Introduction
Do you struggle with coming up with thesis statements for informative essays? Informative essays are different from other essay types because they don’t just give your reader information. You’re not just summarizing your source material; you’re explaining why it matters and how it relates to the bigger picture of your research topic. That makes a strong thesis statement even more important for an informative essay.
So how do you write a thesis statement for an informative essay? Read on for tips and tricks that will make it easier for you! Readers can tell within seconds whether or not your essay is well-informed and insightful or clumsy, vague, and uninformed. A great way to show your readers that you understand what you read is by creating an amazing thesis statement. If you’re struggling with creating one, we’ve got some tips and tools to get you back on track.
What is a thesis statement?
A thesis statement is the central idea of your entire paper. It should be concise but comprehensive, and it should outline the path of your argument. A strong thesis statement has the power to grab your reader’s attention and spark their curiosity. It should indicate what your paper is about, reveal the position that you are taking, and indicate the level of scholarship that you are working at. A thesis statement may be presented as a question, a statement, or a problem to be solved. It should be a clear and concise argument that you explore through the rest of your paper.
In other words, it’s what ties all your ideas together. A strong thesis statement should have certain elements: It should have a clear purpose (a “why” that is specific to your paper). It should be original and focused on your research question. It should be evidence-based (not just your opinion). It should be written in a way that is accessible to your audience. It should be answer-worthy (It should bring up questions that your paper answers.) It should be written in the form of a question, “I argue that X, because Y.” It should have a proper tone and level of formality. It should be consistent throughout the essay. Further guidance is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN6CTaxekc4.
Find your angle for an Informative Essay
As you read through your sources and look for information to include in your essay, think about what you want to talk about. What speaks to you? What do you find particularly interesting or noteworthy? This is your angle in the essay. You can think of it as the topic that all the different topics in your sources relate to. Your angle is what makes your essay unique. It’s what makes your essay special and meaningful.
It might be about the history of the topic you’re researching or the way it affects people’s lives today. It might be about how different experts view the same source material or how different types of people are affected by the same topic. Your angle might be something different. Your angle is the lens through which you’re viewing your research. It lets you know what to look for and how to organize your sources. It will also help guide you when you start writing your thesis statement.
Narrow your focus
Once you’ve identified a few topics and angles that interest you, it’s time to narrow your focus. Are there certain aspects of this topic you find most interesting? What parts of the topic are particularly relevant to your readers and their lives? What information do you have that no one else does? What makes your essay stand out and shine? This is what you should hone in on when writing your thesis statement. You want your readers to both to understand the big picture of your essay and have a sense of what’s most important about it. Remember, your thesis statement won’t just convey a fact or a general idea. It will convey why that fact or idea matters.
Start with your research question
Your research question is one of the most important parts of your paper. It’s what unites all of your sources and gives your paper direction. Start with your research question and you’ll have a thesis statement that is thorough and precise. Your research question should be something you can answer with a strong thesis statement. It should be something you can explore in great detail in your essay. It should be something with which you can generate different points and examples.
It should be open-ended enough to let you explore a broad topic but specific enough to guide your research and writing. It should be something you can think about and write about from many different perspectives. It should be something you can defend in your essay and that readers can understand. Your research question is the most important part of your paper. Don’t leave it for last!
Writing comes first
It might seem like the logical order would be to write a thesis statement, do your research, and then start writing your essay. But new research has suggested that it might be better to start writing as soon as possible. Why? Because research has found that people are more likely to write better papers when they write first and then decide what they’ve written about.
The process of writing helps you to clarify your thoughts and see the bigger picture of what you’re writing about. It helps you to see how your different sources fit together and which parts are most important. It gives you time to think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. You’ll be surprised by how much easier it is to write a strong thesis statement when you’ve already written several paragraphs of your essay!
Check your readability
Readability is important in more than just long-form nonfiction. It’s also important in short-form, academic, and nonfiction writing. If you look at the most common reasons that readers give for disliking a piece of writing, low readability is a big one. It’s more important than you might think! If your thesis statement is too long or your sentences are too complicated, you risk losing your readers.
They might get lost in the middle of your paper, give up, and leave without finishing. Your thesis statement is the most important part of your essay. Make sure it’s easy to understand! Cut out unnecessary words and make sure your sentences are easy to follow. Don’t try to use big, fancy words just to sound impressive. Use language that is natural and accessible.
Find the key point in each paragraph
After you’ve written your first draft, go back through your paper and try to find the key point in each paragraph. What do you want your readers to remember from that paragraph? What do you want them to take away from it? Is there a specific fact, statistic, or example that you want them to remember? What idea from that paragraph do you want to extend and explore in the rest of your paper?
Once you’ve found the key point in each paragraph, try attaching it to your thesis statement. You may find that it fits perfectly or that it needs a bit of tweaking. Either way, it will help you to clarify your thoughts and use your words more effectively. Plus, it will help you to check that your thesis statement is answering the questions you want it to answer.
Summing up: Wrapping up your research
If you’re struggling to come up with a thesis statement, it may be because you’ve approached your paper all wrong. Instead of trying to come up with a thesis statement first, try writing your paper first. Write an introduction and conclusion, and then write the body paragraphs. Only after you’ve written the first draft of your paper should you try to write your thesis statement. You’ll find that it’s a lot easier to write a thesis statement when you’ve already explored your research and written your paper.
You’ll have a much better idea of what you want to say and how you want to say it. You’ll have a much better sense of the key points from your research that you want to explore. You’ll have a much better sense of the tone and style of your paper. And you’ll have a much better sense of the readers you’re writing for.
Conclusion
A thesis statement is the foundation of your entire paper, but it’s often the last thing writers think about. Jumping into research and writing leads many students to put off forming their thesis statement until they’re nearly done with their papers. This approach is both inefficient and unproductive. Instead of struggling to come up with a thesis statement once you’ve already written most of your paper, take the time to write your thesis statement first. This way, you’ll be able to use your thesis statement to guide your research and writing, and make sure your paper is coherent, and make sure your paper is as strong as it can be.