No matter where you are in school today, you have surely practiced developing precisely worded thesis statements to focus your arguments and create powerful essays that persuade and inspire your readers. Unfortunately, high school writing lessons are poor teachers of professional writing techniques, and all too often, undergraduate or masters students have to learn in real-time how to synthesize the information they need in order to develop high-quality thesis papers in order to complete a capstone or even midstream milestones on their way to graduation.
Completing thesis writing is a rite of passage for virtually all university students – and it is something that far too many students approach with dread. Transforming simple thesis statements that pervade high school and early college writing into a fully-formed research paper can be a daunting task for many students who are not fully prepared for the rigors of the highly analytical style of writing that is required of them at this stage. Yet, at the end of this trial students overwhelmingly feel a sense of confident relief in their hard work. Many undergraduates actually find themselves incredibly impressed with their final product because these papers extend beyond their comfort zone in both length and stylistic boundaries. What many students don’t know is that this type of writing will become the norm for many graduates as they transition into professional or higher academic positions. In fact, the requirements for professional writing only become more strenuous as you progress through your career.
A good thesis paper begins with a question rather than an answer. To begin your research, you must come up with a question that needs answering or a phenomenon that requires explanation. This is best done regarding a topic that you are passionate about. If you love ancient history, for instance, a thesis paper that explores national trade among EU states may not be the most riveting topic for your long-term study. Alternatively, a topic of this nature – if assigned – can be made more interesting by adding your own personal flair: EU trade preferences that run in parallel with historical alliances, perhaps. In this way, you can tweak and adapt a broad or overly boring topic into something that fits both your personal style and academic interests and presents a well-considered question for research treatment that will impress your professor.
After determining the overarching question, you must get a handle on the direction of your thesis research. The first stop here is within the directions that your professor has provided. Do you need ten, fifteen, or more references? How long must this paper be? In what format must you cite your sources? The answers to these questions will help you plot the initial stages of your writing and are simple queries that are to be found within the syllabus describing the layout and regulations of the course, or alternatively within additional assignment instructions. Then, it is time to begin your research. Many writers find that simple, first-draft research questions are best when conducting the first round of reading. This helps writers to keep an open mind when pursuing the facts of their chosen topic and allows for some leeway in research direction in the event of additional or completely new questions that arise in the course of the research phase of writing.
This process does take a lot of time, hard work, and commitment. Because of this, not many people are able to properly devote themselves to a thesis paper. Luckily, professionals are available to help you with your thesis writing. These teams consist of several field experts who can offer a well-researched thesis that follows all of your guidelines and requests, even if you happen to be on a tight deadline.
Thesis paper writing is a rewarding part of your academic career and something that shouldn’t keep you up worrying at night. With the right, open-minded approach to the challenge and a healthy, spirited pursuit of knowledge at the forefront of your journey, thesis research can and should be the highlight of your academic career.
