• Finding
an Angle • Assignment • Internet
Resources • Class
Materials
A thesis is the controlling idea of a paper. For an informative
essay, the thesis identifies your focus.
For example, if
you research identity theft, you will find
information on many aspects of the topic:
In a 3–5 page paper, you cannot begin
to cover all angles
on your topic. Your thesis identifies
the angle you will cover. This
helps you focus your research,
as the example below shows. A
thesis also lets readers know
what to expect; if your focus
is on the emotional impact of
identity theft, readers cannot
complain that you don't cover
ways to avoid becoming a victim.
Identity Theft |
| Angle |
What is identity theft? |
How can people protect
themselves against
identity theft? |
| Thesis |
Identity theft is a fast-growing
crime committed
by thieves who
use stolen personal
information to
commit various
types of fraud,
including theft
of credit, driver's
license information,
and medical identity. |
To protect themselves against identity
theft, consumers
should understand
how identity
thieves work,
guard their personal
information,
and learn how
to fight back. |
| Content covered |
Three common types of identity
theft
are
• credit identity theft
• driver's license identity
theft
• medical identity theft |
Three ways consumers can protect
themselves include
• knowing how identity thieves
work
• guarding their personal
information
• learning how to fight back |
| |
|
|
How do I develop a working thesis?
To generate
a working thesis, follow
these steps:
- Read your sources and take brief notes on
them.
- Brainstorm interesting ideas from the articles,
using techniques such
as freewriting, questioning,
and graphic
organizers.
- Generate a research question by completing
this sentence: I want
to know why/how/what....
- Generate a thesis, which is the answer
to your research question.
For a more detailed
explanation of
how to generate a thesis, see The KU Handbook
for Writers, pp.
41-44.
Why is my first thesis called a working
thesis?
Your ideas about your topic may change as you
continue to work on your essay.
You might discover a new angle
that is more interesting than
the one you first chose. You
may learn something that causes
you to change your thinking about
a topic. Your first thesis may
boring, so you may have to look
for an approach that will give
readers new information. As your
thinking changes, your thesis
may also change.
How will having three main points help
me write my paper? As you do your research, you can
concentrate on sources that give you
statistics, examples, reasons, and opinions
to support each point. (See The KU Handbook
for Writers, pp.60-64.) As
you write your draft, you can
expand each of the bullet points
in the Content section into a
full paragraph. (See The KU Handbook
for Writers,
pp. 109-110, for a more detailed explanation.)
What are the requirements for the CM102
Unit 3 assignment?
- Follow rubric for
Unit 3 Project
if you are comfortable
using 1-2-3 order.
- If you prefer to organize by making
associations
or writing about your
topic, check with your
instructor to see if concept-mapping,
a progress
report, or
an exploratory
essay would
work.
- Identify the focus of your paper
and the main points you
are going to develop.
- If you have an overall plan for organizing
your paper, explain
your plan (for example,
are you going to use
cause-effect or compare-contrast?)
Internet Resources for Developing a Thesis Statement
Getting Ideas
Developing an Informative Thesis
Organizing an Essay
