thesis statement outline example
Bad: High levels of alcohol consumption are bad for you.
– This is too broad. What are the specific detriments of alcohol consumption that you would like to discuss?
Good: High levels of alcohol consumption have detrimental effects on your personal health, such as weight gain, heart disease, and liver complications.
– Notice we got very specific in our reasons why. In your thesis statement, you don’t need to state every single detriment you’re going to lay out (in fact, you shouldn’t as it will risk becoming a run-on sentence) but you can point to the main areas you will explore.
It’s worth reiterating that a strong thesis statement is specific. If you find yourself using general words like “good,” then you’re not digging deep enough.
Also, your instructor may require a thesis statement for your paper.
A thesis statement is usually a sentence that states your argument to the reader. It usually appears in the first paragraph of an essay.
Your thesis statement should clearly identify an argument. You need to have a statement that is not only easy to understand, but one that is debatable. What that means is that you can’t just put any statement of fact and have it be your thesis. For example, everyone knows that puppies are cute. An ineffective thesis statement would be, “Puppies are adorable and everyone knows it.” This isn’t really something that’s a debatable topic.
So, now that we know what makes a good, solid thesis statement, you can start to write your own. If you find that you’re getting stuck or you are the type of person who needs to look at examples before you start something, then check out our list of thesis statement examples below.
Following are 3 sample outlines, from actual student papers. YOUR outline can be MORE detailed, or might be LESS detailed. Remember that a good outline makes writing easier and more efficient.
b. Thesis: The Federalist influenced the ratification of the Constitution by making some of their most important arguments, including the importance of being in a Union by having a Constitution, answering to the objections made by the Anti-federalists about separation of powers, and defending opposing arguments made against the characteristics of the executive and judicial branch as provided in the Constitution.
A. Loss of wetlands nationally
B. Great Midwestern Flood of 1993
References:
http://www.butte.edu/services/library/learning/research-paper/thesis.html
http://www.servicescape.com/blog/25-thesis-statement-examples-that-will-make-writing-a-breeze
http://www.austincc.edu/tmthomas/sample%20outline%201.htm
http://libguides.gatech.edu/c.php?g=54271&p=350394
http://www.easybib.com/guides/how-to-write-a-strong-thesis-statement/