotional states.	This is a good argumentative thesis, which has a point and supporting arguments.
17	People of first-world countries are not ready to give up on the idea of free speech.	Whether or not the cultural phenomenon of free speech includes any connection to the reality of 1st amendment legislation, its ongoing social function calls for the term’s politicization.	It contains arguments that support the point.
18	Hate speech may be a reason for emotional pain. It is just as hard as physical pain.	An unverified opinion that emotional suffering is relatively trivial may be a basis of the votes against the restriction of hate speech.	It is debatable and coherent. It also gives the basis for the argument.

We don’t know what your paper is about, but we know for sure that its thesis statement is now debatable, narrow, and coherent.

Leave your comments down below if this article saved your day or just helped you write your first thesis statement.

🔗 References

Thesis Statement: Formula, How-to Guide, & 18 Mind-blowing Examples [UPD 2024]

📝 Thesis Statement: The Basics

What is the Purpose of a Thesis Statement?

How Long is a Thesis Statement Supposed to Be?

Where is a Thesis Statement Located?

What is a Working Thesis Statement?