Columbia High School

At any time during the reading process you may develop your thesis, or controlling idea, which will determine not only the direction of the paper, but what notes are needed, even what further sources might be needed. Remember, the thesis is an assertion (or statement) that you are claiming to be true and which must be supported, in this case with research.

A thesis can be an opinion, but need not be. For example, you can argue an opinion such as this: "The cloning of humans is wrong and should not be allowed by the government." You would then construct a paper that is actually a long argumentative essay (like an editorial), with your support coming from your sources. Avoid opinions which are difficult to 'prove', such as "Peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches are the BEST." Those kinds of statements are just a matter of personal like/dislike. Here is another example of a BAD opinion statement: "Jazz is the best kind of music." You COULD say about jazz that "Jazz is a most uniquely American kind of music." That you can prove.

On that same topic of cloning, you could also assert this thesis:

The scientific difficulties in cloning make cloning humans nearly impossible to do without disastrous results.

Notice that this thesis is less argumentative but still argues a point.

The following are topics with both 'report' purposes and thesis statements provided:

Topic: baseball
Report: idea explaining the rules changes in the last 30 years
Thesis :"To bring baseball back into 'balance,' the pitching mound must be restored to its original height" (opinion that argues for an action to be taken).

Topic: Teen Violence
Report idea: explaining the various causes or solutions to teen violence
Thesis: "While putting more violent teens in jail takes them 'off the streets' for awhile, the real focus of the government should be to help families stay strong, thereby getting to the root of the problem" (opinion that argues for an action to be taken).

Topic: The Civil War
Report: idea explaining what happened during Battle of Bull Run
Thesis: "The Battle of Bull Run was decided, overall, by mistakes of the generals on both sides, the South making the more significant ones" (statement of evaluation of an event).

Topic: AIDS
Report: idea explaining how one gets AIDS or what is being done to cure it.
Thesis "It is obvious that because medical companies are reaping great benefits while ignoring the vast majority of AIDS sufferers around the world, more pressure needs to be brought on these companies to force them to act more humanely" (opinion that argues for a course of action).

Topic: The Mafia
Report: idea explaining how the Mafia got started or some of their activities
Thesis: "While the early Mafia bosses (1910-1940) of course relied on murder and muscle, their extraordinary success owed primarily to their 'owning' key politicians and policemen" (statement of evaluation of an aspect of history).

Topic: Alternative Car Engines
Report: idea explaining the various new alternative engines for cars
Thesis: "Of the many newly developed alternative engines the most
promising seems to be the gas/electric hybrid engine" (statement that evaluates the best among several choices).

With the above information in mind, try to construct a thesis that takes a position rather than just has you summarizing information. Your thesis, remember, will dictate everything from this point on - your notetaking, your outline, your sources, and of course the final paper itself. Thus, the statement needs to be solid. Even if your teacher doesn't require it, have him/her check your thesis statement. Its importance cannot be overstated. A weak or improperly stated thesis can cause you to struggle later. A clear thesis allows you to move more smoothly through the process.

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