Things to Avoid in a Thesis Statement
March 1, 2017| Category: Freelance Writing, Writing Tips
Until you learn how to create ideal thesis statements, you will certainly create a big number of statements that contain certain mistakes. We intend to help you to excel in your writing skills by providing the guideline that notes the most common mistakes in thesis statements that should always be avoided. Students who consider their writing skills almost close to perfection also make the same errors when creating thesis statements. So, what are the most common mistakes in thesis statements?
1. Too Broad Statement
Focus and precision are essential in essay writing. That is why it is unacceptable to include too many details in the statement that serves as the main focus of your argument. You may think that broad statement ensures covering a larger scope of issues. Thinking deeply, by writing a statement too broad, you may not meet the expectations of the readers.
An example of too broad thesis: People who live in poverty face many challenges.
It is necessary to narrow down the focus of the broad thesis by underlining certain aspects of the problem you want to discuss in the essay.
2. Statement that does not represent the contents of the paper adequately
This mistake is connected to the first error. In fact, broad statements fail to introduce the main points described in the text properly. Narrow and specific thesis statements better serve the purpose of representing the essence of the paper. In case the statement differs from the paper content, it creates confusion among readers because there is no coherence and unity throughout the essay. When writing the thesis, the author should remember that he/she creates a roadmap of the paper. So, it should perfectly match the contents of the text.
3. Statement that describes a fact rather than the arguable claim
Despite the fact that a strong fact-sentence often makes up a good thesis statement, it lacks a debatable point. For example, the sentence “Children face ten main linguistic and physical alterations until the age of five” is specific and strong, but it will not work as a thesis statement because there is no complexity and depth beyond it. On the contrary, an effective thesis statement is the one that presents something that is worth discussing and studying.
4. Statement that offers personal opinion using terms such as “In my opinion” or “I believe”
This is the common error among the novices in academic writing. Although the terms “In my opinion” or “I believe” are good for stating the author’s main point that will be argued throughout the paper, they understate the strength of the dispute offered in the thesis statement. In addition, these terms underline the subjectivity of the author’s idea that cannot be the object of academic research.
5. Statement with the wrong format
After mastering a certain format of thesis statement, students start using it when crafting different types of essays. After reconsideration, a thesis statement format that is successful for a persuasive essay is not always suitable for a descriptive essay, for example. Thus, it is necessary to study different forms of thesis statements and vary them according to the type of writing.
6. Statement with oversimplified argument
Attempting to craft a concise and comprehensible thesis statements, students end up oversimplifying them. As a result, they get ‘dumbed down’ statement that does not represent the contents of the essay effectively.
Although it is hard to create an ideal thesis statement, you will be more likely to succeed if you learn how to avoid most common mistakes. Keep these writing tips in your mind when crafting your next thesis, and you will be pleasantly surprised with the result.