|
Navigation Menu |
Developing a Thesis Developing a thesis is the process of moving from a broad, general idea to a clear, precise focus. A topic is a general idea you wish to explore. Topics are often too broad to deal with in a single essay. A topic is not a thesis. However, during research, a topic should grow into a thesis. A thesis statement is a concise statement of one or two sentences of the causes, motives, or analysis that is subject to proof and provides a framework for the paper. For example, you may be taking a course on the "History of the Middle Ages" and be told to write a paper. In all likelihood, your topic will be too broad--that is, it will require you to deal with too much information for one essay. If you leave the topic broad, it will be superficial. Picture it like this:
The wide but shallow lake is like a broad topic. You can say many things about the Middle Ages, but everything you say will be at a very basic or survey level. For example, if you were writing an essay on the Byzantine Empire, you could briefly comment on many things, but you could not go into in depth analysis about Constantine. The small, deep lake is like taking your broad topic and choosing to deal with only one part of it, but now in depth. For example, when writing about Constantine, you could choose to focus on the politics of Constantine and narrow your topic to "What were the political advantages of Constantine's conversion to Christianity." How Do I Narrow My Topic? Most topics can be examined from different prespectives. Do you want to know about the ethical, the social, the political, or the religious aspect of the topic? The particular aspect of the topic that you choose will affect how you search. Focus the Topic by Using Reference Books Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and textbooks can all provide you with a helpful overview of a particular subject, key events, concepts, issues, arguments, and terms. Such overviews can help you narrow your topic. In addition, you frequently will find a useful bibliography at the end of the article, entry, or chapter. The bibliography will lead you to other books and articles that will be helpful to you in doing your research. Bibliographies are one of a researchers best friends. State Your Topic as a Question to Be Answered An excellent way to bring a topic into clearer focus is to state the topic in the form of a question, then isolate the key ideas or concepts. For example, instead of saying that you want to do a paper on "genetics," pose the topic in the form of a specific question: "What are the scientific and ethical issues of reproduction research, specifically those related to cloning?" Or, "Is splitting off cells from embryos to clone human beings ethically acceptable?" The keywords contained in these statements will then form the basis for search terms you can use for Boolean searches of the online catalog or appropriate periodical indexes. Other questions to ask yourself as part of this focusing process include:
As you formulate questions and gather sources, evidence, and so on, the questions may change. Your thesis will evolve--requiring additional searching and reformulated questions until you arrive at your final thesis statement. The next section will discuss the critical importance of asking strong questions. Questioning is central to learning and growing. |
