Developing a Thesis Statement

Many papers you write require developing a thesis statement. In this section you’ll learn what a thesis statement is and how to write one.

Keep in mind that not all papers require thesis statements . If in doubt, please consult your instructor for assistance.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement . . .

  • Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic.
  • Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper.
  • Is focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper.
  • Is generally located near the end of the introduction ; sometimes, in a long paper, the thesis will be expressed in several sentences or in an entire paragraph.
  • Identifies the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you are using to support your argument.

Not all papers require thesis statements! Ask your instructor if you’re in doubt whether you need one.

Identify a topic

Your topic is the subject about which you will write. Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic; or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper.

Consider what your assignment asks you to do

Inform yourself about your topic, focus on one aspect of your topic, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts, generate a topic from an assignment.

Below are some possible topics based on sample assignments.

Sample assignment 1

Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II.

Identified topic

Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis

This topic avoids generalities such as “Spain” and “World War II,” addressing instead on Franco’s role (a specific aspect of “Spain”) and the diplomatic relations between the Allies and Axis (a specific aspect of World War II).

Sample assignment 2

Analyze one of Homer’s epic similes in the Iliad.

The relationship between the portrayal of warfare and the epic simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64.

This topic focuses on a single simile and relates it to a single aspect of the Iliad ( warfare being a major theme in that work).

Developing a Thesis Statement–Additional information

Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic, or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper. You’ll want to read your assignment carefully, looking for key terms that you can use to focus your topic.

Sample assignment: Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II Key terms: analyze, Spain’s neutrality, World War II

After you’ve identified the key words in your topic, the next step is to read about them in several sources, or generate as much information as possible through an analysis of your topic. Obviously, the more material or knowledge you have, the more possibilities will be available for a strong argument. For the sample assignment above, you’ll want to look at books and articles on World War II in general, and Spain’s neutrality in particular.

As you consider your options, you must decide to focus on one aspect of your topic. This means that you cannot include everything you’ve learned about your topic, nor should you go off in several directions. If you end up covering too many different aspects of a topic, your paper will sprawl and be unconvincing in its argument, and it most likely will not fulfull the assignment requirements.

For the sample assignment above, both Spain’s neutrality and World War II are topics far too broad to explore in a paper. You may instead decide to focus on Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis , which narrows down what aspects of Spain’s neutrality and World War II you want to discuss, as well as establishes a specific link between those two aspects.

Before you go too far, however, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts. Try to avoid topics that already have too much written about them (i.e., “eating disorders and body image among adolescent women”) or that simply are not important (i.e. “why I like ice cream”). These topics may lead to a thesis that is either dry fact or a weird claim that cannot be supported. A good thesis falls somewhere between the two extremes. To arrive at this point, ask yourself what is new, interesting, contestable, or controversial about your topic.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times . Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Derive a main point from topic

Once you have a topic, you will have to decide what the main point of your paper will be. This point, the “controlling idea,” becomes the core of your argument (thesis statement) and it is the unifying idea to which you will relate all your sub-theses. You can then turn this “controlling idea” into a purpose statement about what you intend to do in your paper.

Look for patterns in your evidence

Compose a purpose statement.

Consult the examples below for suggestions on how to look for patterns in your evidence and construct a purpose statement.

  • Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis
  • Franco turned to the Allies when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from the Axis

Possible conclusion:

Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: Franco’s desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power.

Purpose statement

This paper will analyze Franco’s diplomacy during World War II to see how it contributed to Spain’s neutrality.
  • The simile compares Simoisius to a tree, which is a peaceful, natural image.
  • The tree in the simile is chopped down to make wheels for a chariot, which is an object used in warfare.

At first, the simile seems to take the reader away from the world of warfare, but we end up back in that world by the end.

This paper will analyze the way the simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64 moves in and out of the world of warfare.

Derive purpose statement from topic

To find out what your “controlling idea” is, you have to examine and evaluate your evidence . As you consider your evidence, you may notice patterns emerging, data repeated in more than one source, or facts that favor one view more than another. These patterns or data may then lead you to some conclusions about your topic and suggest that you can successfully argue for one idea better than another.

For instance, you might find out that Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis, but when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from them, he turned to the Allies. As you read more about Franco’s decisions, you may conclude that Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: his desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power. Based on this conclusion, you can then write a trial thesis statement to help you decide what material belongs in your paper.

Sometimes you won’t be able to find a focus or identify your “spin” or specific argument immediately. Like some writers, you might begin with a purpose statement just to get yourself going. A purpose statement is one or more sentences that announce your topic and indicate the structure of the paper but do not state the conclusions you have drawn . Thus, you might begin with something like this:

  • This paper will look at modern language to see if it reflects male dominance or female oppression.
  • I plan to analyze anger and derision in offensive language to see if they represent a challenge of society’s authority.

At some point, you can turn a purpose statement into a thesis statement. As you think and write about your topic, you can restrict, clarify, and refine your argument, crafting your thesis statement to reflect your thinking.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Compose a draft thesis statement

If you are writing a paper that will have an argumentative thesis and are having trouble getting started, the techniques in the table below may help you develop a temporary or “working” thesis statement.

Begin with a purpose statement that you will later turn into a thesis statement.

Assignment: Discuss the history of the Reform Party and explain its influence on the 1990 presidential and Congressional election.

Purpose Statement: This paper briefly sketches the history of the grassroots, conservative, Perot-led Reform Party and analyzes how it influenced the economic and social ideologies of the two mainstream parties.

Question-to-Assertion

If your assignment asks a specific question(s), turn the question(s) into an assertion and give reasons why it is true or reasons for your opinion.

Assignment : What do Aylmer and Rappaccini have to be proud of? Why aren’t they satisfied with these things? How does pride, as demonstrated in “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” lead to unexpected problems?

Beginning thesis statement: Alymer and Rappaccinni are proud of their great knowledge; however, they are also very greedy and are driven to use their knowledge to alter some aspect of nature as a test of their ability. Evil results when they try to “play God.”

Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you plan to write.

Main idea: The reason some toys succeed in the market is that they appeal to the consumers’ sense of the ridiculous and their basic desire to laugh at themselves.

Make a list of the ideas that you want to include; consider the ideas and try to group them.

  • nature = peaceful
  • war matériel = violent (competes with 1?)
  • need for time and space to mourn the dead
  • war is inescapable (competes with 3?)

Use a formula to arrive at a working thesis statement (you will revise this later).

  • although most readers of _______ have argued that _______, closer examination shows that _______.
  • _______ uses _______ and _____ to prove that ________.
  • phenomenon x is a result of the combination of __________, __________, and _________.

What to keep in mind as you draft an initial thesis statement

Beginning statements obtained through the methods illustrated above can serve as a framework for planning or drafting your paper, but remember they’re not yet the specific, argumentative thesis you want for the final version of your paper. In fact, in its first stages, a thesis statement usually is ill-formed or rough and serves only as a planning tool.

As you write, you may discover evidence that does not fit your temporary or “working” thesis. Or you may reach deeper insights about your topic as you do more research, and you will find that your thesis statement has to be more complicated to match the evidence that you want to use.

You must be willing to reject or omit some evidence in order to keep your paper cohesive and your reader focused. Or you may have to revise your thesis to match the evidence and insights that you want to discuss. Read your draft carefully, noting the conclusions you have drawn and the major ideas which support or prove those conclusions. These will be the elements of your final thesis statement.

Sometimes you will not be able to identify these elements in your early drafts, but as you consider how your argument is developing and how your evidence supports your main idea, ask yourself, “ What is the main point that I want to prove/discuss? ” and “ How will I convince the reader that this is true? ” When you can answer these questions, then you can begin to refine the thesis statement.

Refine and polish the thesis statement

To get to your final thesis, you’ll need to refine your draft thesis so that it’s specific and arguable.

  • Ask if your draft thesis addresses the assignment
  • Question each part of your draft thesis
  • Clarify vague phrases and assertions
  • Investigate alternatives to your draft thesis

Consult the example below for suggestions on how to refine your draft thesis statement.

Sample Assignment

Choose an activity and define it as a symbol of American culture. Your essay should cause the reader to think critically about the society which produces and enjoys that activity.

  • Ask The phenomenon of drive-in facilities is an interesting symbol of american culture, and these facilities demonstrate significant characteristics of our society.This statement does not fulfill the assignment because it does not require the reader to think critically about society.
Drive-ins are an interesting symbol of American culture because they represent Americans’ significant creativity and business ingenuity.
Among the types of drive-in facilities familiar during the twentieth century, drive-in movie theaters best represent American creativity, not merely because they were the forerunner of later drive-ins and drive-throughs, but because of their impact on our culture: they changed our relationship to the automobile, changed the way people experienced movies, and changed movie-going into a family activity.
While drive-in facilities such as those at fast-food establishments, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize America’s economic ingenuity, they also have affected our personal standards.
While drive-in facilities such as those at fast- food restaurants, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize (1) Americans’ business ingenuity, they also have contributed (2) to an increasing homogenization of our culture, (3) a willingness to depersonalize relationships with others, and (4) a tendency to sacrifice quality for convenience.

This statement is now specific and fulfills all parts of the assignment. This version, like any good thesis, is not self-evident; its points, 1-4, will have to be proven with evidence in the body of the paper. The numbers in this statement indicate the order in which the points will be presented. Depending on the length of the paper, there could be one paragraph for each numbered item or there could be blocks of paragraph for even pages for each one.

Complete the final thesis statement

The bottom line.

As you move through the process of crafting a thesis, you’ll need to remember four things:

  • Context matters! Think about your course materials and lectures. Try to relate your thesis to the ideas your instructor is discussing.
  • As you go through the process described in this section, always keep your assignment in mind . You will be more successful when your thesis (and paper) responds to the assignment than if it argues a semi-related idea.
  • Your thesis statement should be precise, focused, and contestable ; it should predict the sub-theses or blocks of information that you will use to prove your argument.
  • Make sure that you keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Change your thesis as your paper evolves, because you do not want your thesis to promise more than your paper actually delivers.

In the beginning, the thesis statement was a tool to help you sharpen your focus, limit material and establish the paper’s purpose. When your paper is finished, however, the thesis statement becomes a tool for your reader. It tells the reader what you have learned about your topic and what evidence led you to your conclusion. It keeps the reader on track–well able to understand and appreciate your argument.

working thesis topic

Writing Process and Structure

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Getting Started with Your Paper

Interpreting Writing Assignments from Your Courses

Generating Ideas for

Creating an Argument

Thesis vs. Purpose Statements

Architecture of Arguments

Working with Sources

Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources

Using Literary Quotations

Citing Sources in Your Paper

Drafting Your Paper

Generating Ideas for Your Paper

Introductions

Paragraphing

Developing Strategic Transitions

Conclusions

Revising Your Paper

Peer Reviews

Reverse Outlines

Revising an Argumentative Paper

Revision Strategies for Longer Projects

Finishing Your Paper

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

How to Proofread your Paper

Writing Collaboratively

Collaborative and Group Writing

  • Translators
  • Graphic Designers

Solve

Please enter the email address you used for your account. Your sign in information will be sent to your email address after it has been verified.

25 Thesis Statement Examples That Will Make Writing a Breeze

JBirdwellBranson

Understanding what makes a good thesis statement is one of the major keys to writing a great research paper or argumentative essay. The thesis statement is where you make a claim that will guide you through your entire paper. If you find yourself struggling to make sense of your paper or your topic, then it's likely due to a weak thesis statement.

Let's take a minute to first understand what makes a solid thesis statement, and what key components you need to write one of your own.

Perfecting Your Thesis Statement

A thesis statement always goes at the beginning of the paper. It will typically be in the first couple of paragraphs of the paper so that it can introduce the body paragraphs, which are the supporting evidence for your thesis statement.

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.

Something that would be more debatable would be, "A puppy's cuteness is derived from its floppy ears, small body, and playfulness." These are three things that can be debated on. Some people might think that the cutest thing about puppies is the fact that they follow you around or that they're really soft and fuzzy.

All cuteness aside, you want to make sure that your thesis statement is not only debatable, but that it also actually thoroughly answers the research question that was posed. You always want to make sure that your evidence is supporting a claim that you made (and not the other way around). This is why it's crucial to read and research about a topic first and come to a conclusion later. If you try to get your research to fit your thesis statement, then it may not work out as neatly as you think. As you learn more, you discover more (and the outcome may not be what you originally thought).

Additionally, your thesis statement shouldn't be too big or too grand. It'll be hard to cover everything in a thesis statement like, "The federal government should act now on climate change." The topic is just too large to actually say something new and meaningful. Instead, a more effective thesis statement might be, "Local governments can combat climate change by providing citizens with larger recycling bins and offering local classes about composting and conservation." This is easier to work with because it's a smaller idea, but you can also discuss the overall topic that you might be interested in, which is climate change.

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.

Thesis statement examples

A quick note that these thesis statements have not been fully researched. These are merely examples to show you what a thesis statement might look like and how you can implement your own ideas into one that you think of independently. As such, you should not use these thesis statements for your own research paper purposes. They are meant to be used as examples only.

  • Vaccinations Because many children are unable to vaccinate due to illness, we must require that all healthy and able children be vaccinated in order to have herd immunity.
  • Educational Resources for Low-Income Students Schools should provide educational resources for low-income students during the summers so that they don't forget what they've learned throughout the school year.
  • School Uniforms School uniforms may be an upfront cost for families, but they eradicate the visual differences in income between students and provide a more egalitarian atmosphere at school.
  • Populism The rise in populism on the 2016 political stage was in reaction to increasing globalization, the decline of manufacturing jobs, and the Syrian refugee crisis.
  • Public Libraries Libraries are essential resources for communities and should be funded more heavily by local municipalities.
  • Cyber Bullying With more and more teens using smartphones and social media, cyber bullying is on the rise. Cyber bullying puts a lot of stress on many teens, and can cause depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. Parents should limit the usage of smart phones, monitor their children's online activity, and report any cyber bullying to school officials in order to combat this problem.
  • Medical Marijuana for Veterans Studies have shown that the use of medicinal marijuana has been helpful to veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Medicinal marijuana prescriptions should be legal in all states and provided to these veterans. Additional medical or therapy services should also be researched and implemented in order to help them re-integrate back into civilian life.
  • Work-Life Balance Corporations should provide more work from home opportunities and six-hour workdays so that office workers have a better work-life balance and are more likely to be productive when they are in the office.
  • Teaching Youths about Consensual Sex Although sex education that includes a discussion of consensual sex would likely lead to less sexual assault, parents need to teach their children the meaning of consent from a young age with age appropriate lessons.
  • Whether or Not to Attend University A degree from a university provides invaluable lessons on life and a future career, but not every high school student should be encouraged to attend a university directly after graduation. Some students may benefit from a trade school or a "gap year" where they can think more intensely about what it is they want to do for a career and how they can accomplish this.
  • Studying Abroad Studying abroad is one of the most culturally valuable experiences you can have in college. It is the only way to get completely immersed in another language and learn how other cultures and countries are different from your own.
  • Women's Body Image Magazines have done a lot in the last five years to include a more diverse group of models, but there is still a long way to go to promote a healthy woman's body image collectively as a culture.
  • Cigarette Tax Heavily taxing and increasing the price of cigarettes is essentially a tax on the poorest Americans, and it doesn't deter them from purchasing. Instead, the state and federal governments should target those economically disenfranchised with early education about the dangers of smoking.
  • Veganism A vegan diet, while a healthy and ethical way to consume food, indicates a position of privilege. It also limits you to other cultural food experiences if you travel around the world.
  • University Athletes Should be Compensated University athletes should be compensated for their service to the university, as it is difficult for these students to procure and hold a job with busy academic and athletic schedules. Many student athletes on scholarship also come from low-income neighborhoods and it is a struggle to make ends meet when they are participating in athletics.
  • Women in the Workforce Sheryl Sandberg makes a lot of interesting points in her best-selling book, Lean In , but she only addressed the very privileged working woman and failed to speak to those in lower-skilled, lower-wage jobs.
  • Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide should be legal and doctors should have the ability to make sure their patients have the end-of-life care that they want to receive.
  • Celebrity and Political Activism Although Taylor Swift's lyrics are indicative of a feminist perspective, she should be more politically active and vocal to use her position of power for the betterment of society.
  • The Civil War The insistence from many Southerners that the South seceded from the Union for states' rights versus the fact that they seceded for the purposes of continuing slavery is a harmful myth that still affects race relations today.
  • Blue Collar Workers Coal miners and other blue-collar workers whose jobs are slowly disappearing from the workforce should be re-trained in jobs in the technology sector or in renewable energy. A program to re-train these workers would not only improve local economies where jobs have been displaced, but would also lead to lower unemployment nationally.
  • Diversity in the Workforce Having a diverse group of people in an office setting leads to richer ideas, more cooperation, and more empathy between people with different skin colors or backgrounds.
  • Re-Imagining the Nuclear Family The nuclear family was traditionally defined as one mother, one father, and 2.5 children. This outdated depiction of family life doesn't quite fit with modern society. The definition of normal family life shouldn't be limited to two-parent households.
  • Digital Literacy Skills With more information readily available than ever before, it's crucial that students are prepared to examine the material they're reading and determine whether or not it's a good source or if it has misleading information. Teaching students digital literacy and helping them to understand the difference between opinion or propaganda from legitimate, real information is integral.
  • Beauty Pageants Beauty pageants are presented with the angle that they empower women. However, putting women in a swimsuit on a stage while simultaneously judging them on how well they answer an impossible question in a short period of time is cruel and purely for the amusement of men. Therefore, we should stop televising beauty pageants.
  • Supporting More Women to Run for a Political Position In order to get more women into political positions, more women must run for office. There must be a grassroots effort to educate women on how to run for office, who among them should run, and support for a future candidate for getting started on a political career.

Still stuck? Need some help with your thesis statement?

If you are still uncertain about how to write a thesis statement or what a good thesis statement is, be sure to consult with your teacher or professor to make sure you're on the right track. It's always a good idea to check in and make sure that your thesis statement is making a solid argument and that it can be supported by your research.

After you're done writing, it's important to have someone take a second look at your paper so that you can ensure there are no mistakes or errors. It's difficult to spot your own mistakes, which is why it's always recommended to have someone help you with the revision process, whether that's a teacher, the writing center at school, or a professional editor such as one from ServiceScape .

  • Academic Writing Advice
  • All Blog Posts
  • Writing Advice
  • Admissions Writing Advice
  • Book Writing Advice
  • Short Story Advice
  • Employment Writing Advice
  • Business Writing Advice
  • Web Content Advice
  • Article Writing Advice
  • Magazine Writing Advice
  • Grammar Advice
  • Dialect Advice
  • Editing Advice
  • Freelance Advice
  • Legal Writing Advice
  • Poetry Advice
  • Graphic Design Advice
  • Logo Design Advice
  • Translation Advice
  • Blog Reviews
  • Short Story Award Winners
  • Scholarship Winners

Need an academic editor before submitting your work?

Need an academic editor before submitting your work?

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

  • Knowledge Base
  • Dissertation
  • What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

Published on September 14, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on April 16, 2024.

A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master’s program or a capstone to a bachelor’s degree.

Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation , it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete. It relies on your ability to conduct research from start to finish: choosing a relevant topic , crafting a proposal , designing your research , collecting data , developing a robust analysis, drawing strong conclusions , and writing concisely .

Thesis template

You can also download our full thesis template in the format of your choice below. Our template includes a ready-made table of contents , as well as guidance for what each chapter should include. It’s easy to make it your own, and can help you get started.

Download Word template Download Google Docs template

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

upload-your-document-ai-proofreader

Table of contents

Thesis vs. thesis statement, how to structure a thesis, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your thesis, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about theses.

You may have heard the word thesis as a standalone term or as a component of academic writing called a thesis statement . Keep in mind that these are two very different things.

  • A thesis statement is a very common component of an essay, particularly in the humanities. It usually comprises 1 or 2 sentences in the introduction of your essay , and should clearly and concisely summarize the central points of your academic essay .
  • A thesis is a long-form piece of academic writing, often taking more than a full semester to complete. It is generally a degree requirement for Master’s programs, and is also sometimes required to complete a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts colleges.
  • In the US, a dissertation is generally written as a final step toward obtaining a PhD.
  • In other countries (particularly the UK), a dissertation is generally written at the bachelor’s or master’s level.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The final structure of your thesis depends on a variety of components, such as:

  • Your discipline
  • Your theoretical approach

Humanities theses are often structured more like a longer-form essay . Just like in an essay, you build an argument to support a central thesis.

In both hard and social sciences, theses typically include an introduction , literature review , methodology section ,  results section , discussion section , and conclusion section . These are each presented in their own dedicated section or chapter. In some cases, you might want to add an appendix .

Thesis examples

We’ve compiled a short list of thesis examples to help you get started.

  • Example thesis #1:   “Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the ‘Noble Savage’ on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807” by Suchait Kahlon.
  • Example thesis #2: “’A Starving Man Helping Another Starving Man’: UNRRA, India, and the Genesis of Global Relief, 1943-1947″ by Julian Saint Reiman.

The very first page of your thesis contains all necessary identifying information, including:

  • Your full title
  • Your full name
  • Your department
  • Your institution and degree program
  • Your submission date.

Sometimes the title page also includes your student ID, the name of your supervisor, or the university’s logo. Check out your university’s guidelines if you’re not sure.

Read more about title pages

The acknowledgements section is usually optional. Its main point is to allow you to thank everyone who helped you in your thesis journey, such as supervisors, friends, or family. You can also choose to write a preface , but it’s typically one or the other, not both.

Read more about acknowledgements Read more about prefaces

An abstract is a short summary of your thesis. Usually a maximum of 300 words long, it’s should include brief descriptions of your research objectives , methods, results, and conclusions. Though it may seem short, it introduces your work to your audience, serving as a first impression of your thesis.

Read more about abstracts

A table of contents lists all of your sections, plus their corresponding page numbers and subheadings if you have them. This helps your reader seamlessly navigate your document.

Your table of contents should include all the major parts of your thesis. In particular, don’t forget the the appendices. If you used heading styles, it’s easy to generate an automatic table Microsoft Word.

Read more about tables of contents

While not mandatory, if you used a lot of tables and/or figures, it’s nice to include a list of them to help guide your reader. It’s also easy to generate one of these in Word: just use the “Insert Caption” feature.

Read more about lists of figures and tables

If you have used a lot of industry- or field-specific abbreviations in your thesis, you should include them in an alphabetized list of abbreviations . This way, your readers can easily look up any meanings they aren’t familiar with.

Read more about lists of abbreviations

Relatedly, if you find yourself using a lot of very specialized or field-specific terms that may not be familiar to your reader, consider including a glossary . Alphabetize the terms you want to include with a brief definition.

Read more about glossaries

An introduction sets up the topic, purpose, and relevance of your thesis, as well as expectations for your reader. This should:

  • Ground your research topic , sharing any background information your reader may need
  • Define the scope of your work
  • Introduce any existing research on your topic, situating your work within a broader problem or debate
  • State your research question(s)
  • Outline (briefly) how the remainder of your work will proceed

In other words, your introduction should clearly and concisely show your reader the “what, why, and how” of your research.

Read more about introductions

A literature review helps you gain a robust understanding of any extant academic work on your topic, encompassing:

  • Selecting relevant sources
  • Determining the credibility of your sources
  • Critically evaluating each of your sources
  • Drawing connections between sources, including any themes, patterns, conflicts, or gaps

A literature review is not merely a summary of existing work. Rather, your literature review should ultimately lead to a clear justification for your own research, perhaps via:

  • Addressing a gap in the literature
  • Building on existing knowledge to draw new conclusions
  • Exploring a new theoretical or methodological approach
  • Introducing a new solution to an unresolved problem
  • Definitively advocating for one side of a theoretical debate

Read more about literature reviews

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework, but these are not the same thing. A theoretical framework defines and analyzes the concepts and theories that your research hinges on.

Read more about theoretical frameworks

Your methodology chapter shows your reader how you conducted your research. It should be written clearly and methodically, easily allowing your reader to critically assess the credibility of your argument. Furthermore, your methods section should convince your reader that your method was the best way to answer your research question.

A methodology section should generally include:

  • Your overall approach ( quantitative vs. qualitative )
  • Your research methods (e.g., a longitudinal study )
  • Your data collection methods (e.g., interviews or a controlled experiment
  • Any tools or materials you used (e.g., computer software)
  • The data analysis methods you chose (e.g., statistical analysis , discourse analysis )
  • A strong, but not defensive justification of your methods

Read more about methodology sections

Your results section should highlight what your methodology discovered. These two sections work in tandem, but shouldn’t repeat each other. While your results section can include hypotheses or themes, don’t include any speculation or new arguments here.

Your results section should:

  • State each (relevant) result with any (relevant) descriptive statistics (e.g., mean , standard deviation ) and inferential statistics (e.g., test statistics , p values )
  • Explain how each result relates to the research question
  • Determine whether the hypothesis was supported

Additional data (like raw numbers or interview transcripts ) can be included as an appendix . You can include tables and figures, but only if they help the reader better understand your results.

Read more about results sections

Your discussion section is where you can interpret your results in detail. Did they meet your expectations? How well do they fit within the framework that you built? You can refer back to any relevant source material to situate your results within your field, but leave most of that analysis in your literature review.

For any unexpected results, offer explanations or alternative interpretations of your data.

Read more about discussion sections

Your thesis conclusion should concisely answer your main research question. It should leave your reader with an ultra-clear understanding of your central argument, and emphasize what your research specifically has contributed to your field.

Why does your research matter? What recommendations for future research do you have? Lastly, wrap up your work with any concluding remarks.

Read more about conclusions

In order to avoid plagiarism , don’t forget to include a full reference list at the end of your thesis, citing the sources that you used. Choose one citation style and follow it consistently throughout your thesis, taking note of the formatting requirements of each style.

Which style you choose is often set by your department or your field, but common styles include MLA , Chicago , and APA.

Create APA citations Create MLA citations

In order to stay clear and concise, your thesis should include the most essential information needed to answer your research question. However, chances are you have many contributing documents, like interview transcripts or survey questions . These can be added as appendices , to save space in the main body.

Read more about appendices

Once you’re done writing, the next part of your editing process begins. Leave plenty of time for proofreading and editing prior to submission. Nothing looks worse than grammar mistakes or sloppy spelling errors!

Consider using a professional thesis editing service or grammar checker to make sure your final project is perfect.

Once you’ve submitted your final product, it’s common practice to have a thesis defense, an oral component of your finished work. This is scheduled by your advisor or committee, and usually entails a presentation and Q&A session.

After your defense , your committee will meet to determine if you deserve any departmental honors or accolades. However, keep in mind that defenses are usually just a formality. If there are any serious issues with your work, these should be resolved with your advisor way before a defense.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Research bias

  • Survivorship bias
  • Self-serving bias
  • Availability heuristic
  • Halo effect
  • Hindsight bias
  • Deep learning
  • Generative AI
  • Machine learning
  • Reinforcement learning
  • Supervised vs. unsupervised learning

 (AI) Tools

  • Grammar Checker
  • Paraphrasing Tool
  • Text Summarizer
  • AI Detector
  • Plagiarism Checker
  • Citation Generator

The conclusion of your thesis or dissertation shouldn’t take up more than 5–7% of your overall word count.

If you only used a few abbreviations in your thesis or dissertation , you don’t necessarily need to include a list of abbreviations .

If your abbreviations are numerous, or if you think they won’t be known to your audience, it’s never a bad idea to add one. They can also improve readability, minimizing confusion about abbreviations unfamiliar to your reader.

When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:

  • Your anticipated title
  • Your abstract
  • Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review , research methods , avenues for future research, etc.)

A thesis is typically written by students finishing up a bachelor’s or Master’s degree. Some educational institutions, particularly in the liberal arts, have mandatory theses, but they are often not mandatory to graduate from bachelor’s degrees. It is more common for a thesis to be a graduation requirement from a Master’s degree.

Even if not mandatory, you may want to consider writing a thesis if you:

  • Plan to attend graduate school soon
  • Have a particular topic you’d like to study more in-depth
  • Are considering a career in research
  • Would like a capstone experience to tie up your academic experience

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

George, T. (2024, April 16). What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved July 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/thesis/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

Tegan George

Other students also liked, dissertation & thesis outline | example & free templates, writing strong research questions | criteria & examples, 10 research question examples to guide your research project, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

 

A sentence, typically appearing in the introduction of the essay, that states the writer’s position or argument regarding the topic of the essay. The statement is usually in the form of a claim that could be disputed by others. The thesis statement prepares the reader for the arguments and information that will follow in the essay. It typically provides a succinct response to the question the writer wishes to answer with the essay.

 

A working thesis statement is a thesis statement that the writer adopts tentatively during the writing process as a means of guiding his or her research, reading and writing. A writer is likely to modify the working thesis statement based on insights and information gained in the writing process. As the writer develops the essay, the working thesis statement evolves into the definitive thesis statement of the final draft.

 

Questions a writer develops and keeps in mind while finding and reading sources in the early stages of developing a working thesis statement. These questions will help focus attention on relevant features of sources, such as books or journals.

  • Resources Home 🏠
  • Try SciSpace Copilot
  • Search research papers
  • Add Copilot Extension
  • Try AI Detector
  • Try Paraphraser
  • Try Citation Generator
  • April Papers
  • June Papers
  • July Papers

SciSpace Resources

What is a thesis | A Complete Guide with Examples

Madalsa

Table of Contents

A thesis is a comprehensive academic paper based on your original research that presents new findings, arguments, and ideas of your study. It’s typically submitted at the end of your master’s degree or as a capstone of your bachelor’s degree.

However, writing a thesis can be laborious, especially for beginners. From the initial challenge of pinpointing a compelling research topic to organizing and presenting findings, the process is filled with potential pitfalls.

Therefore, to help you, this guide talks about what is a thesis. Additionally, it offers revelations and methodologies to transform it from an overwhelming task to a manageable and rewarding academic milestone.

What is a thesis?

A thesis is an in-depth research study that identifies a particular topic of inquiry and presents a clear argument or perspective about that topic using evidence and logic.

Writing a thesis showcases your ability of critical thinking, gathering evidence, and making a compelling argument. Integral to these competencies is thorough research, which not only fortifies your propositions but also confers credibility to your entire study.

Furthermore, there's another phenomenon you might often confuse with the thesis: the ' working thesis .' However, they aren't similar and shouldn't be used interchangeably.

A working thesis, often referred to as a preliminary or tentative thesis, is an initial version of your thesis statement. It serves as a draft or a starting point that guides your research in its early stages.

As you research more and gather more evidence, your initial thesis (aka working thesis) might change. It's like a starting point that can be adjusted as you learn more. It's normal for your main topic to change a few times before you finalize it.

While a thesis identifies and provides an overarching argument, the key to clearly communicating the central point of that argument lies in writing a strong thesis statement.

What is a thesis statement?

A strong thesis statement (aka thesis sentence) is a concise summary of the main argument or claim of the paper. It serves as a critical anchor in any academic work, succinctly encapsulating the primary argument or main idea of the entire paper.

Typically found within the introductory section, a strong thesis statement acts as a roadmap of your thesis, directing readers through your arguments and findings. By delineating the core focus of your investigation, it offers readers an immediate understanding of the context and the gravity of your study.

Furthermore, an effectively crafted thesis statement can set forth the boundaries of your research, helping readers anticipate the specific areas of inquiry you are addressing.

Different types of thesis statements

A good thesis statement is clear, specific, and arguable. Therefore, it is necessary for you to choose the right type of thesis statement for your academic papers.

Thesis statements can be classified based on their purpose and structure. Here are the primary types of thesis statements:

Argumentative (or Persuasive) thesis statement

Purpose : To convince the reader of a particular stance or point of view by presenting evidence and formulating a compelling argument.

Example : Reducing plastic use in daily life is essential for environmental health.

Analytical thesis statement

Purpose : To break down an idea or issue into its components and evaluate it.

Example : By examining the long-term effects, social implications, and economic impact of climate change, it becomes evident that immediate global action is necessary.

Expository (or Descriptive) thesis statement

Purpose : To explain a topic or subject to the reader.

Example : The Great Depression, spanning the 1930s, was a severe worldwide economic downturn triggered by a stock market crash, bank failures, and reduced consumer spending.

Cause and effect thesis statement

Purpose : To demonstrate a cause and its resulting effect.

Example : Overuse of smartphones can lead to impaired sleep patterns, reduced face-to-face social interactions, and increased levels of anxiety.

Compare and contrast thesis statement

Purpose : To highlight similarities and differences between two subjects.

Example : "While both novels '1984' and 'Brave New World' delve into dystopian futures, they differ in their portrayal of individual freedom, societal control, and the role of technology."

When you write a thesis statement , it's important to ensure clarity and precision, so the reader immediately understands the central focus of your work.

What is the difference between a thesis and a thesis statement?

While both terms are frequently used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings.

A thesis refers to the entire research document, encompassing all its chapters and sections. In contrast, a thesis statement is a brief assertion that encapsulates the central argument of the research.

Here’s an in-depth differentiation table of a thesis and a thesis statement.

Aspect

Thesis

Thesis Statement

Definition

An extensive document presenting the author's research and findings, typically for a degree or professional qualification.

A concise sentence or two in an essay or research paper that outlines the main idea or argument.  

Position

It’s the entire document on its own.

Typically found at the end of the introduction of an essay, research paper, or thesis.

Components

Introduction, methodology, results, conclusions, and bibliography or references.

Doesn't include any specific components

Purpose

Provides detailed research, presents findings, and contributes to a field of study. 

To guide the reader about the main point or argument of the paper or essay.

Now, to craft a compelling thesis, it's crucial to adhere to a specific structure. Let’s break down these essential components that make up a thesis structure

15 components of a thesis structure

Navigating a thesis can be daunting. However, understanding its structure can make the process more manageable.

Here are the key components or different sections of a thesis structure:

Your thesis begins with the title page. It's not just a formality but the gateway to your research.

title-page-of-a-thesis

Here, you'll prominently display the necessary information about you (the author) and your institutional details.

  • Title of your thesis
  • Your full name
  • Your department
  • Your institution and degree program
  • Your submission date
  • Your Supervisor's name (in some cases)
  • Your Department or faculty (in some cases)
  • Your University's logo (in some cases)
  • Your Student ID (in some cases)

In a concise manner, you'll have to summarize the critical aspects of your research in typically no more than 200-300 words.

Abstract-section-of-a-thesis

This includes the problem statement, methodology, key findings, and conclusions. For many, the abstract will determine if they delve deeper into your work, so ensure it's clear and compelling.

Acknowledgments

Research is rarely a solitary endeavor. In the acknowledgments section, you have the chance to express gratitude to those who've supported your journey.

Acknowledgement-section-of-a-thesis

This might include advisors, peers, institutions, or even personal sources of inspiration and support. It's a personal touch, reflecting the humanity behind the academic rigor.

Table of contents

A roadmap for your readers, the table of contents lists the chapters, sections, and subsections of your thesis.

Table-of-contents-of-a-thesis

By providing page numbers, you allow readers to navigate your work easily, jumping to sections that pique their interest.

List of figures and tables

Research often involves data, and presenting this data visually can enhance understanding. This section provides an organized listing of all figures and tables in your thesis.

List-of-tables-and-figures-in-a-thesis

It's a visual index, ensuring that readers can quickly locate and reference your graphical data.

Introduction

Here's where you introduce your research topic, articulate the research question or objective, and outline the significance of your study.

Introduction-section-of-a-thesis

  • Present the research topic : Clearly articulate the central theme or subject of your research.
  • Background information : Ground your research topic, providing any necessary context or background information your readers might need to understand the significance of your study.
  • Define the scope : Clearly delineate the boundaries of your research, indicating what will and won't be covered.
  • Literature review : Introduce any relevant existing research on your topic, situating your work within the broader academic conversation and highlighting where your research fits in.
  • State the research Question(s) or objective(s) : Clearly articulate the primary questions or objectives your research aims to address.
  • Outline the study's structure : Give a brief overview of how the subsequent sections of your work will unfold, guiding your readers through the journey ahead.

The introduction should captivate your readers, making them eager to delve deeper into your research journey.

Literature review section

Your study correlates with existing research. Therefore, in the literature review section, you'll engage in a dialogue with existing knowledge, highlighting relevant studies, theories, and findings.

Literature-review-section-thesis

It's here that you identify gaps in the current knowledge, positioning your research as a bridge to new insights.

To streamline this process, consider leveraging AI tools. For example, the SciSpace literature review tool enables you to efficiently explore and delve into research papers, simplifying your literature review journey.

Methodology

In the research methodology section, you’ll detail the tools, techniques, and processes you employed to gather and analyze data. This section will inform the readers about how you approached your research questions and ensures the reproducibility of your study.

Methodology-section-thesis

Here's a breakdown of what it should encompass:

  • Research Design : Describe the overall structure and approach of your research. Are you conducting a qualitative study with in-depth interviews? Or is it a quantitative study using statistical analysis? Perhaps it's a mixed-methods approach?
  • Data Collection : Detail the methods you used to gather data. This could include surveys, experiments, observations, interviews, archival research, etc. Mention where you sourced your data, the duration of data collection, and any tools or instruments used.
  • Sampling : If applicable, explain how you selected participants or data sources for your study. Discuss the size of your sample and the rationale behind choosing it.
  • Data Analysis : Describe the techniques and tools you used to process and analyze the data. This could range from statistical tests in quantitative research to thematic analysis in qualitative research.
  • Validity and Reliability : Address the steps you took to ensure the validity and reliability of your findings to ensure that your results are both accurate and consistent.
  • Ethical Considerations : Highlight any ethical issues related to your research and the measures you took to address them, including — informed consent, confidentiality, and data storage and protection measures.

Moreover, different research questions necessitate different types of methodologies. For instance:

  • Experimental methodology : Often used in sciences, this involves a controlled experiment to discern causality.
  • Qualitative methodology : Employed when exploring patterns or phenomena without numerical data. Methods can include interviews, focus groups, or content analysis.
  • Quantitative methodology : Concerned with measurable data and often involves statistical analysis. Surveys and structured observations are common tools here.
  • Mixed methods : As the name implies, this combines both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

The Methodology section isn’t just about detailing the methods but also justifying why they were chosen. The appropriateness of the methods in addressing your research question can significantly impact the credibility of your findings.

Results (or Findings)

This section presents the outcomes of your research. It's crucial to note that the nature of your results may vary; they could be quantitative, qualitative, or a mix of both.

Results-section-thesis

Quantitative results often present statistical data, showcasing measurable outcomes, and they benefit from tables, graphs, and figures to depict these data points.

Qualitative results , on the other hand, might delve into patterns, themes, or narratives derived from non-numerical data, such as interviews or observations.

Regardless of the nature of your results, clarity is essential. This section is purely about presenting the data without offering interpretations — that comes later in the discussion.

In the discussion section, the raw data transforms into valuable insights.

Start by revisiting your research question and contrast it with the findings. How do your results expand, constrict, or challenge current academic conversations?

Dive into the intricacies of the data, guiding the reader through its implications. Detail potential limitations transparently, signaling your awareness of the research's boundaries. This is where your academic voice should be resonant and confident.

Practical implications (Recommendation) section

Based on the insights derived from your research, this section provides actionable suggestions or proposed solutions.

Whether aimed at industry professionals or the general public, recommendations translate your academic findings into potential real-world actions. They help readers understand the practical implications of your work and how it can be applied to effect change or improvement in a given field.

When crafting recommendations, it's essential to ensure they're feasible and rooted in the evidence provided by your research. They shouldn't merely be aspirational but should offer a clear path forward, grounded in your findings.

The conclusion provides closure to your research narrative.

It's not merely a recap but a synthesis of your main findings and their broader implications. Reconnect with the research questions or hypotheses posited at the beginning, offering clear answers based on your findings.

Conclusion-section-thesis

Reflect on the broader contributions of your study, considering its impact on the academic community and potential real-world applications.

Lastly, the conclusion should leave your readers with a clear understanding of the value and impact of your study.

References (or Bibliography)

Every theory you've expounded upon, every data point you've cited, and every methodological precedent you've followed finds its acknowledgment here.

References-section-thesis

In references, it's crucial to ensure meticulous consistency in formatting, mirroring the specific guidelines of the chosen citation style .

Proper referencing helps to avoid plagiarism , gives credit to original ideas, and allows readers to explore topics of interest. Moreover, it situates your work within the continuum of academic knowledge.

To properly cite the sources used in the study, you can rely on online citation generator tools  to generate accurate citations!

Here’s more on how you can cite your sources.

Often, the depth of research produces a wealth of material that, while crucial, can make the core content of the thesis cumbersome. The appendix is where you mention extra information that supports your research but isn't central to the main text.

Appendices-section-thesis

Whether it's raw datasets, detailed procedural methodologies, extended case studies, or any other ancillary material, the appendices ensure that these elements are archived for reference without breaking the main narrative's flow.

For thorough researchers and readers keen on meticulous details, the appendices provide a treasure trove of insights.

Glossary (optional)

In academics, specialized terminologies, and jargon are inevitable. However, not every reader is versed in every term.

The glossary, while optional, is a critical tool for accessibility. It's a bridge ensuring that even readers from outside the discipline can access, understand, and appreciate your work.

Glossary-section-of-a-thesis

By defining complex terms and providing context, you're inviting a wider audience to engage with your research, enhancing its reach and impact.

Remember, while these components provide a structured framework, the essence of your thesis lies in the originality of your ideas, the rigor of your research, and the clarity of your presentation.

As you craft each section, keep your readers in mind, ensuring that your passion and dedication shine through every page.

Thesis examples

To further elucidate the concept of a thesis, here are illustrative examples from various fields:

Example 1 (History): Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the ‘Noble Savage’ on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807 by Suchait Kahlon.
Example 2 (Climate Dynamics): Influence of external forcings on abrupt millennial-scale climate changes: a statistical modelling study by Takahito Mitsui · Michel Crucifix

Checklist for your thesis evaluation

Evaluating your thesis ensures that your research meets the standards of academia. Here's an elaborate checklist to guide you through this critical process.

Content and structure

  • Is the thesis statement clear, concise, and debatable?
  • Does the introduction provide sufficient background and context?
  • Is the literature review comprehensive, relevant, and well-organized?
  • Does the methodology section clearly describe and justify the research methods?
  • Are the results/findings presented clearly and logically?
  • Does the discussion interpret the results in light of the research question and existing literature?
  • Is the conclusion summarizing the research and suggesting future directions or implications?

Clarity and coherence

  • Is the writing clear and free of jargon?
  • Are ideas and sections logically connected and flowing?
  • Is there a clear narrative or argument throughout the thesis?

Research quality

  • Is the research question significant and relevant?
  • Are the research methods appropriate for the question?
  • Is the sample size (if applicable) adequate?
  • Are the data analysis techniques appropriate and correctly applied?
  • Are potential biases or limitations addressed?

Originality and significance

  • Does the thesis contribute new knowledge or insights to the field?
  • Is the research grounded in existing literature while offering fresh perspectives?

Formatting and presentation

  • Is the thesis formatted according to institutional guidelines?
  • Are figures, tables, and charts clear, labeled, and referenced in the text?
  • Is the bibliography or reference list complete and consistently formatted?
  • Are appendices relevant and appropriately referenced in the main text?

Grammar and language

  • Is the thesis free of grammatical and spelling errors?
  • Is the language professional, consistent, and appropriate for an academic audience?
  • Are quotations and paraphrased material correctly cited?

Feedback and revision

  • Have you sought feedback from peers, advisors, or experts in the field?
  • Have you addressed the feedback and made the necessary revisions?

Overall assessment

  • Does the thesis as a whole feel cohesive and comprehensive?
  • Would the thesis be understandable and valuable to someone in your field?

Ensure to use this checklist to leave no ground for doubt or missed information in your thesis.

After writing your thesis, the next step is to discuss and defend your findings verbally in front of a knowledgeable panel. You’ve to be well prepared as your professors may grade your presentation abilities.

Preparing your thesis defense

A thesis defense, also known as "defending the thesis," is the culmination of a scholar's research journey. It's the final frontier, where you’ll present their findings and face scrutiny from a panel of experts.

Typically, the defense involves a public presentation where you’ll have to outline your study, followed by a question-and-answer session with a committee of experts. This committee assesses the validity, originality, and significance of the research.

The defense serves as a rite of passage for scholars. It's an opportunity to showcase expertise, address criticisms, and refine arguments. A successful defense not only validates the research but also establishes your authority as a researcher in your field.

Here’s how you can effectively prepare for your thesis defense .

Now, having touched upon the process of defending a thesis, it's worth noting that scholarly work can take various forms, depending on academic and regional practices.

One such form, often paralleled with the thesis, is the 'dissertation.' But what differentiates the two?

Dissertation vs. Thesis

Often used interchangeably in casual discourse, they refer to distinct research projects undertaken at different levels of higher education.

To the uninitiated, understanding their meaning might be elusive. So, let's demystify these terms and delve into their core differences.

Here's a table differentiating between the two.

Aspect

Thesis

Dissertation

Purpose

Often for a master's degree, showcasing a grasp of existing research

Primarily for a doctoral degree, contributing new knowledge to the field

Length

100 pages, focusing on a specific topic or question.

400-500 pages, involving deep research and comprehensive findings

Research Depth

Builds upon existing research

Involves original and groundbreaking research

Advisor's Role

Guides the research process

Acts more as a consultant, allowing the student to take the lead

Outcome

Demonstrates understanding of the subject

Proves capability to conduct independent and original research

Wrapping up

From understanding the foundational concept of a thesis to navigating its various components, differentiating it from a dissertation, and recognizing the importance of proper citation — this guide covers it all.

As scholars and readers, understanding these nuances not only aids in academic pursuits but also fosters a deeper appreciation for the relentless quest for knowledge that drives academia.

It’s important to remember that every thesis is a testament to curiosity, dedication, and the indomitable spirit of discovery.

Good luck with your thesis writing!

Frequently Asked Questions

A thesis typically ranges between 40-80 pages, but its length can vary based on the research topic, institution guidelines, and level of study.

A PhD thesis usually spans 200-300 pages, though this can vary based on the discipline, complexity of the research, and institutional requirements.

To identify a thesis topic, consider current trends in your field, gaps in existing literature, personal interests, and discussions with advisors or mentors. Additionally, reviewing related journals and conference proceedings can provide insights into potential areas of exploration.

The conceptual framework is often situated in the literature review or theoretical framework section of a thesis. It helps set the stage by providing the context, defining key concepts, and explaining the relationships between variables.

A thesis statement should be concise, clear, and specific. It should state the main argument or point of your research. Start by pinpointing the central question or issue your research addresses, then condense that into a single statement, ensuring it reflects the essence of your paper.

You might also like

Boosting Citations: A Comparative Analysis of Graphical Abstract vs. Video Abstract

Boosting Citations: A Comparative Analysis of Graphical Abstract vs. Video Abstract

Sumalatha G

The Impact of Visual Abstracts on Boosting Citations

Introducing SciSpace’s Citation Booster To Increase Research Visibility

Introducing SciSpace’s Citation Booster To Increase Research Visibility

Module 6: The Writing Process

Developing a working thesis statement, learning objectives.

  • Evaluate the role of a working thesis statement

Thesis Angles

Most writers can easily create a topic: squirrels in urban spaces, television viewing and young people, the Patriot Act and democracy, or tragedy in Shakespeare’s Hamlet . The more difficult part is creating an angle, or your major claim about a topic. The angle is necessary for your readers as a means of creating interest and indicating the type and organization of the information to follow. Remember that a basic thesis sentence has both a topic and an angle. The topic is what you’re writing about, but the angle covers the main idea of what you’re conveying about that topic.

For example, in the following thesis, the topic is exercise, and the angle is that it leads to benefits:

  • A regular exercise regime leads to multiple physical and emotional benefits.

Hover your cursor over the circles below to read more about thesis angles.

Let’s take a look at a thesis statement.

  • College students have experiences.

As a reader, you understand intuitively that the writer will deal with the different types of experiences that adult college students may have. However, you may not know what is significant about this age group and why it matters. How can we be more specific about who we are writing about and what is interesting about the topic? Let’s take a look at a revision that is a bit more specific.

  • College students over 30 have different work experiences that benefit their studies.

See the difference? We now have a specific topic (college students over 30) and a specific angle (their work experiences) along with why it matters (their work history will benefit their student skills). Realize that a thesis sentence offers a range of possibilities for specificity and organization. As a writer, you may opt to pique reader interest by being very specific or not fully specific in your thesis sentence. The point here is that there’s no one standard way to write a thesis sentence.

Sometimes a writer is more or less specific depending on the reading audience and the effect the writer wants to create. Sometimes a writer puts the angle first and the topic last in the sentence, or sometimes the angle is even implied. You need to gauge your reading audience and you need to understand your own style as a writer. The only basic requirements are that the thesis sentence needs a topic and an angle. The rest is up to you.

This video reviews the importance of thesis statements and provides examples of how good thesis statements can guide your essay.

You can find the transcript for “How to Write a Killer Thesis Statement by Shmoop” here (opens in new window) .

Thesis Creation

At what point do you write a thesis sentence? Of course, this varies from writer to writer and from writing assignment to writing assignment. You’ll usually do some preliminary idea development first, before a thesis idea emerges. And you’ll usually have a working thesis before you do the bulk of your research, or before you fully create the supporting details for your writing.

Think of the thesis as the mid-point of an hourglass.

You develop ideas for writing and prewriting, using various strategies, until a main idea or assertion emerges. This main idea or assertion becomes your point to prove—your working thesis sentence.

Once you have a working thesis sentence with your main idea, you can then develop more support for that idea, but in a more focused way that deepens your thinking about the thesis angle.

Realize that a thesis is really a working thesis until you finalize the writing. As you do more focused research, or develop more focused support, your thesis may change a bit. Just make sure that you retain the basic thesis characteristics of topic and angle.

Thesis Checklist

When you draft a working thesis, it can be helpful to review the guidelines for a strong thesis. The following checklist is a helpful tool you can use to check your thesis once you have it drafted. Click through these slides to see a sample of a thesis checklist.

Common Problems

Although you have creative control over your thesis sentence, you still should try to avoid the following problems, not for stylistic reasons, but because they indicate a problem in the thinking that underlies the thesis sentence.

Thesis Problems

Thesis too broad.

Hospice workers need more support.

The sentence above actually is a thesis sentence; it has a topic (hospice workers) and an angle (need support). But the angle is too broad. When the angle in a thesis sentence is too broad, the writer needs to add specific support for the topic. A thesis angle that’s too broad may lead to a disorganized paper or you may lose sight of what you are trying to examine as a writer.

Thesis too narrow

Hospice workers at the PeaceHealth Center have a 55% turnover rate compared to the general health care population’s 25% turnover rate.

The above sentence reads like a narrow statistic, or a narrow statement of fact, and does not offer the writer’s own ideas or analysis about a topic. A clearer example of a thesis statement with an angle of development would be the following:

The high turnover rate in hospice workers (55 percent) compared to the general health care population (25 percent) indicates a need to develop support systems to reverse this trend.

This thesis moves us away from one location, and adds an idea on how to “reverse this trend.” The readers will not only learn about the topic, they will also understand the angle of the writer.

Where to Place a Thesis?

For writers in the United States, it is customary for most academic writers to put the thesis sentence somewhere toward the start of the essay or research paper. The focus here is on offering the main results of your own thinking in your thesis angle and then providing evidence in the writing to support your thinking.

A legal comparison might help to understand thesis placement. If you have seen television shows or movies with courtroom scenes, the lawyer usually starts out by saying, “My client is innocent!” to set the scene, and then provides different types of evidence to support that argument. Academic writing in the United States is similar; your thesis sentence provides your main assertion to set the scene of the writing, and then the details and evidence in the rest of the writing support the assertion in the thesis sentence.

As a writer, you have the option of placing the thesis anywhere in the writing. For college assignments, you may be asked to make the thesis sentence idea clear to your readers. College writers usually stick with “thesis sentence toward the start,” as it makes the thesis prominent in the writing.

Link to Learning

Need help understanding thesis statements? Try this thesis generator from SUNY Empire State College to help you make your thesis statement—just plug in some of the details, and it can help you come up with a solid foundation! This is where you can use some of your prewriting or brainstorming to plug in details to create a working thesis statement. This is a great resource you can use in other classes.

  • Parts of a Thesis Sentence. Provided by : Excelsior OWL. Located at : https://owl.excelsior.edu/writing-process/thesis-sentence/ . License : CC BY: Attribution
  • How To Write A Killer Thesis Statement by Shmoop. Authored by : Shmoop. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=8wxE8R_x5I0&feature=emb_logo . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

Footer Logo Lumen Waymaker

While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

  • Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
  • Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
  • Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
  • Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
  • Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
  • picture_as_pdf Thesis

Examples

Working Thesis Statement

Ai generator.

working thesis topic

Navigating the academic waters often starts with a working thesis – a preliminary statement guiding your research direction. As the bedrock of your argument, it’s vital to get it right from the outset. Whether you’re a budding researcher or an established academic, our comprehensive guide brimming with thesis Statement examples and pro-tips will illuminate the process of crafting an impactful working thesis. Dive in and set the tone for a compelling research journey!

What is a Working Thesis Statement?

A working thesis statement is a temporary or initial statement that reflects a writer’s argument or focus in the early stages of essay or research paper writing. It is considered “working” because it can undergo transformations as the writer delves deeper into research, gathers more information, and refines their perspective. Essentially, it serves as a starting point and may evolve as the research progresses and the writer gains a clearer understanding of the subject.  In addition, you should review our  problem thesis statement .

What is an example of a Working thesis statement?

Example: “Social media platforms have a significant impact on teenagers’ mental health.” As the writer proceeds with the research, this statement might be refined to specify the type of impact or narrow down which social media platforms are most influential.”

100 Working Thesis Statement Examples

Working Thesis Statement Examples

Size: 235 KB

Starting your research with a working thesis can guide your exploration and analysis. These provisional statements allow you to focus on different angles and will likely be revised as you dive deeper. The following are 100 working thesis statement examples to kickstart your brainstorming and research.

  • “Eating organic foods leads to better health.”
  • “Online learning has as much educational value as traditional classroom settings.”
  • “Video games have both negative and positive effects on the cognitive development of children.”
  • “Globalization has reshaped cultural identities worldwide.”
  • “Artificial intelligence will redefine the job market in the next decade.”
  • “Meditation has quantifiable benefits for mental health.”
  • “Climate change has accelerated due to industrial practices.”
  • “Remote work will become the norm for many industries post-pandemic.”
  • “Music therapy can be an effective treatment for certain mental disorders.”
  • “The gig economy has both pros and cons for the workforce.”
  • “Childhood exposure to multiple languages enhances cognitive abilities.”
  • “Modern architecture is influenced significantly by environmental considerations.”
  • “E-sports will soon rival traditional sports in viewership and revenue.”
  • “The feminist movement has evolved significantly in the 21st century.”
  • “Consumer behavior has been largely influenced by social media marketing.”
  • “The rise of streaming platforms is reshaping the music industry.”
  • “Mental health issues among teenagers have risen with the proliferation of smartphones.”
  • “Urban farming can be a sustainable solution for food deserts.”
  • “The future of transportation will be dominated by electric vehicles.”
  • “Renewable energy sources are now more economically viable than fossil fuels.”
  • “Telemedicine will revolutionize healthcare access in remote areas.”
  • “Digital currencies will change the dynamics of global trade.”
  • “Coral reefs are under imminent threat due to ocean acidification.”
  • “Space tourism will become a reality within this decade.”
  • “Virtual reality will transform education and training methodologies.”
  • “Bioplastics are a potential solution to the plastic waste crisis.”
  • “Plant-based diets can significantly reduce carbon footprints.”
  • “Mental health should be integrated into school curriculums.”
  • “Urban planning needs to prioritize pedestrian-friendly designs.”
  • “Modern parenting styles differ significantly from those of the previous generation.”
  • “Personalized learning will redefine educational outcomes.”
  • “Augmented reality will have varied applications beyond gaming.”
  • “Online privacy concerns will dictate future tech regulations.”
  • “Gene editing can revolutionize medical treatments but poses ethical dilemmas.”
  • “Ancient civilizations had advanced knowledge of astronomy.”
  • “Colonial histories have long-term impacts on national identities.”
  • “Alternative medicine practices need more rigorous scientific validation.”
  • “Artificial sweeteners may have unforeseen health implications.”
  • “Stress in modern societies originates from multiple sources.”
  • “The modern art movement is heavily influenced by global events.”
  • “Subscription models are becoming predominant in various industries.”
  • “Dietary choices are more influenced by cultural factors than health considerations.”
  • “Intermittent fasting has potential benefits beyond weight loss.”
  • “Personalized marketing will reshape consumer behaviors.”
  • “The sharing economy is transforming traditional business models.”
  • “Blockchain technology has applications beyond cryptocurrencies.”
  • “Animal-assisted therapies have notable success in various treatments.”
  • “The future of print media is in niche and localized publications.”
  • “Microfinance can be a tool for economic upliftment in developing countries.”
  • “Modern cinema is increasingly addressing global issues.”
  • “Digital detox is becoming necessary for mental well-being.”
  • “Resilience training should be a component of employee wellness programs.”
  • “Local tourism will see a boost in the post-pandemic world.”
  • “Public transportation systems need to adapt to post-COVID realities.”
  • “Elderly populations are facing increased isolation in the digital age.”
  • “Upcycling is becoming a significant trend in the fashion industry.”
  • “Holistic education emphasizes more than just academic achievement.”
  • “Water scarcity will be a leading global issue in the coming years.”
  • “The role of influencers is evolving in the digital marketing landscape.”
  • “The circadian rhythm has a profound effect on productivity.”
  • “Migratory patterns of animals are being altered by climate change.”
  • “Alternative protein sources will dominate future diets.”
  • “Nano-technology has the potential to revolutionize medicine.”
  • “Cultural appropriation in fashion needs a deeper understanding and sensitivity.”
  • “Digital literacy is becoming as essential as traditional literacy.”
  • “Robotics in surgery can enhance precision but requires ethical considerations.”
  • “The tradition of oral storytelling is being revived through modern platforms.”
  • “The notion of work-life balance is evolving with the rise of digital nomadism.”
  • “The digital divide can exacerbate educational inequalities.”
  • “Biodiversity conservation is crucial for ecosystem stability.”
  • “Personal branding is becoming essential in the modern job market.”
  • “Ethical consumerism can drive corporate responsibility.”
  • “Mindfulness practices can enhance workplace productivity.”
  • “The dynamics of international politics are shifting with the rise of regional powers.”
  • “Food preservation techniques are evolving with technology.”
  • “Historical fiction plays a role in shaping perceptions of the past.”
  • “Indigenous knowledge systems can complement modern science.”
  • “Commuter culture has significant environmental and health impacts.”
  • “Craftsmanship is finding its value in the age of mass production.”
  • “The role of museums is evolving to be more interactive and inclusive.”
  • “Edutainment platforms are making learning more accessible and enjoyable.”
  • “Youth activism is reshaping global policy discussions.”
  • “Multi-disciplinary approaches are the future of academic research.”
  • “Ecotourism can benefit local communities and conservation efforts.”
  • “Freelancing is challenging traditional employment norms.”
  • “Nature-based solutions can mitigate urban environmental challenges.”
  • “The gaming industry is becoming a leader in technological innovation.”
  • “Epigenetics is unlocking the mysteries of gene expression.”
  • “Digital archiving is essential for preserving cultural heritages.”
  • “Remote and flexible working models can have societal benefits.”
  • “Self-care routines are integral to holistic health.”
  • “Digital nomad visas are reshaping immigration policies.”
  • “Adaptive learning technologies cater to individual student needs.”
  • “Eco-friendly packaging is more than just a marketing trend.”
  • “Quantum computing holds the key to future tech innovations.”
  • “Multi-generational households have socio-economic benefits.”
  • “The revival of traditional arts can boost local economies.”
  • “Precision agriculture can optimize yields and reduce resource wastage.”
  • “Local languages are gaining prominence in digital content creation.”
  • “Human-centered design is the future of product innovation.”

Each of these working thesis statements can be further refined based on specific research, perspectives, and findings as one delves deeper into their chosen topic.

Working Thesis Statement Examples for Research Paper

Research papers demand precision, clarity, and a strong foundation. A working thesis statement for such a paper typically suggests a hypothesis or a primary point that will later be validated or disproved through evidence.

  • “Genetically modified foods present more benefits than potential harm.”
  • “Ocean acidification significantly impacts marine biodiversity.”
  • “Quantum computing will revolutionize data encryption methods.”
  • “Renewable energy solutions are more cost-effective than conventional fossil fuels.”
  • “The gut-brain connection plays a crucial role in mental health.”
  • “Childhood vaccinations have no proven links to autism.”
  • “Microplastics in water sources influence human health outcomes.”
  • “Historical art movements reflect the socio-political events of their times.”
  • “AI-driven diagnostic tools can predict diseases more accurately.”
  • “The frequency of extreme weather events correlates with global warming.”

Working from Home Thesis Statement Examples

The concept of working from home has grown exponentially in recent years. Thesis statements on this topic can explore the various facets, benefits, challenges, and implications of this trend.

  • “Working from home enhances employee productivity levels.”
  • “Remote work culture can lead to professional isolation and mental health challenges.”
  • “Flexible work schedules cater to global clientele more effectively.”
  • “Home-based work can reduce urban traffic congestion.”
  • “Technological infrastructure dictates the efficiency of remote work.”
  • “Work-life balance can be skewed in a prolonged work-from-home setup.”
  • “Virtual collaboration tools are reshaping corporate communication.”
  • “Remote work could impact urban real estate demands.”
  • “Cybersecurity challenges increase in decentralized work environments.”
  • “Training and orientation programs must evolve for remote work success.”

Working Thesis Statement Examples for Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay thesis statement that takes a strong position, which will then be supported or countered with evidence and arguments.

  • “Universities should make attendance optional for students.”
  • “Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable.”
  • “Compulsory military service strengthens national unity.”
  • “Social media platforms should be held accountable for user-generated content.”
  • “Single-gender schools do not offer educational benefits over co-ed institutions.”
  • “Animal testing for cosmetics should be banned globally.”
  • “Nuclear energy is essential for a carbon-free future.”
  • “Euthanasia should be legalized under strict conditions.”
  • “Organic farming can sustain global food demands.”
  • “Mandatory voting ensures true democratic representation.”

Working Thesis Statement Examples for Speech

For speeches, a working thesis should be compelling and captivating, giving audiences an idea of what to expect and why they should listen.

  • “Space exploration benefits humanity in unforeseen ways.”
  • “Digital detox weekends can rejuvenate the mind.”
  • “Public libraries remain essential in the digital age.”
  • “Sports foster essential life skills beyond physical fitness.”
  • “Mental health education should be integrated into school systems.”
  • “Consumerism drives ecological degradation.”
  • “Local tourism promotes cultural preservation.”
  • “Continuous learning is the key to professional success.”
  • “Ethical fashion is not a trend but a necessity.”
  • “The future of mobility is electric.”

Working Thesis Statement Examples for Essay

Essays can cover a broad spectrum of subjects, and the thesis will set the tone and direction of the content.

  • “Urban green spaces contribute to societal well-being.”
  • “Bilingualism offers cognitive and cultural advantages.”
  • “Digital privacy is a modern-day human right.”
  • “Classical literature provides insights into contemporary issues.”
  • “Embracing failures can lead to unexpected successes.”
  • “Community engagement is pivotal for sustainable development.”
  • “Ancient medical practices have relevance in modern treatments.”
  • “Creativity thrives under limitations.”
  • “Cultural festivals foster global unity.”
  • “Technology reshapes human interactions.”

Working Thesis Statement Examples for Technology Topics

In the rapidly evolving world of technology, a thesis statement can pinpoint specific trends, challenges, innovations, or implications.

  • “Augmented reality will revolutionize retail experiences.”
  • “Blockchain technology extends beyond the realm of finance.”
  • “Cybersecurity threats challenge global geopolitical dynamics.”
  • “5G technology will redefine connectivity standards.”
  • “Machine learning algorithms can perpetuate societal biases.”
  • “Quantum encryption may render current security protocols obsolete.”
  • “E-waste is the environmental challenge of the digital era.”
  • “Telehealth bridges the accessibility gap in medical services.”
  • “Smart cities prioritize sustainability and urban well-being.”
  • “Bioinformatics accelerates personalized medical treatments.”

Working Thesis Statement Examples for Film Analysis

Analyzing films requires a deep dive into themes, motifs, cinematography, character development, and cultural contexts. A thesis provides a lens through which the film will be reviewed.

  • “Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ explores the intricacies of obsession and identity.”
  • “Cinematography in ‘Blade Runner 2049’ reflects the dystopian themes of the narrative.”
  • “Disney’s ‘Mulan’ navigates the terrain of gender roles and societal expectations.”
  • “Satire in ‘Get Out’ addresses racial dynamics in contemporary society.”
  • “Sound design in ‘A Quiet Place’ intensifies the narrative’s suspense.”
  • “The nonlinear storyline of ‘Pulp Fiction’ challenges traditional narrative structures.”
  • “‘The Shape of Water’ delves into themes of love and otherness.”
  • “Cultural representations in ‘Coco’ underline the significance of family and traditions.”
  • “‘The Revenant’ showcases the rawness of human survival instincts.”
  • “Character development in ‘The Godfather’ mirrors societal power dynamics.

How do you start a working thesis statement?

Starting a working thesis statement is about identifying the primary point or argument you wish to convey in your paper. It often begins with understanding your topic, conducting preliminary research, and formulating an initial perspective. Here are the steps to get you started:

  • Understand Your Assignment: Read the guidelines provided for your essay or research paper. Understand the requirements and what is expected of you.
  • Choose a Specific Topic: A narrow, focused topic helps in forming a more precise thesis.
  • Conduct Preliminary Research: Before making your statement, get a general overview of your topic through initial research.
  • Ask Questions: Ponder over your topic. For instance, if you’re writing about “climate change,” you might ask, “What are the major contributors to climate change in urban areas?”
  • Draft a Provisional Statement: Write down your initial perspective based on your understanding. This doesn’t need to be perfect; it’s just a starting point.

How to Write a Working Thesis Statement? – Step by Step Guide

  • Start with a Question: Often, assignments come in the form of questions. For example, “How did the civil rights movement of the 1960s affect racial dynamics in the US?” Your thesis will be the answer to this question.
  • Be Specific: Avoid vague words and make sure your statement can’t be interpreted in multiple ways. For instance, instead of saying “Pollution is harmful,” you might say, “Industrial waste contributes significantly to ocean pollution.”
  • Stay Relevant: Ensure that your statement aligns with the content of your essay or research.
  • State an Argument: A thesis should not be a mere observation. It should present an arguable point which can be supported or opposed.
  • One Sentence: Try to condense your statement into one clear sentence. However, if necessary, it can be two sentences.
  • Refine and Revise: As you continue your research, keep refining your thesis. It’s called a “working” thesis for a reason – it’s subject to change.
  • Seek Feedback: Before finalizing, it’s beneficial to get feedback from peers, instructors, or mentors. They can offer a fresh perspective.

Tips for Writing a Working Thesis Statement

  • Keep It Debatable: A good thesis will always have an opposing side. If there’s no counter-argument to your statement, it might be too straightforward or a fact.
  • Avoid First-Person Pronouns: Phrases like “I believe” or “I think” make your statement seem more like an opinion than an arguable point.
  • Stay Clear of Generic Statements: Avoid clichés and general observations. Make sure your thesis offers a fresh and precise perspective on the topic.
  • Position Strategically: Place your thesis statement at the end of the introduction. It acts as a gateway to the rest of your work.
  • Ensure It’s Provable: Be sure that you can provide evidence to support your claim. If your statement is based on personal beliefs or values, it might not be suitable as a thesis.
  • Use Online Tools: There are online thesis generators that can help you refine your statement. They aren’t foolproof, but they can provide a good starting point.

Remember, a working thesis is called “working” because it can evolve. As you delve deeper into your research or writing, you might find more compelling ways to frame your argument. Always be open to revision – that’s the essence of great academic writing!

Twitter

Text prompt

  • Instructive
  • Professional

10 Examples of Public speaking

20 Examples of Gas lighting

Reference management. Clean and simple.

Is it a good thesis topic?

working thesis topic

Does the topic have a clear aim?

Is the topic researchable, is the topic original enough, will the topic be interesting to your audience.

  • What methodology will your topic require?

Additional criteria for a good thesis topic

Frequently asked questions about having a good thesis topic, related articles.

Before starting the actual research for your thesis, you need to make sure that your topic is well formed. Take a look at this list of questions to find out if your topic is ready to work on.

First things first, is your topic clear enough? The ideal path of deciding a topic starts by making it as comprehensive as possible. This is easier said than done, as people often have one idea in mind but another one in the paper.

Tip: To ensure that your topic is clear and comprehensible, try explaining it to a friend or colleague.

As James Hamilton, coach for Ph.D. students, concludes in his guide on finding a thesis topic “clarity is the key.” Therefore, we recommend explaining your topic to someone foreign to your field.

Dissect every part of the topic and describe them in the most simple way. This will help you see your topic from a different perspective. Once you have a simplified version, you can start adding layers of complexity.

Once you are sure the topic is crystal clear, it is time to find out the most important factor: does the topic offer enough information? If you came up with the topic from material you read before, or you heard about it in a lecture, it means the topic is probably highly researchable.

Use keywords related to your topic and search for them in:

  • library catalogs
  • academic databases
  • academic search engines
  • Google scholar
  • academic repositories

Consider meeting with an academic librarian, who can help you generate keywords.

Every thesis requires a level of originality but, let's be honest, research is never completely original. Still, why not make it as original as you can within your limits? You will dive in a sea of papers with a similar approach to yours. This is your chance of finding an angle that has never been taken before.

Therefore, we recommend finding a gap in the research, or a certain angle that has been done before but could be further developed. How? By simply paying particular attention to your sources.

Tip: To determine if your thesis topic is original, consider speaking with your advisor, or others in your field, who may know the research landscape really well.

Academic writing shouldn’t be boring. Depending on the level of your thesis, its appeal will vary. Identify the audience of your thesis and adapt its style and structure accordingly.

A bachelor’s thesis has to be interesting for the professor who grades it it. An MA thesis should attract your supervisor, and potential future employers. A Ph.D. thesis should strive to make a clear intervention in the field that will catch the attention of other scholars. It should engage peers, supervisor, and general researchers.

Once you know who you are writing for, it becomes easier to adapt your style to your target audience. We also recommend these 13 ways to make your writing more interesting to read.

W hat methodology will your topic require?

Picking a suitable research methodology is one of the most important components that can make a project fail or succeed.

Being aware of what type of outcome you want and how much time you have to conduct research will help you choose the right methodologies. For example, if you want qualitative data and you have enough time, then you can carry out a focus group.

If you want quantitative data in a short period of time then an online survey suffices. Time and goal will be the decisive factors in almost every project.

Check out our guide on How to gather data for your thesis for further instructions on collecting empirical data and choosing a methodology.

  • Qualitative : focus groups, interviews, literature reviews, etc.
  • Quantitative : surveys, experiments, longitudinal studies, etc.

You might also ask yourself these questions when you are assessing if your thesis topic is good:

  • Is the topic easy to find?
  • Is the topic of interest in contemporary culture?
  • Will the topic bring you any benefit after graduation?

Every thesis requires a level of originality but let's be honest, research is never completely original. To have an original topic, we recommend finding a gap in the research. How? By simply finding a certain angle that has been done before but could be further developed.

Academic writing shouldn’t be boring. In order to make it interesting, you should identify the audience of your project and adapt it accordingly. A bachelor’s thesis has to be interesting for the professor who grades it it. An MA thesis should attract your supervisor, and potential future employers. A Ph.D. thesis should strive to make a clear intervention in the field that will catch the attention of other scholars.

We recommend explaining your topic to someone foreign to your field. Dissect every part of the topic and describe it in the most simple way. This will help you see your topic from a different perspective.

If you came up with the topic from material you read before, or you heard about it in a lecture, it means the topic is probably highly researchable. Use keywords related to your topic and search for them in catalogs, databases, search engines, and libraries.

Some other questions you can ask yourself (or others) to know if your thesis topic is good:

academic search engines

  • MALS Program

MALS Writing Center

A resource for interdisciplinary writers, photo ©2009 david frazier.

  • Arriving at a Working Thesis

Once you have chosen and refined a topic, you will need to form a set of research questions about that topic, and next form a working thesis to answer the research questions. But what exactly is a working thesis? It is a proposed answer to a focused research question, and it is the main point of your argument that you develop throughout your paper. A working thesis is "working" because it guides your research at the same time that your research tweaks it. A working thesis is far enough along to serve as a viable research question-and-answer-pair, but it is still pliable and open to being altered or refined further as your research progresses and as you discover other, related research questions and answers.

Read through the following sections on topic development, and follow the advice given to watch your topic grow and develop into a working thesis (like a research Chia Pet):

The Research Question The Working Thesis The "So What?" Test Lather, Rinse, Repeat

book 5

The research question

Your central research question is the driving force of your paper. You are not simply reporting on a topic, such as "treehouses." While such a report might be informative for you or a handful of treehouse novices, it would not produce anything new in the repertoire of treehouse literature, and therefore would simply be repeating information that has already been established.

Instead, you are trying to find out something new relating to that topic (e.g., how does a treehouse contribute to the emotional development of a child?) that will also make a contribution to the scholarly community. In other words, the answer (i.e., your paper) to your central research question needs to matter in your field and to contribute new knowledge to the existing pool. This last part is most important, and you should constantly keep it in the forefront of your mind.

Evaluating the Quality of Your Central Research Question

Your central research question not only needs to be interesting and relevant, but also practical in terms of time and resources available. Ask the following eight questions to evaluate the quality of your research question and the feasibility that you can answer it in the time that you have:

  • Does the question deal with a topic or issue that interests me enough to spark my own thoughts and opinions?
  • Is the question easily and fully researchable in the time I have to complete the paper?
  • What type of information do I need to answer the research question? For example, the research question "What impact has deregulation had on commercial airline safety?" will obviously require certain types of information: + statistics on airline crashes before and after + statistics on other safety problems before and after + information about maintenance practices before and after + information about government safety requirements before and after
  • Is the scope of this information reasonable? (e.g., can I really research 30 on-line writing programs developed over a span of 10 years?)
  • Given the type and scope of the information that I need, is my question too broad, too narrow, or just right? If you have appropriately narrowed your topic before coming up with a research question, you shouldn't have too much trouble with this one.
  • What sources will have the type of information that I need to answer the research question (journals, books, internet resources, government documents, people)?
  • Can I access these sources? (e.g., if the bulk of your sources reside in an archive in Newfoundland, you may wish to rethink your question)
  • Given my answers to the above questions, do I have a good quality research question that I actually will be able to answer by doing research?

Back to Top

The working thesis - your stand on the research question.

After you come up with a viable research question on your topic, it's time to formulate the working thesis. What does a working thesis say and do?

Defining Features of a Working Thesis

* for most student work, it's a one- or two- sentence statement that explicitly outlines the purpose or point of your paper. A thesis is to a paper what a topic sentence is to a paragraph * it should point toward the development or course of argument the reader can expect your argument to take, but does not have to specifically include 'three supporting points' as you may have once learned * because the rest of the paper will support or back up your thesis, a thesis is normally placed at or near the end of the introductory paragraph. * it is an assertion that a reasonable person could disagree with if you only gave the thesis and no other evidence. It is not a fact or casual observation; it must beg to be proved. And someone should be able to theoretically argue against it (how successfully will depend, of course, on how persuasive you are) * it takes a side on a topic rather than simply announcing that the paper is about a topic (the title should have already told your reader your topic). Don't tell a reader about something; tell them what about something. Answer the questions "how?" or "why?" * it is sufficiently narrow and specific that your supporting points are necessary and sufficient, not arbitrary; paper length and number of supporting points are good guides here * it argues one main point and doesn't squeeze three different theses for three different papers into one sentence

Most importantly, it passes the "So What?" Test...

the "so what?" test

No one wants to write a paper that doesn't matter, much less read one. Choose a topic worth arguing about or exploring. This means to construct a thesis statement about a problem that is still debated, controversial, up in the air. So arguing that treehouses can be dangerous-- while you could find a ton of evidence to support your view --would be pretty worthless nowadays. Who would want to read something they already knew? You wouldn't be persuading them of anything and all your work would be pretty meaningless.

We like to refer to this as the "So what?" factor. Good research questions (and their corresponding working theses) pass the "so what?" test. This means that during the topic-formulating stage and again now, always keep asking "SO WHAT?", "WHO CARES?" or, to paraphrase the famous Canadian journalist Barbara Frum, "Tell me something new about something I care about." That will automatically make your paper significant and interesting both for you to write and the reader to study.

Now let's apply this test to a sample thesis about the relationship between treehouses and child development:

Sample Thesis: "Having a treehouse is beneficial to a child's self-confidence because it allows a child to have a place of her own. "

Now we ask, who cares? So what if treehouses are beneficial to a child's self-confidence - so are lots of things? Why treehouses? Oh! Because they allow a child to have a place of her own! Well, what do you mean by "a place of her own"? That's pretty vague. A place to do what? Hmmmm...

Maybe we need to clarify our thesis a bit. First, let's think about what we mean by "a place of one's own." Do we mean a place owned by an individual? Not exactly. I think that we mean a place in which a person is not under the direct supervision and authority of another person, or a place in which a person can be in charge of herself and act as she wishes, like a domain. So, how might you reword this phrase to clarify this meaning to yourself and the reader? Let's try this revision:

"Having a treehouse is beneficial to a child's self-confidence because a treehouse provides a place of one's own - a place to be independent and feel 'in charge.' "

Okay. That's a little better. Our readers will now know that we are arguing that a place of one's own provides independence and a sense of power (and maybe even responsibility), and that such places benefit a child's self-confidence.

But wait......What's so special about a treehouse? Plenty of places offer a "place of one's own."

Good question. Your paper should explain what is unique about treehouses if you wish to make a strong argument. Otherwise, you might as well just argue that any old "place of your own" benefits self-confidence. How can our thesis statement communicate to our readers that treehouses are significant places?

Once again, let's reword our thesis statement for enhanced clarity and strength:

"A treehouse is beneficial to a child's self-confidence because it provides a child with a place to be independent and 'in charge,' and a treehouse fosters imagination and appreciation for nature that other play spaces cannot duplicate."

Congratulations! You've asked and answered So What? and Who Cares? It's a thesis that looks at what treehouses could be doing, and people would certainly be interested in following your development on this issue. After all, you're not writing a paper trying to convince others that children like treehouses. Few would be interested in reading that. Now you can keep developing your working thesis until you have pinned down any question that might remain: e.g., What is the connection between "independence" and "imagination" and "appreciation for nature"? And so on...

In summary, if you can provide a good case, with evidence, that treehouses give a child a place of her own that improves self-confidence in a unique way, you could be making a good contribution to those interested in child-development (or treehouse manufacturers - they'd love to advertise this!). Moreover, you will need to satisfactorily argue the specific benefits of treehouses. Good enough for now (this is a working thesis, after all).

The process we just went through to arrive at our working thesis might seem tedious, but it is actually very typical for writers to continually revise their working theses. In fact, our treehouse thesis is probably an exceptionally easy example. In reality, you will be revising, clarifying, revising, and clarifying throughout the writing process as your ideas develop and you add more evidence from research that shapes and reshapes your project.

We like to call this whole process of developing the working thesis the "lather, rinse, repeat" process - you are constantly refining your working thesis to make it "cleaner" and more effective. The link below takes you to a rather handy, printable synopsis of what is on this page.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat Handout

A final note - FEAR NOT! The best thing you can remember when at this stage of the writing process is to remain fearless of your topic and your research. You might stumble at points when your research forces you to question your own argument. This is good! It does NOT mean that your argument is not good - it simply means that you have an opportunity to clarify your ideas and increase your knowledge.

Next Topic: Managing Your Research

Writing Center Home     MALS Home     Site Map

Tags: Getting started thesis/project types of graduate writing turabian common errors avoiding plagiarism cultural theory links

Writing Menu

  • Graduate vs. Undergraduate Writing
  • Interdisciplinary vs. Disciplinary Writing
  • Writing as Thinking on Paper
  • Understanding the Assignment
  • Choosing a Topic
  • Determining Your Audience
  • Invention Techniques
  • Managing Your Research
  • Writing Groups
  • Thesis and Project Info
  • Working With Your Graduate Advisory Committee
  • Working With Writing Groups
  • The MALS Portfolio
  • Article Precis & Summary Critique
  • Annotated Bibliography
  • Thesis or Project Proposal
  • Research Prospectus
  • Seminar Paper
  • Conference Presentation
  • Symposium Writing
  • Style Handout
  • Tips on Formatting Pages
  • Turabian Citation Basics
  • Resources on Style and Writing
  • What is Expected at the Graduate Level
  • Most Commonly Found Errors
  • Evaluating Sources
  • Summarizing vs. Paraphrasing
  • Plagiarism vs. Copyright
  • Resources to Help You Avoid Plagiarism
  • Cultural Theory and Schools of Criticism
  • Helpful Links

©2009 Jill LeRoy-Frazier All Rights Reserved.  • Adapted from a Design by Free CSS Templates .

  • Our Writers
  • How to Order
  • Assignment Writing Service
  • Report Writing Service
  • Buy Coursework
  • Dissertation Writing Service
  • Research Paper Writing Service
  • All Essay Services

User Icon

Thesis Writing

Thesis Topics

Caleb S.

Interesting Thesis Topics & Ideas To Get Started

17 min read

Thesis Topics

People also read

Thesis Writing - An Ultimate Writing Guide With Tips & Examples

Thesis Introduction: A Step-by-Step Guide With Examples

How to Write a Thesis Proposal - Sample Proposals and Tips!

Thesis Format Essentials: Structure, Tips, and Templates

If you’re a student who’s nearing graduation and wondering, “What is the best topic for your thesis?”, you’ve come to the perfect place!

It’s a well-established fact that thesis documents require extreme levels of research and dedication. But, when it comes to choosing a topic for your thesis, it is far from being an easy task as well!

If your supervisor hasn’t assigned you a thesis topic, you can get valuable help from this blog. With thesis ideas ranging from education to diverse fields of study, you can pick the topic perfect topic for thesis writing.  

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Arrow Down

  • 1. Thesis Topics for Students
  • 2. Thesis Topics for Multiple Fields
  • 3. How to Choose a Good Thesis Topic?

Thesis Topics for Students

We’ll start with a comprehensive list of thesis ideas for students, then move on to topics for multiple fields. 

Thesis Topics for College Students

  • Exploring the psychological effects of student loan debt on college graduates
  • The challenges and opportunities of globalization
  • The role of education and social mobility in reducing inequality
  • The impact of immigration on the economy and society
  • The potential of new technologies to improve healthcare outcomes
  • The impact of online learning on student engagement and achievement 
  • What is the role of artificial intelligence in business decision-making?
  • High school bullying and its long-term effects on mental health and social adjustment
  • The challenges and opportunities of diversity and inclusion in education
  • The impact of early childhood education on long-term success

Senior Thesis Topics

  • The industrial revolution has increased the gap between the rich and the poor. How?
  • What are the effects of global warming on the world’s population?
  • Feminism is becoming as bad as racism. How?
  • The relationship between social media usage and perceptions of loneliness
  • The long-term effects of income inequality on economic growth
  • Placement by age vs. placement by academic ability. Which should be preferred?
  • How have viruses such as HIV-AIDS, affected the African economy?
  • What are the common sleep disorders and their treatments?
  • Using animals for sports and entertainment: Is it legal or illegal?
  • Discuss Trump’s “America First” trade and foreign policy.

Order Essay

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Bachelor Thesis Topics

  • The impact of E-Sports on traditional sports and the future of competitive gaming
  • The economics of renewable energy transition: Case study of Germany
  • The influence of music on cognitive performance and productivity in the workplace
  • The influence of social media on political movements and activism
  • The ethical implications of gene editing technologies: A case study on CRISPR-Cas9
  • Urban green spaces and their impact on mental health: A case study of Singapore
  • The relationship between smartphone use and sleep quality in young adults
  • Investigating the psychological factors influencing consumer brand loyalty
  • Cybersecurity threats and mitigation strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises
  • The impact of video games on cognitive skills and problem-solving abilities in children

Masters Thesis Topics

  • Discuss the relationship between literature and the political climate in the 18th century
  • Explain the relationship between rational thinking and religion
  • The Civil War is the greatest inspiration for art. Discuss the concept
  • Gun violence in the USA during the 2010s: A comparative analysis
  • Cyberbullying can lead to suicides - A case study of Australia
  • Campus shootings in the USA: Discuss the causes and risk factors
  • Labor markets in China: An in-depth analysis
  • What are the impacts of global warming on weather conditions in Iceland?
  • Explain the women's empowerment in Saudi Arabia in the 2000s
  • Write a detailed comparison of the anti-nuclear movements in Germany and Japan

MBA Thesis Topics

  • Discuss a case study of rural marketing projects.
  • What are the impacts of reducing the retirement age in America?
  • Mergers and acquisitions: Evaluating the factors contributing to success or failure
  • How can the banking sector influence the economic growth of India?
  • Analysis of global supply chain resilience in the post-pandemic business environment
  • Online marketing on social media platforms is useful for small companies. How?
  • Write a comparative study of organized trading in the USA and UK
  • How is technical knowledge essential to make wise financial decisions?
  • How can consumer purchases influence brand design?
  • Explore the positive and negative impacts of mobile banking

PhD Thesis Topics

  • What are the primary professors’ teaching patterns in China?
  • Discuss the social benefits of same-sex marriages
  • Discuss the legal issue of child labor in Third World countries.
  • What is the positive impact of music therapy on patients with brain injuries?
  • Explain the impacts of 9/11 on new policies against terrorism
  • Discuss the marketing strategies used in political campaigns
  • The US presence in Syria: Is it providing justice or violating the law?
  • Elaborate on the preventive measures to fight obesity among teenagers.
  • How to treat injuries in diabetic patients?
  • What are the political and economic effects of Brexit on the UK?

Thesis Topics for Multiple Fields

Here are some interesting and easy to write thesis topics from multiple fields of study.

Thesis Topics in Education

  • Special education policies in the USA: Are they effective or ineffective?
  • Why is studying abroad a legitimate excuse for traveling?
  • Strategies for supporting undergraduate students' transition to college life
  • Family involvement has a direct impact on a child's performance. Discuss how?
  • Why are students more likely to do the homework assigned by good-looking professors?
  • Role of Parental Involvement in early childhood education for academic readiness
  • Explain the development of emotional intelligence for modern education
  • Informal learning in rural areas through social networks. Is it possible?
  • Public school students interact at the same level as the other students. Is it true?
  • How can reality television disempower students to some extent?

Thesis Topics in Healthcare

  • How does increased physical activity promote healthy aging?
  • The impact of telemedicine on healthcare access and quality
  • Mental health stigma: Addressing barriers to seeking and receiving care
  • How do Supervised Machine Learning models help in Breast Cancer diagnosis?
  • Exploring the mental health implications of prolonged pandemic-related stress and isolation
  • Innovations in remote patient monitoring for chronic disease management
  • How can we improve the affordability of healthcare without sacrificing quality?
  • Strategies for addressing the global burden of non-communicable diseases
  • How can we use social media to promote health literacy and engagement?
  • How can we use genomics to improve disease prevention and treatment?

Thesis Topics for Computer Science

  • Quantum computing: The future of data processing and cryptography
  • How does the feedback system in personnel management work?
  • Describe the development of an automated workplace
  • How can data be analyzed by using robust AI algorithms?
  • Discuss the benefits of the development of a taxi service website
  • The dark web: Anonymity, security, and law enforcement challenges
  • Verification of webpage layouts. How is it beneficial?
  • What are the impacts of mobile computing on global development?
  • Big data analytics for predictive maintenance in IoT systems
  • How can AI-assisted surveillance systems decrease mass school shootings in the US?

Architecture Thesis Topics

  • How have religious buildings in the British Empire affected architecture?
  • Discuss the role of architects in combating the impacts of climate change
  • Why should we construct sustainable buildings for offices?
  • Discuss a case study of small houses to solve homelessness
  • Why should we develop public places in small cities?
  • How can architecture revitalize urban areas sustainably?
  • Are underwater hotels sustainable?
  • Discuss the transformation of urban design in the 21st century
  • How can we construct houses in developed countries with low income?
  • How can architectural design create healing environments in healthcare facilities?

Thesis Topics for Interior Design

  • Role of biophilic design in reducing stress and anxiety in workplaces
  • Designing interior spaces for people with dementia
  • The use of technology to create immersive and interactive interior experiences
  • Design of interior spaces for future generations
  • Impact of culture on prisons and other correctional facilities design
  • Use of universal design to create inclusive restaurants and cafés
  • Use of materials and finishes to create a sustainable and resilient built environment
  • What is the impact of interior design on human performance?
  • Creating inclusive and accessible interior spaces for people with disabilities
  • What is the future of interior design in the age of climate change?

Thesis Topics for Textile Designing

  • How to design textiles that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional?
  • Environmental impact of textile design and how to reduce it
  • How can textile design improve the performance of sportswear and activewear?
  • Design a textile collection that is accessible and affordable for people with disabilities
  • Develop a sustainable textile production process that reduces environmental impact
  • Investigate the impact of textile design on consumer behavior
  • Explore the use of sustainable materials in textile design
  • Challenges and opportunities of new technologies in textile design
  • Ethical implications of materials and production methods in textile design
  • How can textile design reduce fashion waste and promote circularity?

Psychology Thesis Topics

  • Why is emotional intelligence an important factor in professional satisfaction?
  • The notion of the self – Is it a myth or reality?
  • Evaluating the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral
  • Therapy in managing anxiety
  • Self-efficacy and academic achievement: A longitudinal study of students
  • A good IQ level can have long-term benefits for children. Discuss how?
  • How are emotional disorders directly connected to social cognition?
  • Analyze the relationship between emotional and episodic memory
  • How can rational thinking allow us to make better decisions?
  • How common is depression among homosexual teenagers?
  • What are the psychological techniques to help obese teens?

Political Science Thesis Topics

  • Compare the foreign policies of the US and the UK
  • What were the causes of the American Revolution?
  • How is religion used as a political power?
  • What is the role of social movements in politics?
  • Discuss the consequences of the Civil War
  • Immigration policies and their impact on social cohesion and diversity
  • The impact of campaign finance reform on political corruption
  • What are the negotiation methods during wartime?
  • Explain the difference between political and armed conflicts
  • Give a detailed review of the Human Rights Act 1998

Thesis Topics for Law Students

  • The role of international law in addressing global cybersecurity threats
  • Human rights and refugee law: Analyzing the legal status of stateless individuals
  • Legal aspects of intellectual property rights in the fashion industry
  • Consumer protection laws in E-Commerce: Challenges and emerging trends
  • How can we ensure that plea bargaining is used fairly and ethically?
  • Examining the legal and ethical implications of genetic testing and genetic privacy
  • The evolution of copyright law in the digital era: Balancing innovation and protection
  • How has globalization changed the landscape of international law?
  • What is the future of International Law in a world of increasing nationalism?
  • The impact of race and ethnicity on criminal sentencing

International Relations Thesis Topics

  • What is the impact of Russia’s intervention in Syria?
  • Discuss the trade relations between India and Pakistan
  • Discuss the impacts of the US sanctions on Iran
  • Explain the reasons for OIC failure
  • What is the US foreign policy towards North Korea?
  • Critically analyze the human rights violations in Kashmir
  • What is the policy of the United States toward Russia?
  • Discuss lessons learned politically since 9/11
  • Political problems in Africa have been affected by colonial rule. How?
  • Discuss how is Israel playing the victim card in the war against Palestine

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

History Thesis Topics

  • How has World War II saved the world?
  • What is the impact of Buddhism on the Chinese empire?
  • Discuss the struggles of the North American colonies for independence
  • Describe the role of the monarchy in the domestic policy of Great Britain
  • Discuss the impacts of the North Korean nuclear program in Northeast Asia
  • Evaluate the American and Britain relations during the Cold War Era
  • Discuss the global impacts of the Great Depression
  • Explain the Women's rights and woman suffrage: 1848-1920.
  • Enlist the Military Innovations between WWI & WWII
  • Discuss the feminist movement from 1845 to 1920

Criminal Justice Thesis Topics

  • What are the ways to deal with domestic violence?
  • How can we reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system?
  • How is electronic monitoring an abuse of privacy rights?
  • What can be done to prevent cyber crimes?
  • What are the common child abuse crimes committed?
  • How can body cameras reduce police violence?
  • Why are men more likely to get the death penalty?
  • How can drug courts help people with addictions?
  • Discuss the strategies used to stop criminal behavior
  • Discuss the effectiveness of capital punishment in deterring crime

Thesis Topics in English Literature

  • The influence of feminist theory on the work of Margaret Atwood
  • Discuss the effectiveness of verbal communication in displaying feelings
  • How do people communicate when there is no shared language?
  • Language travels through time. Discuss the concept
  • Elaborate on the advantages of learning a second language in graduate school
  • Discuss the effectiveness of non-verbal communication for displaying emotions.
  • Shakespearean adaptations in modern literature and film
  • Narrative techniques in experimental literature and their impact on storytelling
  • What are the benefits of learning two languages at once as a child?
  • How to best communicate: Verbally or non-verbally? 

Thesis Topics in Mass Communication

  • Effects of user-generated content on news credibility and trust in online journalism
  • Impact of deep fake technology on media manipulation and trust in visual media
  • The role of media in promoting political polarization and extremism
  • The challenges of reporting on sensitive topics such as war, violence, and trauma
  • The ethics of using media to exploit or harm vulnerable populations
  • The influence of TikTok on youth culture and entertainment consumption
  • How does sports journalism respond to evolving media landscapes?
  • The role of social media influencers in shaping brand image and consumer behavior
  • The role of media in promoting corporate interests and agendas
  • What is the role of media in the surveillance state and the erosion of privacy?

Thesis Topics in Business Administration 

  • How is digital transformation changing business models and strategies?
  • What role does venture capital play in funding and supporting startups?
  • The role of data analytics in decision-making and improving business outcomes
  • The challenges and opportunities of expanding into new markets
  • What factors influence call center industry employee retention?
  • Comparing leadership structures in manufacturing and retail sectors
  • How do varying leadership styles impact worker performance?
  • Challenges and opportunities of managing supply chains in a globalized economy
  • Is a Human Resources Officer still relevant in today's businesses?
  • What is the impact of internal communications on organizational objectives?

Thesis Topics in Physical Education

  • Role of physical education in preventing childhood obesity
  • Impact of physical activity on sleep quality and overall well-being
  • Influence of physical education on self-esteem and body image in adolescents
  • What strategies promote gender equity in physical education?
  • How can cultural competency be integrated into physical education programs?
  • How does virtual physical education impact student engagement?
  • What factors contribute to successful youth sports and athlete development?
  • How does assessment and feedback improve student learning in physical education?
  • How can older adults be encouraged to maintain active lifestyles?
  • Does physical education have a measurable impact on academic performance?

Civil Engineering Thesis Topics

  • Assessing the impact of climate change on infrastructure resilience
  • Optimizing traffic flow and transportation systems for urban mobility
  • Risk assessment and management in civil engineering projects
  • Green infrastructure and stormwater management in urban environments
  • Geotechnical engineering challenges in high-rise building construction
  • Resilient infrastructure for mitigating the impact of extreme weather events
  • Smart grids and energy-efficient infrastructure for future cities
  • The role of 3D printing in construction: Feasibility and applications
  • Augmented reality and virtual reality in civil engineering education and design
  • What are the risk factors involved in building skyscrapers?

Cyber Security Thesis Topics

  • How can network security deal with cyber crimes?
  • How can an informational system protect your data?
  • How can we prevent the growth of cyber hackers?
  • What are the different types of cyber crimes?
  • How can we make network security affordable for everyone?
  • Discuss the effectiveness of malware protection software.
  • How can we improve cybersecurity in wireless networks?
  • What are the ways to prevent cyber attacks in organizations?
  • How do people become cyber criminals?
  • What are the current trends in the field of cybercrime and security?

Sociology Thesis Topics

  • What are the consequences of adopting a child?
  • Discuss the concept of female empowerment in a conservative society
  • Organ transplantation in our society. Is it ethical?
  • Explain the diffusion and innovation in European culture
  • What are the challenges that most women face at workplaces?
  • How difficult is it to be a single parent in a society?
  • The impact of economic disparities on how people Live: A sociological study
  • Technology has changed the way we eat. How?
  • Violations of social norms can be a positive act. How?
  • What is the relationship between poverty and education?

Philosophy Thesis Topics

  • What is the nature of truth and reality in a post-modern world?
  • Is there any life after death?
  • Can a person be happy without friends and family?
  • Why is there a need to engage children in physical activities?
  • Will you have eternal satisfaction if you had all the wealth in the world?
  • How morality and religion are related to each other?
  • Why do people commit crimes when they’re at the brink of poverty? 
  • How to develop a personal philosophy of life: Influences, values, and decision-making
  • Can free will exist in a deterministic universe, and what are its implications for agency and responsibility?
  • What is the nature of consciousness, and how does it relate to our perception of reality?

Economics Thesis Topics

  • Discuss the differences in commercial practices in rural and urban areas
  • Critically analyze regional divergence in Europe
  • Discuss the relationship between economic geography and the contemporary environment
  • What are the impacts of intellectual capital in growing markets?
  • Labor regulations are a way to solve the issue of unemployment. Discuss how?
  • Explain the factors that determine the market value of a business
  • What is the effect of labor force participation on the economy?
  • Discuss the impact of government expenditure on the economic growth of Australia
  • Discuss the impact of Brexit on small and middle businesses in the UK
  • Write a review of the aid and economic growth of developing economies

Want to know how to format thesis papers properly? Get expert guidance from our detailed blog!

Now that you have access to a wide range of thesis topics for multiple fields, you could use some tips to understand how you should pick a good thesis topic. 

How to Choose a Good Thesis Topic?

Follow the easy tips given below to choose a good topic for your thesis.

steps-to-choose-a-good-thesis-topic-MyPerfectWords.com

The following is a detailed description of the tips for choosing thesis paper topics.

  • Know Your Target Audience : Understand your audience's preferences, opinions, and ideas, and always consider their feedback for better grades
  • Consider Your Strengths : Identify your skills and strengths, and focus on your areas of knowledge
  • Follow Your Interests : Select a topic that aligns with your passions and leverage your creativity for an engaging idea 
  • Combine Different Ideas : Brainstorm multiple ideas based on your interests and knowledge to create a unique idea 
  • Read and Find Gaps : Explore existing literature and research, to identify gaps or areas that require further investigation
  • Put Your Idea to the Test : Conduct small experiments or surveys to test your concept, and utilize data and human resources for a comprehensive analysis. Make sure to identify and address any flaws or weaknesses in your thesis idea.

To conclude , the above research paper topics will surely help you draft an A+ thesis. However, if you need more unique ideas, getting expert help is a good option.

With custom essay writing service from MyPerfectWords.com, you can get a well-crafted thesis produced from scratch. 

Our top-notch writing professionals will take expert care of your thesis  worries. We provide unlimited revisions until the customer is completely satisfied.

Therefore, do not waste more time and place your order now to buy thesis at pocket-friendly rates!

AI Essay Bot

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Caleb S.

Caleb S. has been providing writing services for over five years and has a Masters degree from Oxford University. He is an expert in his craft and takes great pride in helping students achieve their academic goals. Caleb is a dedicated professional who always puts his clients first.

Get Help

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

thesis writing

IMAGES

  1. Choose & Develop Your Research Topic

    working thesis topic

  2. 220+ Thesis Statement Examples, How to Write, Format, Tips

    working thesis topic

  3. PPT

    working thesis topic

  4. Thesis Statement Topics

    working thesis topic

  5. PPT

    working thesis topic

  6. 45 Perfect Thesis Statement Templates (+ Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab

    working thesis topic

VIDEO

  1. Research Question to Working Thesis

  2. Recording #97

  3. Working Thesis Statement Activity Comparison Contrast Essay (Prof. Morrison)

  4. Meeting With Thesis Advisor

  5. Thesis Writing Made Easy: Topic 1 Writing Thesis Title in 2 Easy Steps (Bisaya ni)

  6. CHOOSING A THESIS TOPIC AND WRITING A PAPER

COMMENTS

  1. Developing A Thesis

    An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. "Reasons for the fall of communism" is a topic. "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" is a fact known by educated people. "The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe" is an opinion.

  2. How to Write a Thesis Statement

    Step 1: Start with a question. You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis, early in the writing process. As soon as you've decided on your essay topic, you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

  3. PDF Essay Planning: How to Develop a Working Thesis Statement

    Thesis statements have three parts: the topic, the claim, and the major points. The claim is your argument, opinion, or stance that will be supported by your evidence and examples. You present the evidence in the list of major points. Examine the thesis statements below. forced it to create more. animals.

  4. What is a Working Thesis?

    A working thesis is similar to a final thesis: It is a statement that asserts one specific topic of argument or analysis as a focus and sets the tone or position you are taking on that topic. A working thesis also states the broad details of support you are using to justify your position. These details appear in the same order in your thesis ...

  5. Developing a Thesis Statement

    A thesis statement . . . Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic. Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper. Is focused and specific enough to be "proven" within the boundaries of your paper. Is generally located near the end ...

  6. 25 Thesis Statement Examples That Will Make Writing a Breeze

    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. Something that would be more debatable would be, "A puppy's ...

  7. 6.9: Developing a Working Thesis Statement

    Think of the thesis as the mid-point of an hourglass. You develop ideas for writing and prewriting, using various strategies, until a main idea or assertion emerges. This main idea or assertion becomes your point to prove—your working thesis sentence. Once you have a working thesis sentence with your main idea, you can then develop more ...

  8. What Is a Thesis?

    Revised on April 16, 2024. A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master's program or a capstone to a bachelor's degree. Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation, it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete.

  9. Creating a Working Thesis

    A working thesis statement is a thesis statement that the writer adopts tentatively during the writing process as a means of guiding his or her research, reading and writing. A writer is likely to modify the working thesis statement based on insights and information gained in the writing process. As the writer develops the essay, the working ...

  10. PDF Essay Planning: How to Develop a Working Thesis Statement

    The working thesis will vary depending on the subject and the type of writing in which you are engaged: the thesis for a business report is quite different from a thesis for a personal essay. However, the thesis for both of these types of essay will ultimately provide a road map of the paper and help the writer decide how and what to write.

  11. 6.5: Writing a Working Thesis

    Now, a working thesis is more or less a temporary thesis you devise in the beginning of the research process in order to set some direction in your research. However, as I wrote in the beginning of this chapter, you should remember: Your working thesis is temporary and should change as you research, write, and learn more about your topic.

  12. What is a thesis

    A working thesis, often referred to as a preliminary or tentative thesis, is an initial version of your thesis statement. It serves as a draft or a starting point that guides your research in its early stages. ... To identify a thesis topic, consider current trends in your field, gaps in existing literature, personal interests, and discussions ...

  13. Developing a Working Thesis Statement

    Think of the thesis as the mid-point of an hourglass. You develop ideas for writing and prewriting, using various strategies, until a main idea or assertion emerges. This main idea or assertion becomes your point to prove—your working thesis sentence. Once you have a working thesis sentence with your main idea, you can then develop more ...

  14. PDF Creating a Working Thesis Statement

    A thesis statement—which is essentially a relatively succinct answer to a critical question—aids in this communicative process by helping an audience understand what question the writer is asking, why that question is important, and how the writer has responded to that question. Creating a Working Thesis Statement. 1.

  15. Thesis

    Thesis. Your thesis is the central claim in your essay—your main insight or idea about your source or topic. Your thesis should appear early in an academic essay, followed by a logically constructed argument that supports this central claim. A strong thesis is arguable, which means a thoughtful reader could disagree with it and therefore ...

  16. Working Thesis Statement

    The following are 100 working thesis statement examples to kickstart your brainstorming and research. "Eating organic foods leads to better health.". "Online learning has as much educational value as traditional classroom settings.". "Video games have both negative and positive effects on the cognitive development of children.".

  17. PDF Creating a Working Thesis Statement

    Developing a Working ThesisCREATING A WORKING THESIS STATEMENTEvery piece of writing requires. a central idea and a demonstrated path from point A to point B. To stay on top. c and give your writing a direction, you must develop a thesis. Thesi. statements clarify the main idea/point/argument of your piece. Typically the final sentence(s) of ...

  18. How to come up with a topic for your thesis

    For example, the thesis topics mentioned above would be of great help to people interested in working in the field of human rights and climate change. By choosing a thesis topic related to your professional future, your chances of landing your desired job will be higher, as you could bring fresh and valuable knowledge to your field.

  19. The perfect thesis topic: 5 questions you need to ask

    For example, if you want qualitative data and you have enough time, then you can carry out a focus group. Organize your papers in one place. Try Paperpile. If you want quantitative data in a short period of time then an online survey suffices. Time and goal will be the decisive factors in almost every project.

  20. MALS Writing Center

    It is a proposed answer to a focused research question, and it is the main point of your argument that you develop throughout your paper. A working thesis is "working" because it guides your research at the same time that your research tweaks it. A working thesis is far enough along to serve as a viable research question-and-answer-pair, but it ...

  21. PDF HOW TO DEVELOP A WORKING THESIS

    1. the topic of your paper - what your paper is about. 2. your ideas/focus/opinion on that topic. EXAMPLE: Greeting cards (paper's topic) reflect the changes in twentieth century American society (opinion). A practice or working version of this might have read more like this: Greeting cards show how things have changed.

  22. 250+ Thesis Topics for Masters & PhD Students (2024)

    Thesis Topics for College Students. Exploring the psychological effects of student loan debt on college graduates. The challenges and opportunities of globalization. The role of education and social mobility in reducing inequality. The impact of immigration on the economy and society. The potential of new technologies to improve healthcare ...

  23. How to Come Up With a Thesis Topic

    A good thesis topic is a general idea that is in need of development, verification or refutation. Your thesis topic should be of interest to you, your advisor, and the research community. If it is not, it may be difficult to stay motivated or to "sell" the idea. When searching for a topic, remember that your thesis should attempt to solve a ...