The Perfect Guide on How to Write a Thesis For a Research Paper

Writing a thesis sentence for a research paper is equally important for the reader and writer. A research paper thesis statement helps the writer to keep the paper organized. Besides that, the thesis statement motivates the writer to set up the entire essay. Similarly, a well-crafted thesis helps the reader to understand the main idea of the research.

Research paper writing is a regular academic activity for high-school and university students. Writing a research paper develops reading, analytical, observation, and thinking skills. Some students just focus on writing the paper, while some give importance to the thesis statement. A good research paper should have the perfect combination of both.

Essay writing, along with research and thesis writing, is more technical as compared to creative writing. However, there is much difference between essays and research writing. An original research paper is based on new knowledge instead of summarizing what people know already. There are several ways to produce new knowledge, observations, experiments, and new approaches to solve the existing problems.

That’s why writing a thesis statement for a research paper holds much importance. And if you are the one always struggling to create a thesis statement for your research paper? No worries now! Here we will present to you How to Write a Thesis For a Research Paper?

Before moving on to developing a thesis statement for a research paper, it is essential to understand what exactly is a thesis statement. So, here we go.

What is a Thesis Statement?

In short thesis statement is the summary of your written research content. It offers insight into your research topic to the readers and makes them notice what the paper is all about. It enables the reader to understand your opinion or judgment about the main topic. To put it in a more simpler way, it provides the soul to your entire paper. Also, read how to make a thesis statement.

Academic writing utilizes various types of thesis statements. Some of the most used thesis words are – argumentative, expository, and analytical.

Argumentative Thesis Statement:

In this type, the reader takes a firm stand on the specific issue. So that he/she can persuade the readers about the particular issue.

Expository Thesis Statement:

Here, the reader provides the facts supporting the main idea of the research topic.  

Analytical Thesis Statement:

It is used to point out what you as a writer are analyzing in your entire written content.

The thesis statement is positioned just after the introductory paragraph. The reason to place it so early is to help readers understand your research goals, arguments, and direction the entire paper is moving. Get more information on, What is a Thesis Paper? Planning, Writing, and Formatting!

You can create a thesis statement for a research paper in a sentence or a few sentences. The length of the thesis statement depends upon your entire paper. The precise and to the point thesis statement makes your entire paper interesting and motivates the reader to go through your written content. So, it’s time to move on to How to Write a Thesis For a Research Paper?

How to Write a Working Thesis for a Research Paper

A working thesis is the first draft you make for your thesis statement. In simple words, it’s the statement while your writing is in progress. The final thesis statement is fully constructed after the completion of an entire paper.

A working thesis helps the researcher to approach the topic with the thesis statement in mind. The working thesis can be revised during the writing process as it offers more evidence.

Start constructing a working thesis after deriving the topic and asking relevant questions related to the topic. A working thesis works as a guiding tool to write the whole paper. The best part of a working thesis is that you can revise and disagree with it at any time to fulfill the essay requirements.

So writer knows the thesis can be changed according to the additional topics if required. Below you will see how to start constructing a working thesis and revise it to get the refined thesis statement.   

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How to Write a Good Thesis Statement for a Research Paper

Creating a thesis statement for a research paper should be taken seriously. It’s a result of a lengthy process of creating the entire research paper. Before forming a thesis for a research paper, extensive research should be done. Moreover, you must have factual evidence to support your arguments in the paper.

The steps involved to developing a great thesis statement for a research paper:

1. Start With the Research Question

The research question is the basic point for making a thesis for a research paper. Once you have brainstormed what will be your research question, you can focus on more targeted research. And it will help you to develop a thesis statement.

Let’s understand it by examples of thesis for a research paper; a research question would be, “what effect does social media have on people’s minds?” The specific research question helps you to write a strong and sound thesis statement to address this question.

2. Try to Frame a Thesis Statement Directly Addressing the Research Question

Once you have identified the research question, you can start the process of preliminary research on the topic. That will help you to develop a tentative thesis statement. At this stage, you can have the rough draft of the thesis statement, which will help you to plan and guide towards your entire paper.

If your paper expects you to take the stand on the topic, you can express your stance in your tentative thesis statement. Based on the research question stated above, a working expository thesis would be,

“Extensive use of social media results in disrupted and delayed sleep affecting the health drastically.”

3. Support of Your Statement With Factual Evidence and Reasoning

This is the stage where your research process is getting the sound direction. The rough thesis statement acts as a guiding factor, and you can go through existing literature to support your statement.  

When you collect the facts and evidence in support of your arguments throughout the research process, it’s time to refine your rough thesis statement. The final thesis statement may have the main points of your arguments, along with a conclusion if required.

Based on the example given above, the final thesis statement would be,

“According to US medical reports, people who habitually spend more time on social media are prone to experience mental health disorders such as depression, stress, and anxiety as compared to those who do not.”    

4. Anticipate Counterarguments

This step is always useful when you are using the argumentative thesis statement. Anticipating the counterarguments to your topic of research will help you to refine your thesis statement further. Moreover, it helps to add complexity to your thesis statement. The counterarguments help you to develop your main arguments more stronger. 

The process of analyzing counterarguments helps you to determine the validity of your thesis statement. Your research is based on facts if your thesis does not have any counter-statement like the example given above. Get A Complete Research Paper Guide Here!

How to Write a Strong Thesis for a Research Paper

There are several aspects of a thesis statement that enhance its strength and soundness. The following criteria will help you to create a strong thesis statement:

1. A Strong Thesis Statement is Original

Avoid generic or formulaic thesis statements to ensure the reader’s engagement in your paper when creating a thesis statement. You must have constructed a thesis statement that reflects your original ideas. Besides, that strong thesis statement presents original or new aspects of the topic and sheds light on novel arguments.

2. A Strong Thesis Sentence is Clear and Precise

The thesis statement should directly specify the topic and direct to the point. Use clear and precise language while constructing a thesis statement and remove any ambiguity. Your stand or main argument must be specified clearly in the statement. That helps readers to understand in which direction the entire paper is heading. When your thesis has more than one sentence, try to make it coherent. Get here the best tips on how to write a case study?

3. A Strong Thesis Statement is Contentious

Always keep in mind the thesis statement should be debatable or contentious. A thesis statement is much more than a statement of facts, which is used to argue or assert the topic. The factual support of evidences and analysis makes the thesis statement strong. Try to devise the counterargument of your statement to check; it will help check the validity of your statement and make it stronger.   

Examples of How to Write a Thesis for a Research Paper

The research paper usually utilizes the expository thesis statement. Here we will go through some of the thesis statement examples for a research paper.

• Open Libraries are essential resources for communities and should be funded more heavily by local municipalities.
• An analysis of the university admission process shows one challenge facing counselors: admitting students with higher exam marks or students with strong extracurricular backgrounds.
• The United States spends more money on its military budget than all the industrialized nations combined.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases the risk of stroke and arterial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat).
• Work-Life Balance Corporations should provide more work-from-home opportunities and six-hour workdays so that office employees enjoy a better work-life balance and are become more productive when they are in the office.
• Reading develops a child’s mind by fostering comprehension skills, increasing vocabulary, and exposing them to new worlds they might not otherwise encounter. 

  See more: What is a case study?

How to Write a Thesis for an Argumentative Research Paper

Argumentative research papers express an extended argument or a particular thesis statement. As a writer, you need to build up an evidence-based case and take a clear position on the topic in the thesis statement. Argumentative papers are the most common types of essays asked to write by college students.

That’s the reason an argumentative thesis statement must showcase the topic of your research, your ideas or claim on the topic, and the logic behind taking the particular stance.

Conclusion

A thesis statement is an important aspect of the research paper. It helps readers understand an entire paper while providing direction to the writer in developing the research paper. The thesis statement also enhances the reader’s engagement in the whole paper.

Some students may still have doubts or further questions regarding the thesis statement. You can contact our professional experts on Eduessay.com if you need a thesis statement for a research paper. The friendly expert will guide you in your entire writing process and offer you with free thesis generator for a research paper.

They can even write the whole research paper for you if you cannot balance your personal and academic life. So, what are you waiting for? Now you know, how to write a thesis statement for a research paper.  It’s time to impress your teachers with impressive thesis statements.