It is recommended to approach this stage after you have chosen the proper topic, analyzed it in details, brainstormed key ideas and performed literature research.
Thesis statement is crucial for a successful essay, as, roughly speaking, it contains the key idea of what you are going to write about and serves several important purposes. First, it emphasizes the idea that you have about the topic, structures the essay, and, finally, helps you decide what information to include and what to leave out of your essay.
Here are some useful tips on statement formulation:
- A good thesis statement always expresses an opinion about the topic, not just some fact.
- It must be written in the form of a complete statement. However, it should not be a direct manifestation of the author’s opinion, as there will be no need to read the whole essay then.
- One of the important points to consider when writing a thesis statement is making it as clear as possible. For this purpose you need to use ideas you brainstormed at the previous stage.
Having identified your thesis statement, consider the ideas you have in general. Do you have enough thoughts to support your thesis statement? If you have three or more, you can relax. The rule of three means that the statement is formulated in the correct way. However, if you feel that your statement cannot be given adequate support, do not be afraid of choosing a different one and rewriting it completely. Doing it at this stage is still much easier, than rewriting the whole piece in the end.
Your thesis statement, if written correctly, helps you a lot in the process of creating your essay. It is a figurative anchor which you can stick to and develop the idea and the language safely.
Now you have a proper topic, analyzed it, got a list of ideas, performed literature research and formulated the main statement and you are ready for the next stage.
