A working thesis is a preliminary statement about your topic made early in the research process to guide your thinking and help keep your research on track. Your working thesis should include a claim.
The purpose of your essay is to provide evidence to support this claim and thus persuade the audience that your claim or position is the truth.
As you delve deeper into your research, you may not find enough evidence to support your claim. You might form new ideas about your topic as you learn more. Don’t hesitate to revise your thesis or change your mind on a topic as you learn more about it. For example, you may start out thinking you know exactly what you believe about a topic; but as you research, you may discover that the issue is more complex than you first thought and your opinion becomes more complex. This is all part of the research process.
So begins a lengthy process. You are expected, as a serious student, to work diligently on completing each step in this process so that the project does not become overwhelming in your own mind.
Start now. Work steadily. You will be successful.
This is a brainstorming graphic organizer that helps you develop a thesis and subtopics for your paper.
This is a brainstorming graphic organizer that builds on "Choosing a Topic."