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SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENTS

These sample thesis statements are provided as guides, not as required forms or prescriptions.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The thesis may focus on an analysis of one of the elements of fiction, drama, poetry or nonfiction as expressed in the work: character, plot, structure, idea, theme, symbol, style, imagery, tone, etc.

In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty creates a fictional character in Phoenix Jackson whose determination, faith, and cunning illustrate the indomitable human spirit.

Note that the work, author, and character to be analyzed are identified in this thesis statement. The thesis relies on a strong verb (creates). It also identifies the element of fiction that the writer will explore (character) and the characteristics the writer will analyze and discuss (determination, faith, cunning).

Further Examples:

The character of the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet serves as a foil to young Juliet, delights us with her warmth and earthy wit, and helps realize the tragic catastrophe.

The works of ecstatic love poets Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir use symbols such as a lover’s longing and the Tavern of Ruin to illustrate the human soul’s desire to connect with God.

The thesis may focus on illustrating how a work reflects the particular genre’s forms, the characteristics of a philosophy of literature, or the ideas of a particular school of thought.

“The Third and Final Continent” exhibits characteristics recurrent in writings by immigrants: tradition, adaptation, and identity.

Note how the thesis statement classifies the form of the work (writings by immigrants) and identifies the characteristics of that form of writing (tradition, adaptation, and identity) that the essay will discuss.

Further examples:

Samuel Beckett’s Endgame reflects characteristics of Theatre of the Absurd in its minimalist stage setting, its seemingly meaningless dialogue, and its apocalyptic or nihilist vision.

A close look at many details in “The Story of an Hour” reveals how language, institutions, and expected demeanor suppress the natural desires and aspirations of women.

The thesis may draw parallels between some element in the work and real-life situations or subject matter: historical events, the author’s life, medical diagnoses, etc.

In Willa Cather’s short story, “Paul’s Case,” Paul exhibits suicidal behavior that a caring adult might have recognized and remedied had that adult had the scientific knowledge we have today.

This thesis suggests that the essay will identify characteristics of suicide that Paul exhibits in the story. The writer will have to research medical and psychology texts to determine the typical characteristics of suicidal behavior and to illustrate how Paul’s behavior mirrors those characteristics.

Through the experience of one man, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, accurately depicts the historical record of slave life in its descriptions of the often brutal and quixotic relationship between master and slave and of the fragmentation of slave families.

In “I Stand Here Ironing,” one can draw parallels between the narrator’s situation and the author’s life experiences as a mother, writer, and feminist.

SAMPLE PATTERNS FOR THESES ON LITERARY WORKS

1. In (title of work), (author) (illustrates, shows) (aspect) (adjective). 

Example: In “Barn Burning,” William Faulkner shows the characters Sardie and Abner Snopes struggling for their identity.

2. In (title of work), (author) uses (one aspect) to (define, strengthen, illustrate) the (element of work).

Example: In “Youth,” Joseph Conrad uses foreshadowing to strengthen the plot.

3. In (title of work), (author) uses (an important part of work) as a unifying device for (one element), (another element), and (another element). The number of elements can vary from one to four.

Example: In “Youth,” Joseph Conrad uses the sea as a unifying device for setting, structure and theme.

4. (Author) develops the character of (character’s name) in (literary work) through what he/she does, what he/she says, what other people say to or about him/her.

Example: Langston Hughes develops the character of Semple in “Ways and Means”…

5. In (title of work), (author) uses (literary device) to (accomplish, develop, illustrate, strengthen) (element of work).

Example: In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe uses the symbolism of the stranger, the clock, and the seventh room to develop the theme of death.

6. (Author) (shows, develops, illustrates) the theme of __________ in the (play, poem, story).

Example: Flannery O’Connor illustrates the theme of the effect of the selfishness of the grandmother upon the family in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”

7. (Author) develops his character(s) in (title of work) through his/her use of language.

Example: John Updike develops his characters in “A & P” through his use of figurative language.

Perimeter College, Georgia State University,  http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpcltc/handouts/communications/literarythesis.pdf

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The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Thesis Statements

What this handout is about.

This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft.

Introduction

Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement:

  • tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
  • is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
  • directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
  • makes a claim that others might dispute.
  • is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on understanding assignments for more information.)

How do I create a thesis?

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. Both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.

Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming .

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following :

  • Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question. If the prompt isn’t phrased as a question, try to rephrase it. For example, “Discuss the effect of X on Y” can be rephrased as “What is the effect of X on Y?”
  • Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
  • Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
  • Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is likely to  be “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
  • Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
  • Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

Suppose you are taking a course on contemporary communication, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: “Discuss the impact of social media on public awareness.” Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:

Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.

You can use the questions above to help you revise this general statement into a stronger thesis.

  • Do I answer the question? You can analyze this if you rephrase “discuss the impact” as “what is the impact?” This way, you can see that you’ve answered the question only very generally with the vague “positive and negative ways.”
  • Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not likely. Only people who maintain that social media has a solely positive or solely negative impact could disagree.
  • Is my thesis statement specific enough? No. What are the positive effects? What are the negative effects?
  • Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? No. Why are they positive? How are they positive? What are their causes? Why are they negative? How are they negative? What are their causes?
  • Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? No. Why should anyone care about the positive and/or negative impact of social media?

After thinking about your answers to these questions, you decide to focus on the one impact you feel strongly about and have strong evidence for:

Because not every voice on social media is reliable, people have become much more critical consumers of information, and thus, more informed voters.

This version is a much stronger thesis! It answers the question, takes a specific position that others can challenge, and it gives a sense of why it matters.

Let’s try another. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. “This will be easy,” you think. “I loved Huckleberry Finn!” You grab a pad of paper and write:

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.

You begin to analyze your thesis:

  • Do I answer the question? No. The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel.

Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write:

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.
  • Do I answer the question? Yes!
  • Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not really. This contrast is well-known and accepted.
  • Is my thesis statement specific enough? It’s getting there–you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. However, it’s still not clear what your analysis will reveal.
  • Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? Not yet. Compare scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck’s actions and reactions and anything else that seems interesting.
  • Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? What’s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?”

After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature.

This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 2018. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing , 8th ed. New York: Pearson.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to Write a Thesis, According to Umberto Eco

thesis for a novel

In 1977, three years before Umberto Eco’s groundbreaking novel “ The Name of the Rose ” catapulted him to international fame, the illustrious semiotician published a funny and unpretentious guide for his favorite audience: teachers and their students. Now translated into 17 languages (it finally appeared in English in 2015), “How to Write a Thesis” delivers not just practical advice for writing a thesis — from choosing the right topic (monograph or survey? ancient or contemporary?) to note-taking and mastering the final draft — but meaningful lessons that equip writers for a lifetime outside the walls of the classroom. “Your thesis is like your first love” Eco muses. “It will be difficult to forget. In the end, it will represent your first serious and rigorous academic work, and this is no small thing.”

“Full of friendly, no-bullshit, entry-level advice on what to do and how to do it,” praised one critic, “the absolutely superb chapter on how to write is worth triple the price of admission on its own.” An excerpt from that chapter can be read below.

Once we have decided to whom to write (to humanity, not to the advisor), we must decide how to write, and this is quite a difficult question. If there were exhaustive rules, we would all be great writers. I could at least recommend that you rewrite your thesis many times, or that you take on other writing projects before embarking on your thesis, because writing is also a question of training. In any case, I will provide some general suggestions:

You are not Proust. Do not write long sentences. If they come into your head, write them, but then break them down. Do not be afraid to repeat the subject twice, and stay away from too many pronouns and subordinate clauses. Do not write,

The pianist Wittgenstein, brother of the well-known philosopher who wrote the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicusthat today many consider the masterpiece of contemporary philosophy, happened to have Ravel write for him a concerto for the left hand, since he had lost the right one in the war.

Write instead,

The pianist Paul Wittgenstein was the brother of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. Since Paul was maimed of his right hand, the composer Maurice Ravel wrote a concerto for him that required only the left hand.
The pianist Paul Wittgenstein was the brother of the famous philosopher, author of the Tractatus. The pianist had lost his right hand in the war. For this reason the composer Maurice Ravel wrote a concerto for him that required only the left hand.

Do not write,

The Irish writer had renounced family, country, and church, and stuck to his plans. It can hardly be said of him that he was a politically committed writer, even if some have mentioned Fabian and “socialist” inclinations with respect to him. When World War II erupted, he tended to deliberately ignore the tragedy that shook Europe, and he was preoccupied solely with the writing of his last work.

Rather write,

Joyce had renounced family, country, and church. He stuck to his plans. We cannot say that Joyce was a “politically committed” writer even if some have gone so far as describing a Fabian and “socialist” Joyce. When World War II erupted, Joyce deliberately ignored the tragedy that shook Europe. His sole preoccupation was the writing of Finnegans Wake.

Even if it seems “literary,” please do not write,

When Stockhausen speaks of “clusters,” he does not have in mind Schoenberg’s series, or Webern’s series. If confronted, the German musician would not accept the requirement to avoid repeating any of the twelve notes before the series has ended. The notion of the cluster itself is structurally more unconventional than that of the series. On the other hand Webern followed the strict principles of the author of A Survivor from Warsaw. Now, the author of Mantra goes well beyond. And as for the former, it is necessary to distinguish between the various phases of his oeuvre. Berio agrees: it is not possible to consider this author as a dogmatic serialist.

You will notice that, at some point, you can no longer tell who is who. In addition, defining an author through one of his works is logically incorrect. It is true that lesser critics refer to Alessandro Manzoni simply as “the author of the Betrothed,” perhaps for fear of repeating his name too many times. (This is something manuals on formal writing apparently advise against.) But the author of The Betrothed is not the biographical character Manzoni in his totality. In fact, in a certain context we could say that there is a notable difference between the author of The Betrothed and the author of Adelchi , even if they are one and the same biographically speaking and according to their birth certificate. For this reason, I would rewrite the above passage as follows:

When Stockhausen speaks of a “cluster,” he does not have in mind either the series of Schoenberg or that of Webern. If confronted, Stockhausen would not accept the requirement to avoid repeating any of the twelve notes before the end of the series. The notion of the cluster itself is structurally more unconventional than that of the series. Webern, by contrast, followed the strict principles of Schoenberg, but Stockhausen goes well beyond. And even for Webern, it is necessary to distinguish among the various phases of his oeuvre. Berio also asserts that it is not possible to think of Webern as a dogmatic serialist.

thesis for a novel

You are not e. e. cummings. Cummings was an American avant-garde poet who is known for having signed his name with lower-case initials. Naturally he used commas and periods with great thriftiness, he broke his lines into small pieces, and in short he did all the things that an avant-garde poet can and should do. But you are not an avant-garde poet. Not even if your thesis is on avant-garde poetry. If you write a thesis on Caravaggio, are you then a painter? And if you write a thesis on the style of the futurists, please do not write as a futurist writes. This is important advice because nowadays many tend to write “alternative” theses, in which the rules of critical discourse are not respected. But the language of the thesis is a metalanguage , that is, a language that speaks of other languages. A psychiatrist who describes the mentally ill does not express himself in the manner of his patients. I am not saying that it is wrong to express oneself in the manner of the so-called mentally ill. In fact, you could reasonably argue that they are the only ones who express themselves the way one should. But here you have two choices: either you do not write a thesis, and you manifest your desire to break with tradition by refusing to earn your degree, perhaps learning to play the guitar instead; or you write your thesis, but then you must explain to everyone why the language of the mentally ill is not a “crazy” language, and to do it you must use a metalanguage intelligible to all. The pseudo-poet who writes his thesis in poetry is a pitiful writer (and probably a bad poet). From Dante to Eliot and from Eliot to Sanguineti, when avant-garde poets wanted to talk about their poetry, they wrote in clear prose. And when Marx wanted to talk about workers, he did not write as a worker of his time, but as a philosopher. Then, when he wrote The Communist Manifesto with Engels in 1848, he used a fragmented journalistic style that was provocative and quite effective. Yet again, The Communist Manifesto is not written in the style of Capital, a text addressed to economists and politicians. Do not pretend to be Dante by saying that the poetic fury “dictates deep within,” and that you cannot surrender to the flat and pedestrian metalanguage of literary criticism. Are you a poet? Then do not pursue a university degree. Twentieth-century Italian poet Eugenio Montale does not have a degree, and he is a great poet nonetheless. His contemporary Carlo Emilio Gadda (who held a degree in engineering) wrote fiction in a unique style, full of dialects and stylistic idiosyncrasies; but when he wrote a manual for radio news writers, he wrote a clever, sharp, and lucid “recipe book” full of clear and accessible prose. And when Montale writes a critical article, he writes so that all can understand him, including those who do not understand his poems.

Begin new paragraphs often. Do so when logically necessary, and when the pace of the text requires it, but the more you do it, the better.

Write everything that comes into your head , but only in the first draft. You may notice that you get carried away with your inspiration, and you lose track of the center of your topic. In this case, you can remove the parenthetical sentences and the digressions, or you can put each in a note or an appendix. Your thesis exists to prove the hypothesis that you devised at the outset, not to show the breadth of your knowledge.

Use the advisor as a guinea pig. You must ensure that the advisor reads the first chapters (and eventually, all the chapters) far in advance of the deadline. His reactions may be useful to you. If the advisor is busy (or lazy), ask a friend. Ask if he understands what you are writing. Do not play the solitary genius.

Do not insist on beginning with the first chapter . Perhaps you have more documentation on chapter 4. Start there, with the nonchalance of someone who has already worked out the previous chapters. You will gain confidence. Naturally your working table of contents will anchor you, and will serve as a hypothesis that guides you.

Do not use ellipsis and exclamation points, and do not explain ironies . It is possible to use language that is referential or language that is figurative . By referential language, I mean a language that is recognized by all, in which all things are called by their most common name, and that does not lend itself to misunderstandings. “The Venice-Milan train” indicates in a referential way the same object that “The Arrow of the Lagoon” indicates figuratively. This example illustrates that “everyday” communication is possible with partially figurative language. Ideally, a critical essay or a scholarly text should be written referentially (with all terms well defined and univocal), but it can also be useful to use metaphor, irony, or litotes. Here is a referential text, followed by its transcription in figurative terms that are at least tolerable:

[ Referential version :] Krasnapolsky is not a very sharp critic of Danieli’s work. His interpretation draws meaning from the author’s text that the author probably did not intend. Consider the line, “in the evening gazing at the clouds.” Ritz interprets this as a normal geographical annotation, whereas Krasnapolsky sees a symbolic expression that alludes to poetic activity. One should not trust Ritz’s critical acumen, and one should also distrust Krasnapolsky. Hilton observes that, “if Ritz’s writing seems like a tourist brochure, Krasnapolsky’s criticism reads like a Lenten sermon.” And he adds, “Truly, two perfect critics.”
[ Figurative version :] We are not convinced that Krasnapolsky is the sharpest critic of Danieli’s work. In reading his author, Krasnapolsky gives the impression that he is putting words into Danieli’s mouth. Consider the line, “in the evening gazing at the clouds.” Ritz interprets it as a normal geographical annotation, whereas Krasnapolsky plays the symbolism card and sees an allusion to poetic activity. Ritz is not a prodigy of critical insight, but Krasnapolsky should also be handled with care. As Hilton observes, “if Ritz’s writing seems like a tourist brochure, Krasnapolsky’s criticism reads like a Lenten sermon. Truly, two perfect critics.”

You can see that the figurative version uses various rhetorical devices. First of all, the litotes: saying that you are not convinced that someone is a sharp critic means that you are convinced that he is not a sharp critic. Also, the statement “Ritz is not a prodigy of critical insight” means that he is a modest critic. Then there are the metaphors : putting words into someone’s mouth, and playing the symbolism card. The tourist brochure and the Lenten sermon are two similes , while the observation that the two authors are perfect critics is an example of irony : saying one thing to signify its opposite.

Now, we either use rhetorical figures effectively, or we do not use them at all. If we use them it is because we presume our reader is capable of catching them, and because we believe that we will appear more incisive and convincing. In this case, we should not be ashamed of them, and we should not explain them . If we think that our reader is an idiot, we should not use rhetorical figures, but if we use them and feel the need to explain them, we are essentially calling the reader an idiot. In turn, he will take revenge by calling the author an idiot. Here is how a timid writer might intervene to neutralize and excuse the rhetorical figures he uses:

[ Figurative version with reservations :] We are not convinced that Krasnapolsky is the “sharpest” critic of Danieli’s work. In reading his author, Krasnapolsky gives the impression that he is “putting words into Danieli’s mouth.” Consider Danieli’s line, “in the evening gazing at the clouds.” Ritz interprets this as a normal geographical annotation, whereas Krasnapolsky “plays the symbolism card” and sees an allusion to poetic activity. Ritz is not a “prodigy of critical insight,” but Krasnapolsky should also be “handled with care”! As Hilton ironically observes, “if Ritz’s writing seems like a vacation brochure, Krasnapolsky’s criticism reads like a Lenten sermon.” And he defines them (again with irony!) as two models of critical perfection. But all joking aside …

I am convinced that nobody could be so intellectually petit bourgeois as to conceive a passage so studded with shyness and apologetic little smiles. Of course I exaggerated in this example, and here I say that I exaggerated because it is didactically important that the parody be understood as such. In fact, many bad habits of the amateur writer are condensed into this third example. First of all, the use of quotation marks to warn the reader, “Pay attention because I am about to say something big!” Puerile. Quotation marks are generally only used to designate a direct quotation or the title of an essay or short work; to indicate that a term is jargon or slang; or that a term is being discussed in the text as a word, rather than used functionally within the sentence. Secondly, the use of the exclamation point to emphasize a statement. This is not appropriate in a critical essay. If you check the book you are reading, you will notice that I have used the exclamation mark only once or twice. It is allowed once or twice, if the purpose is to make the reader jump in his seat and call his attention to a vehement statement like, “Pay attention, never make this mistake!” But it is a good rule to speak softly. The effect will be stronger if you simply say important things. Finally, the author of the third passage draws attention to the ironies, and apologizes for using them (even if they are someone else’s). Surely, if you think that Hilton’s irony is too subtle, you can write, “Hilton states with subtle irony that we are in the presence of two perfect critics.” But the irony must be really subtle to merit such a statement. In the quoted text, after Hilton has mentioned the vacation brochure and the Lenten sermon, the irony was already evident and needed no further explanation. The same applies to the statement, “But all joking aside.” Sometimes a statement like this can be useful to abruptly change the tone of the argument, but only if you were really joking before. In this case, the author was not joking. He was attempting to use irony and metaphor, but these are serious rhetorical devices and not jokes.

You may observe that, more than once in this book, I have expressed a paradox and then warned that it was a paradox. For example, in section 2.6.1, I proposed the existence of the mythical centaur for the purpose of explaining the concept of scientific research. But I warned you of this paradox not because I thought you would have believed this proposition. On the contrary, I warned you because I was afraid that you would have doubted too much, and hence dismissed the paradox. Therefore I insisted that, despite its paradoxical form, my statement contained an important truth: that research must clearly define its object so that others can identify it, even if this object is mythical. And I made this absolutely clear because this is a didactic book in which I care more that everyone understands what I want to say than about a beautiful literary style. Had I been writing an essay, I would have pronounced the paradox without denouncing it later.

Always define a term when you introduce it for the first time . If you do not know the definition of a term, avoid using it. If it is one of the principal terms of your thesis and you are not able to define it, call it quits. You have chosen the wrong thesis (or, if you were planning to pursue further research, the wrong career).

Umberto Eco was an Italian novelist, literary critic, philosopher, semiotician, and university professor. This article is excerpted from his book “ How to Write a Thesis .”

Sometimes the lessons that stick the most are the ones never intended to be taught.

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Reconnecting children and nature may be the last cause in America that transcends political, religious, racial, and professional barriers.

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Meryl Alper, ethnographer and author of “Kids Across the Spectrums,” explores the role of media and technology in the everyday lives of children on the autism spectrum.

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Educators should ask not who is curious, but how is each person curious?

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Thesis Statements for a Literature Assignment

A thesis prepares the reader for what you are about to say. As such, your paper needs to be interesting in order for your thesis to be interesting. Your thesis needs to be interesting because it needs to capture a reader's attention. If a reader looks at your thesis and says "so what?", your thesis has failed to do its job, and chances are your paper has as well. Thus, make your thesis provocative and open to reasonable disagreement, but then write persuasively enough to sway those who might be disagree.

Keep in mind the following when formulating a thesis:

  • A Thesis Should Not State the Obvious
  • Use Literary Terms in Thesis With Care
  • A Thesis Should be Balanced
  • A Thesis Can be a Blueprint

Avoid the Obvious

Bland: Dorothy Parker's "Résumé" uses images of suicide to make her point about living.

This is bland because it's obvious and incontestable. A reader looks at it and says, "so what?"

However, consider this alternative:

Dorothy Parker's "Résumé" doesn't celebrate life, but rather scorns those who would fake or attempt suicide just to get attention.

The first thesis merely describes something about the poem; the second tells the reader what the writer thinks the poem is about--it offers a reading or interpretation. The paper would need to support that reading and would very likely examine the way Parker uses images of suicide to make the point the writer claims.

Use Literary Terms in Thesis Only to Make Larger Points

Poems and novels generally use rhyme, meter, imagery, simile, metaphor, stanzas, characters, themes, settings and so on. While these terms are important for you to use in your analysis and your arguments, that they exist in the work you are writing about should not be the main point of your thesis. Unless the poet or novelist uses these elements in some unexpected way to shape the work's meaning, it's generally a good idea not to draw attention to the use of literary devices in thesis statements because an intelligent reader expects a poem or novel to use literary of these elements. Therefore, a thesis that only says a work uses literary devices isn't a good thesis because all it is doing is stating the obvious, leading the reader to say, "so what?"

However, you can use literary terms in a thesis if the purpose is to explain how the terms contribute to the work's meaning or understanding. Here's an example of thesis statement that does call attention to literary devices because they are central to the paper's argument. Literary terms are placed in italics.

Don Marquis introduced Archy and Mehitabel in his Sun Dial column by combining the conventions of free verse poetry with newspaper prose so intimately that in "the coming of Archy," the entire column represents a complete poem and not a free verse poem preceded by a prose introduction .

Note the difference between this thesis and the first bland thesis on the Parker poem. This thesis does more than say certain literary devices exist in the poem; it argues that they exist in a specific relationship to one another and makes a fairly startling claim, one that many would disagree with and one that the writer will need to persuade her readers on.

Keep Your Thesis Balanced

Keep the thesis balanced. If it's too general, it becomes vague; if it's too specific, it cannot be developed. If it's merely descriptive (like the bland example above), it gives the reader no compelling reason to go on. The thesis should be dramatic, have some tension in it, and should need to be proved (another reason for avoiding the obvious).

Too general: Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote many poems with love as the theme. Too specific: Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote "Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink" in <insert date> after <insert event from her life>. Too descriptive: Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink" is a sonnet with two parts; the first six lines propose a view of love and the next eight complicate that view. With tension and which will need proving: Despite her avowal on the importance of love, and despite her belief that she would not sell her love, the speaker in Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink" remains unconvinced and bitter, as if she is trying to trick herself into believing that love really does matter for more than the one night she is in some lover's arms.

Your Thesis Can Be A Blueprint

A thesis can be used as roadmap or blueprint for your paper:

In "Résumé," Dorothy Parker subverts the idea of what a résumé is--accomplishments and experiences--with an ironic tone, silly images of suicide, and witty rhymes to point out the banality of life for those who remain too disengaged from it.

Note that while this thesis refers to particular poetic devices, it does so in a way that gets beyond merely saying there are poetic devices in the poem and then merely describing them. It makes a claim as to how and why the poet uses tone, imagery and rhyme.

Readers would expect you to argue that Parker subverts the idea of the résumé to critique bored (and boring) people; they would expect your argument to do so by analyzing her use of tone, imagery and rhyme in that order.

Citation Information

Nick Carbone. (1994-2024). Thesis Statements for a Literature Assignment. The WAC Clearinghouse. Colorado State University. Available at https://wac.colostate.edu/repository/writing/guides/.

Copyright Information

Copyright © 1994-2024 Colorado State University and/or this site's authors, developers, and contributors . Some material displayed on this site is used with permission.

While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

  • Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
  • Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
  • Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
  • Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
  • Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
  • picture_as_pdf Thesis

Developing a Thesis Statement

Many papers you write require developing a thesis statement. In this section you’ll learn what a thesis statement is and how to write one.

Keep in mind that not all papers require thesis statements . If in doubt, please consult your instructor for assistance.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement . . .

  • Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic.
  • Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper.
  • Is focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper.
  • Is generally located near the end of the introduction ; sometimes, in a long paper, the thesis will be expressed in several sentences or in an entire paragraph.
  • Identifies the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you are using to support your argument.

Not all papers require thesis statements! Ask your instructor if you’re in doubt whether you need one.

Identify a topic

Your topic is the subject about which you will write. Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic; or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper.

Consider what your assignment asks you to do

Inform yourself about your topic, focus on one aspect of your topic, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts, generate a topic from an assignment.

Below are some possible topics based on sample assignments.

Sample assignment 1

Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II.

Identified topic

Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis

This topic avoids generalities such as “Spain” and “World War II,” addressing instead on Franco’s role (a specific aspect of “Spain”) and the diplomatic relations between the Allies and Axis (a specific aspect of World War II).

Sample assignment 2

Analyze one of Homer’s epic similes in the Iliad.

The relationship between the portrayal of warfare and the epic simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64.

This topic focuses on a single simile and relates it to a single aspect of the Iliad ( warfare being a major theme in that work).

Developing a Thesis Statement–Additional information

Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic, or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper. You’ll want to read your assignment carefully, looking for key terms that you can use to focus your topic.

Sample assignment: Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II Key terms: analyze, Spain’s neutrality, World War II

After you’ve identified the key words in your topic, the next step is to read about them in several sources, or generate as much information as possible through an analysis of your topic. Obviously, the more material or knowledge you have, the more possibilities will be available for a strong argument. For the sample assignment above, you’ll want to look at books and articles on World War II in general, and Spain’s neutrality in particular.

As you consider your options, you must decide to focus on one aspect of your topic. This means that you cannot include everything you’ve learned about your topic, nor should you go off in several directions. If you end up covering too many different aspects of a topic, your paper will sprawl and be unconvincing in its argument, and it most likely will not fulfull the assignment requirements.

For the sample assignment above, both Spain’s neutrality and World War II are topics far too broad to explore in a paper. You may instead decide to focus on Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis , which narrows down what aspects of Spain’s neutrality and World War II you want to discuss, as well as establishes a specific link between those two aspects.

Before you go too far, however, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts. Try to avoid topics that already have too much written about them (i.e., “eating disorders and body image among adolescent women”) or that simply are not important (i.e. “why I like ice cream”). These topics may lead to a thesis that is either dry fact or a weird claim that cannot be supported. A good thesis falls somewhere between the two extremes. To arrive at this point, ask yourself what is new, interesting, contestable, or controversial about your topic.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times . Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Derive a main point from topic

Once you have a topic, you will have to decide what the main point of your paper will be. This point, the “controlling idea,” becomes the core of your argument (thesis statement) and it is the unifying idea to which you will relate all your sub-theses. You can then turn this “controlling idea” into a purpose statement about what you intend to do in your paper.

Look for patterns in your evidence

Compose a purpose statement.

Consult the examples below for suggestions on how to look for patterns in your evidence and construct a purpose statement.

  • Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis
  • Franco turned to the Allies when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from the Axis

Possible conclusion:

Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: Franco’s desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power.

Purpose statement

This paper will analyze Franco’s diplomacy during World War II to see how it contributed to Spain’s neutrality.
  • The simile compares Simoisius to a tree, which is a peaceful, natural image.
  • The tree in the simile is chopped down to make wheels for a chariot, which is an object used in warfare.

At first, the simile seems to take the reader away from the world of warfare, but we end up back in that world by the end.

This paper will analyze the way the simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64 moves in and out of the world of warfare.

Derive purpose statement from topic

To find out what your “controlling idea” is, you have to examine and evaluate your evidence . As you consider your evidence, you may notice patterns emerging, data repeated in more than one source, or facts that favor one view more than another. These patterns or data may then lead you to some conclusions about your topic and suggest that you can successfully argue for one idea better than another.

For instance, you might find out that Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis, but when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from them, he turned to the Allies. As you read more about Franco’s decisions, you may conclude that Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: his desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power. Based on this conclusion, you can then write a trial thesis statement to help you decide what material belongs in your paper.

Sometimes you won’t be able to find a focus or identify your “spin” or specific argument immediately. Like some writers, you might begin with a purpose statement just to get yourself going. A purpose statement is one or more sentences that announce your topic and indicate the structure of the paper but do not state the conclusions you have drawn . Thus, you might begin with something like this:

  • This paper will look at modern language to see if it reflects male dominance or female oppression.
  • I plan to analyze anger and derision in offensive language to see if they represent a challenge of society’s authority.

At some point, you can turn a purpose statement into a thesis statement. As you think and write about your topic, you can restrict, clarify, and refine your argument, crafting your thesis statement to reflect your thinking.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Compose a draft thesis statement

If you are writing a paper that will have an argumentative thesis and are having trouble getting started, the techniques in the table below may help you develop a temporary or “working” thesis statement.

Begin with a purpose statement that you will later turn into a thesis statement.

Assignment: Discuss the history of the Reform Party and explain its influence on the 1990 presidential and Congressional election.

Purpose Statement: This paper briefly sketches the history of the grassroots, conservative, Perot-led Reform Party and analyzes how it influenced the economic and social ideologies of the two mainstream parties.

Question-to-Assertion

If your assignment asks a specific question(s), turn the question(s) into an assertion and give reasons why it is true or reasons for your opinion.

Assignment : What do Aylmer and Rappaccini have to be proud of? Why aren’t they satisfied with these things? How does pride, as demonstrated in “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” lead to unexpected problems?

Beginning thesis statement: Alymer and Rappaccinni are proud of their great knowledge; however, they are also very greedy and are driven to use their knowledge to alter some aspect of nature as a test of their ability. Evil results when they try to “play God.”

Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you plan to write.

Main idea: The reason some toys succeed in the market is that they appeal to the consumers’ sense of the ridiculous and their basic desire to laugh at themselves.

Make a list of the ideas that you want to include; consider the ideas and try to group them.

  • nature = peaceful
  • war matériel = violent (competes with 1?)
  • need for time and space to mourn the dead
  • war is inescapable (competes with 3?)

Use a formula to arrive at a working thesis statement (you will revise this later).

  • although most readers of _______ have argued that _______, closer examination shows that _______.
  • _______ uses _______ and _____ to prove that ________.
  • phenomenon x is a result of the combination of __________, __________, and _________.

What to keep in mind as you draft an initial thesis statement

Beginning statements obtained through the methods illustrated above can serve as a framework for planning or drafting your paper, but remember they’re not yet the specific, argumentative thesis you want for the final version of your paper. In fact, in its first stages, a thesis statement usually is ill-formed or rough and serves only as a planning tool.

As you write, you may discover evidence that does not fit your temporary or “working” thesis. Or you may reach deeper insights about your topic as you do more research, and you will find that your thesis statement has to be more complicated to match the evidence that you want to use.

You must be willing to reject or omit some evidence in order to keep your paper cohesive and your reader focused. Or you may have to revise your thesis to match the evidence and insights that you want to discuss. Read your draft carefully, noting the conclusions you have drawn and the major ideas which support or prove those conclusions. These will be the elements of your final thesis statement.

Sometimes you will not be able to identify these elements in your early drafts, but as you consider how your argument is developing and how your evidence supports your main idea, ask yourself, “ What is the main point that I want to prove/discuss? ” and “ How will I convince the reader that this is true? ” When you can answer these questions, then you can begin to refine the thesis statement.

Refine and polish the thesis statement

To get to your final thesis, you’ll need to refine your draft thesis so that it’s specific and arguable.

  • Ask if your draft thesis addresses the assignment
  • Question each part of your draft thesis
  • Clarify vague phrases and assertions
  • Investigate alternatives to your draft thesis

Consult the example below for suggestions on how to refine your draft thesis statement.

Sample Assignment

Choose an activity and define it as a symbol of American culture. Your essay should cause the reader to think critically about the society which produces and enjoys that activity.

  • Ask The phenomenon of drive-in facilities is an interesting symbol of american culture, and these facilities demonstrate significant characteristics of our society.This statement does not fulfill the assignment because it does not require the reader to think critically about society.
Drive-ins are an interesting symbol of American culture because they represent Americans’ significant creativity and business ingenuity.
Among the types of drive-in facilities familiar during the twentieth century, drive-in movie theaters best represent American creativity, not merely because they were the forerunner of later drive-ins and drive-throughs, but because of their impact on our culture: they changed our relationship to the automobile, changed the way people experienced movies, and changed movie-going into a family activity.
While drive-in facilities such as those at fast-food establishments, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize America’s economic ingenuity, they also have affected our personal standards.
While drive-in facilities such as those at fast- food restaurants, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize (1) Americans’ business ingenuity, they also have contributed (2) to an increasing homogenization of our culture, (3) a willingness to depersonalize relationships with others, and (4) a tendency to sacrifice quality for convenience.

This statement is now specific and fulfills all parts of the assignment. This version, like any good thesis, is not self-evident; its points, 1-4, will have to be proven with evidence in the body of the paper. The numbers in this statement indicate the order in which the points will be presented. Depending on the length of the paper, there could be one paragraph for each numbered item or there could be blocks of paragraph for even pages for each one.

Complete the final thesis statement

The bottom line.

As you move through the process of crafting a thesis, you’ll need to remember four things:

  • Context matters! Think about your course materials and lectures. Try to relate your thesis to the ideas your instructor is discussing.
  • As you go through the process described in this section, always keep your assignment in mind . You will be more successful when your thesis (and paper) responds to the assignment than if it argues a semi-related idea.
  • Your thesis statement should be precise, focused, and contestable ; it should predict the sub-theses or blocks of information that you will use to prove your argument.
  • Make sure that you keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Change your thesis as your paper evolves, because you do not want your thesis to promise more than your paper actually delivers.

In the beginning, the thesis statement was a tool to help you sharpen your focus, limit material and establish the paper’s purpose. When your paper is finished, however, the thesis statement becomes a tool for your reader. It tells the reader what you have learned about your topic and what evidence led you to your conclusion. It keeps the reader on track–well able to understand and appreciate your argument.

thesis for a novel

Writing Process and Structure

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Getting Started with Your Paper

Interpreting Writing Assignments from Your Courses

Generating Ideas for

Creating an Argument

Thesis vs. Purpose Statements

Architecture of Arguments

Working with Sources

Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources

Using Literary Quotations

Citing Sources in Your Paper

Drafting Your Paper

Generating Ideas for Your Paper

Introductions

Paragraphing

Developing Strategic Transitions

Conclusions

Revising Your Paper

Peer Reviews

Reverse Outlines

Revising an Argumentative Paper

Revision Strategies for Longer Projects

Finishing Your Paper

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

How to Proofread your Paper

Writing Collaboratively

Collaborative and Group Writing

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The Giver Thesis Statements and Essay Topics

Below you will find four outstanding thesis statements / paper topics for “The Giver” by Lois Lowry can be used as essay starters. All four incorporate at least one of the themes found in “The Giver” and are broad enough so that it will be easy to find textual support, yet narrow enough to provide a focused clear thesis statement. These thesis statements offer a short summary of “The Giver” in terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. You are, of course, free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them. Using the essay topics below in conjunction with the list of  important quotes from “The Giver”  on our quotes page, you should have no trouble connecting with the text and writing an excellent essay.

Topic #1: The Capacity of Decision Making in the Absence of Experience

Human beings have the unique ability of making decisions based on personal beliefs and knowledge gained from the consequences of previous experiences. In Jonas’s world, individuals have very few choices to make. They are told what to say and do at all times. Through genetic science, individuals cannot distinguish color and are strikingly similar in appearance. Even their most important decisions such as whom to marry or which career path to select are assigned by the Elders. With this limited agency dating back for generations, how capable is the average community member of making choices for themselves? How well could the community survive with the responsibilities and painful knowledge suddenly thrust upon them after Jonas’s departure?

Topic #2: Secrecy and Deception in Totalitarian Governments

Within totalitarian governments, the dictator is the ultimate authority. One of the powers these governments have over their citizens is the ability to withhold information and block communication. In some countries, for example, social media websites such as Facebook are banned. Within the community in “The Giver” contact with the outer world is completely blocked. Only members from similar communities may visit, but only for a brief time. In addition to preventing external communication, an internal structure of secrecy is built within the community. Jonas’s instructions for training include not disclosing information about his training, and the statement, “You may lie.” Upon receiving this, he immediately wonders if others have been given the same instruction. By comparing the Jonas’s community to examples of totalitarian countries, how do the rigid rules, distrust of others, and lack of communication contribute to community loyalty? Why has no individual challenged this concept? If a person attempted to, what would the outcome be?

Topic #3: Family Dynamics Without Love

Some of the strongest emotions people can experience involve love and physical intimacy. The bond between husband and wife is strengthened through sexual passion, as mother and child bond through pregnancy and birth. Jonas’s community separates Birthmothers from those who raise children. These women are looked down upon by other members of the community and are sentenced to hard physical labor after they can no longer bear children. From as early as they are first experienced, sexual desires are inhibited by a mandatory medication. These attitudes and mandates towards intimacy contribute to insubstantial and superficial relationships between family members. In what ways does this mindset contribute to Sameness? How do family dynamics compare with the memories of the past? Which differences between the family structures are most significant to creating love within the family?

Topic #4: Growth Through Experience

Oscar Wilde, a playwright of the Victorian Era, stated, “Nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” In other words, he believed personal experience is the most critical aspect of learning and growth. On a related note, Marcel Proust, a French philosopher, claimed he gained the most profound learning and sense of self through the times in life that he suffered. If novel opportunities promote growth, Sameness prohibits it. Discuss how Jonas’s development throughout the novel supports this claim. How does his personal evolution compare to his friends and family?

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Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

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Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

  • An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
  • An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
  • An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Thesis Statement Examples

Example of an analytical thesis statement:

The paper that follows should:

  • Explain the analysis of the college admission process
  • Explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:

  • Explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

  • Present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

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  • Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates

Published on June 7, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on November 21, 2023.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process . It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding the specifics of your dissertation topic and showcasing its relevance to your field.

Generally, an outline contains information on the different sections included in your thesis or dissertation , such as:

  • Your anticipated title
  • Your abstract
  • Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review, research methods, avenues for future research, etc.)

In the final product, you can also provide a chapter outline for your readers. This is a short paragraph at the end of your introduction to inform readers about the organizational structure of your thesis or dissertation. This chapter outline is also known as a reading guide or summary outline.

Table of contents

How to outline your thesis or dissertation, dissertation and thesis outline templates, chapter outline example, sample sentences for your chapter outline, sample verbs for variation in your chapter outline, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis and dissertation outlines.

While there are some inter-institutional differences, many outlines proceed in a fairly similar fashion.

  • Working Title
  • “Elevator pitch” of your work (often written last).
  • Introduce your area of study, sharing details about your research question, problem statement , and hypotheses . Situate your research within an existing paradigm or conceptual or theoretical framework .
  • Subdivide as you see fit into main topics and sub-topics.
  • Describe your research methods (e.g., your scope , population , and data collection ).
  • Present your research findings and share about your data analysis methods.
  • Answer the research question in a concise way.
  • Interpret your findings, discuss potential limitations of your own research and speculate about future implications or related opportunities.

For a more detailed overview of chapters and other elements, be sure to check out our article on the structure of a dissertation or download our template .

To help you get started, we’ve created a full thesis or dissertation template in Word or Google Docs format. It’s easy adapt it to your own requirements.

 Download Word template    Download Google Docs template

Chapter outline example American English

It can be easy to fall into a pattern of overusing the same words or sentence constructions, which can make your work monotonous and repetitive for your readers. Consider utilizing some of the alternative constructions presented below.

Example 1: Passive construction

The passive voice is a common choice for outlines and overviews because the context makes it clear who is carrying out the action (e.g., you are conducting the research ). However, overuse of the passive voice can make your text vague and imprecise.

Example 2: IS-AV construction

You can also present your information using the “IS-AV” (inanimate subject with an active verb ) construction.

A chapter is an inanimate object, so it is not capable of taking an action itself (e.g., presenting or discussing). However, the meaning of the sentence is still easily understandable, so the IS-AV construction can be a good way to add variety to your text.

Example 3: The “I” construction

Another option is to use the “I” construction, which is often recommended by style manuals (e.g., APA Style and Chicago style ). However, depending on your field of study, this construction is not always considered professional or academic. Ask your supervisor if you’re not sure.

Example 4: Mix-and-match

To truly make the most of these options, consider mixing and matching the passive voice , IS-AV construction , and “I” construction .This can help the flow of your argument and improve the readability of your text.

As you draft the chapter outline, you may also find yourself frequently repeating the same words, such as “discuss,” “present,” “prove,” or “show.” Consider branching out to add richness and nuance to your writing. Here are some examples of synonyms you can use.

Address Describe Imply Refute
Argue Determine Indicate Report
Claim Emphasize Mention Reveal
Clarify Examine Point out Speculate
Compare Explain Posit Summarize
Concern Formulate Present Target
Counter Focus on Propose Treat
Define Give Provide insight into Underpin
Demonstrate Highlight Recommend Use

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When you mention different chapters within your text, it’s considered best to use Roman numerals for most citation styles. However, the most important thing here is to remain consistent whenever using numbers in your dissertation .

The title page of your thesis or dissertation goes first, before all other content or lists that you may choose to include.

A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical first steps in your writing process. It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding what kind of research you’d like to undertake.

  • Your chapters (sometimes subdivided into further topics like literature review , research methods , avenues for future research, etc.)

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Examples

Thesis Statement for Review

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thesis for a novel

In the realm of reviews, whether they concern books, films, products, or services, a compelling thesis statement is pivotal. It serves as the anchor, succinctly conveying your evaluative stance and guiding readers through your perspective. As reviews often sway opinions and decisions, mastering the art of crafting a potent thesis statement is essential. Dive into stellar examples, learn the crafting process, and grasp pro tips to perfect your review narratives.

What is a Review Thesis Statement? – Definition

A concise thesis statement summary of the reviewer’s main evaluation or judgment about the subject under consideration. Unlike research or argumentative thesis statements, a review thesis primarily focuses on the reviewer’s stance, be it positive, negative, or mixed, providing readers with a clear indication of the overall tone and direction the review will take.

What is a good thesis statement Example for a Review?

Book Review : “In J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’, the intricacies of the plot, combined with the depth of character development, create not only the strongest book in the series but also a testament to her evolving writing prowess.”

Movie Review : “Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’ masterfully combines complex storytelling with breathtaking visuals, making it an audacious and mesmerizing cinematic experience.”

Product Review : “Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro offers a harmonious blend of cutting-edge technology and sleek design, setting a new benchmark in the smartphone industry despite its steep price.”

Each of these good thesis statements offers a clear evaluative stance, providing a snapshot of the reviewer’s perspective on the subject in question.

100 Thesis Statement Examples for Review

Thesis Statement Examples for Review

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In crafting a review, your specific thesis statement sets the tone, offering readers a glimpse into your assessment. Whether it’s a book, film, product, or service, a well-penned thesis encapsulates your viewpoint, guiding readers through your evaluative journey. Below are diverse examples to inspire and guide your review writing endeavors.

  • “Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ presents a haunting dystopian world, prompting readers to reflect on societal structures.”
  • “Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ delves deep into the psyche of its characters, showcasing his directorial genius.”
  • “Samsung’s Galaxy S21 fuses functionality with design, though its battery life leaves room for improvement.”
  • “The newly opened ‘Cafe Delight’ boasts an eclectic menu but struggles with service consistency.”
  • “Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ brilliantly captures the nuances of the British monarchy, making it a binge-worthy series.”
  • “Nike’s latest running shoes offer unparalleled comfort but come with a hefty price tag.”
  • “Trevor Noah’s ‘Born a Crime’ is an enlightening memoir that seamlessly blends humor and poignant moments.”
  • “Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ is a melodious departure from her usual genre, proving her versatile artistry.”
  • “The MacBook Air M1 is Apple’s crowning achievement in balancing performance and portability.”
  • “Spielberg’s ‘Schindler’s List’ remains a cinematic masterpiece, shedding light on humanity’s darkest hours.”
  • “The PlayStation 5, while boasting groundbreaking graphics, suffers from limited availability.”
  • “The vegan dishes at ‘Green Haven’ are a delight, offering both flavor and nutritional value.”
  • “Disney’s ‘Mulan’ remake, although visually stunning, lacks the charm of the original animation.”
  • “Fender’s latest guitar series is a boon for professionals, though beginners might find them overwhelming.”
  • “Erin Morgenstern’s ‘The Starless Sea’ is a lyrical journey through whimsical worlds, though it occasionally loses its narrative thread.”
  • “The ‘Zen Retreat Spa’ offers a holistic wellness experience but could benefit from a wider range of services.”
  • “Billie Eilish’s ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ pushes musical boundaries, heralding a new era of pop.”
  • “The Pixel 6, with its AI capabilities, sets a new standard, though it falls short in the aesthetics department.”
  • “Amazon’s ‘The Boys’ offers a gritty take on superheroes, breaking away from conventional portrayals.”
  • “The latest Adidas workout gear combines style with functionality but demands a premium.”
  • “The new Honda Accord impresses with its fuel efficiency, though the interior design feels dated.”
  • “BBC’s adaptation of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ remains unparalleled in capturing the essence of Austen’s classic.”
  • “While GoPro’s latest model offers groundbreaking stabilization, its battery life remains a sore point.”
  • “Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line is revolutionary in its inclusivity, setting new standards for the cosmetic industry.”
  • “Ubisoft’s ‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’ offers a rich historical setting, but glitches occasionally disrupt gameplay.”
  • “While the ‘Eco Bistro’ boasts an organic menu, its dishes often lack seasoning and flavor.”
  • “Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ is a masterclass in blending horror with societal commentary.”
  • “The Dyson V11 stands out in performance among vacuum cleaners, but its price is discouraging for many.”
  • “Spotify’s user interface makes it the top choice for music streaming, though its podcast section could be improved.”
  • “Stephen King’s ‘The Institute’ reiterates his prowess in writing gripping narratives but treads familiar themes.”
  • “The newly launched Microsoft Surface Pro excels in versatility but struggles with battery longevity.”
  • “‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller is a spellbinding retelling of mythology, highlighting the nuances of its titular character.”
  • “While the Xbox Series X boasts impressive specs, its game library needs expansion.”
  • “Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in ‘The Revenant’ is raw and captivating, making it a cinematic gem.”
  • “Nikon’s latest DSLR camera offers stunning photo quality but falls short in video capabilities.”
  • “The ‘Mountain View Resort’ provides a serene escape, though its dining options are limited.”
  • “Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ is a powerful blend of music and activism, showcasing her evolution as an artist.”
  • “Adobe’s Photoshop remains the top choice for professionals, though its steep learning curve is daunting for newbies.”
  • “Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal in ‘Joker’ provides a harrowing look into mental health issues, making it a standout film.”
  • “The Tesla Model X, with its innovative features, is reshaping the automobile industry.”
  • “George Orwell’s ‘1984’ is eerily relevant today, underlining the dangers of unchecked power.”
  • “While the iPhone SE offers value for money, it lacks the flair of its high-end counterparts.”
  • “Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ blends nostalgia with suspense, creating an irresistible binge-watch.”
  • “While Bose’s new headphones provide exceptional sound, they are not the most comfortable for extended use.”
  • “Barack Obama’s ‘A Promised Land’ is an introspective memoir providing invaluable insights into his presidency.”
  • “Sony’s Bravia range offers unmatched picture quality, but its sound system could use an upgrade.”
  • “The ‘Desert Oasis Retreat’ stands out for its rejuvenating experiences, though it’s far removed from urban amenities.”
  • “Ariana Grande’s ‘Sweetener’ album showcases her vocal prowess, though some tracks feel repetitive.”
  • “The Nikon Z5, while great for photography enthusiasts, might be an overkill for casual users.”
  • “HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’, despite its controversial ending, has set a benchmark for fantasy television.”
  • “The Google Home smart speaker, with its intuitive features, stands out in the crowded smart home market.”
  • “Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ is a testament to human resilience and determination.”
  • “Canon’s EOS series offers versatility for both amateurs and professionals, though its price range is vast.”
  • “Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’ serves as a fitting conclusion to an epic saga, balancing emotion with action.”
  • “Fitbit’s latest model excels in tracking accuracy but lacks in battery longevity.”
  • “Starbucks, while offering a wide coffee range, often compromises on the personal touch of local cafes.”
  • “Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’ is a technical marvel, but its narrative feels disjointed at times.”
  • “The Galaxy Tab series is a strong contender to the iPad, offering versatility at a competitive price.”
  • “Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ remains a timeless tale of dreams and destiny.”
  • “‘The Mediterranean Breeze’ restaurant offers authentic flavors but could work on ambiance.”
  • “Apple Watch, with its health features, is more than just a smart accessory.”
  • “Lana Del Rey’s ‘Norman F***ing Rockwell’ is a musical journey of melancholy and romance.”
  • “While Canon’s mirrorless cameras offer innovation, they come with a steep learning curve.”
  • “Amazon Prime’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ is a refreshing take on comedy, set against a vibrant period backdrop.”
  • “Samsung’s QLED TVs, while providing stunning visuals, are on the pricier side.”
  • “Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ is a masterful suspense that keeps readers on edge.”
  • “Bose’s SoundTouch 300 offers cinematic sound but falls short in bass depth.”
  • “The French bakery ‘La Delice’ offers authentic pastries but is often crowded due to limited seating.”
  • “Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a chilling adaptation, shedding light on societal regression.”
  • “The Tesla Model 3, while revolutionary in design, often faces software glitches.”
  • “Tom Hanks’ performance in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ delivers a raw portrayal of the horrors of war, making it an iconic film.”
  • “The latest update of the Android OS impresses with its user-friendly features but is not without minor bugs.”
  • “The Broadway musical ‘Hamilton’ revolutionizes theater by blending history with contemporary music genres.”
  • “Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones provide noise-cancellation at its best, but their hefty price tag is a deterrent for some.”
  • “J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ brilliantly blends mystery and magic, setting the tone for the series’ darker undertones.”
  • “The ‘Seaside Resort’ is perfect for a tranquil getaway, but its remote location might not appeal to those seeking more lively surroundings.”
  • “Lady Gaga’s ‘Chromatica’ is a powerful return to her dance-pop roots, resonating with many of her longtime fans.”
  • “Adobe Premiere Pro stands tall in video editing software but demands a high-performance machine for smooth functioning.”
  • “Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ is a gritty dive into corporate greed, bolstered by DiCaprio’s stellar performance.”
  • “Fitbit’s Versa 3 excels in sleep tracking, but its design is somewhat generic.”
  • “The novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee remains a poignant exploration of racial and moral complexities in the American South.”
  • “LG’s OLED TV lineup boasts unrivaled picture quality, but concerns over screen burn-in persist.”
  • “The restaurant ‘Urban Eats’ offers innovative fusion cuisine, though sometimes it tries too hard to impress.”
  • “The movie ‘Parasite’ by Bong Joon-ho is a masterclass in genre-blending, tackling social issues with dark humor.”
  • “Apple’s iPad Pro is a formidable contender in the tablet market but is often seen as overpriced.”
  • “BTS’s album ‘Map of the Soul: 7’ showcases their evolution as artists, touching upon themes of self-reflection and growth.”
  • “The video game ‘The Last of Us Part II’ is a narrative powerhouse, though it polarized fans with its bold storytelling choices.”
  • “The ‘Alpine Lodge’ offers a cozy winter retreat with stunning mountain views, but its in-house dining options are limited.”
  • “Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia’ is a refreshing blend of pop genres, echoing past eras while sounding unmistakably modern.”
  • “The novel ‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern paints a mesmerizing picture, though its plot occasionally meanders.”
  • “Samsung’s Fold series pushes the boundaries of smartphone design but raises durability concerns.”
  • “The documentary ‘Our Planet’ is a visual spectacle that underscores the urgent need for environmental conservation.”
  • “The ‘Zenbook’ series by Asus strikes a balance between portability and performance, appealing to both students and professionals.”
  • “Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’ is a haunting exploration of grief, set against the eerie backdrop of a Swedish midsummer festival.”
  • “Nike’s React series offers unmatched cushioning for runners, but some find its design too flashy.”
  • “The film ‘La La Land’ is a heartfelt homage to classic Hollywood musicals, blending romance with stunning cinematography.”
  • “OnePlus, with its latest smartphone, offers flagship features at a competitive price but compromises on camera quality.”
  • “The musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ touches upon pressing issues of mental health, resonating deeply with contemporary audiences.”
  • “Canon’s RF lens lineup provides stunning clarity, setting new benchmarks in photography.”
  • “The TV show ‘Breaking Bad’ remains a testament to character development, chronicling Walter White’s descent into the criminal underworld.”

Thesis Statement Examples for Literature Review

In literature reviews, the goal is often to identify trends, gaps, or controversies in the body of literature on a specific topic. The statements should reflect a comprehensive understanding of various works under review.

  • “An examination of 20th-century Russian literature reveals a recurring theme of resistance against political oppression.”
  • “Post-colonial African literature predominantly focuses on the struggle for identity amidst external influences.”
  • “Modern American poets have shown a distinct shift towards exploring the nuances of urban life.”
  • “Romantic-era literature frequently romanticizes nature as an antidote to the perils of industrialization.”
  • “The rise of feminist literature in the 1960s challenged conventional gender norms and roles.”
  • “A review of dystopian literature exposes society’s fears and anxieties about technological advancement.”
  • “Contemporary Asian literature reveals the tensions between tradition and modernity.”
  • “Magic realism in Latin American literature serves as a tool to critique political and social realities.”
  • “Victorian literature’s portrayal of women reflects the era’s restrictive gender expectations.”
  • “Middle Eastern literature post-9/11 frequently grapples with themes of identity, migration, and conflict.”

Thesis Statement Examples for Book Review

Book reviews encapsulate the essence, themes, and overall impact of a specific book.

  • “In ‘1984’, George Orwell presents a harrowing vision of a totalitarian future that challenges the essence of individuality.”
  • “J.D. Salinger’s ‘Catcher in the Rye’ offers an introspective look at teenage angst and the quest for purpose.”
  • “Through ‘Beloved’, Toni Morrison confronts the haunting legacies of slavery on personal and collective memory.”
  • “J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ is a captivating adventure tale that also delves into themes of bravery and friendship.”
  • “In ‘The Road’, Cormac McCarthy paints a bleak post-apocalyptic world, highlighting the enduring spirit of human survival.”
  • “Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ masterfully weaves a tale of societal norms and true love.”
  • “‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald critiques the American Dream’s elusive nature amidst the Roaring Twenties’ excess.”
  • “Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a profound exploration of racial prejudice and moral growth in the American South.”
  • “Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ is a spiritual journey emphasizing the importance of following one’s dreams.”
  • “Gabriel García Márquez’s ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ chronicles the Buendía family’s generational saga, infused with magic realism.”

Thesis Statement Examples for Restaurant Review

Restaurant reviews offer insights into the dining experience, emphasizing ambiance, service, and cuisine.

  • “The Bistro delights with its fusion of Asian and Mediterranean flavors, though it falls short in ambiance.”
  • “OceanView offers fresh seafood dishes with a panoramic view that justifies its premium pricing.”
  • “At Bella Italia, authentic Italian cuisine meets a rustic and cozy environment.”
  • “Despite its urban setting, Green Haven surprises with its farm-to-table approach, prioritizing organic and locally-sourced ingredients.”
  • “Midtown Diner offers classic American dishes but needs to improve its service times during rush hours.”
  • “Le Petite Café stands out for its delicate pastries and a delightful Parisian atmosphere.”
  • “Tex-Mex Hub is a must-visit for spicy food lovers, offering a genuine taste of Southern American cuisine.”
  • “While the sushi at DragonRoll is top-notch, the limited vegetarian options can be off-putting for some.”
  • “UrbanGrill impresses with its innovative dishes but sometimes tries too hard to stand out.”
  • “Moonlit offers a unique rooftop dining experience, though its menu is somewhat predictable.”

Thesis Statement Examples for Product Review

Product reviews evaluate the efficiency, design, and value of a specific product.

  • “Apple’s iPhone 13 boasts improved battery life and camera enhancements but still struggles with iOS restrictions.”
  • “Sony’s A7IV camera sets new standards in mirrorless technology, though it’s not budget-friendly.”
  • “The Dyson V11 vacuum impresses with its suction power, but its weight can be cumbersome for extended use.”
  • “Adidas’ Ultraboost 21 shoes provide exceptional comfort for runners but might feel too soft for some.”
  • “Samsung’s QLED TV series offers vibrant colors and sharp contrasts, but the smart interface needs refining.”
  • “Bose’s QuietComfort earbuds lead in noise cancellation, yet some users report connectivity issues.”
  • “The Kindle Paperwhite’s latest version offers a warmer light feature, enhancing the reading experience at night.”
  • “GoPro’s Hero 9 is a significant improvement in stabilization and resolution, but its bulkiness can be a drawback for some.”
  • “Nespresso’s Vertuo machine delivers on taste and convenience but is limited by its pod variety.”
  • “Fitbit’s Charge 4 excels in fitness tracking but falls short in smart features compared to competitors.”

Thesis Statement Examples for Movie Review

Movie reviews provide an analysis of a film’s storyline, cinematography, performances, and overall impact.

  • “Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’ challenges viewers with its intricate plot but rewards with stunning visuals and performances.”
  • “‘Parasite’ is a masterclass in genre-blending, tackling social issues with dark humor and suspense.”
  • “Disney’s ‘Mulan’ offers a fresh take on a beloved story, but some purists might miss the original’s songs and humor.”
  • “Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ is a lengthy yet riveting exploration of crime, loyalty, and aging.”
  • “Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of ‘Little Women’ brings a contemporary feel while honoring the classic’s spirit.”
  • “‘Joker’, led by Joaquin Phoenix’s haunting portrayal, delves deep into the psyche of Batman’s iconic nemesis.”
  • “Despite its blockbuster action sequences, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ shines brightest in its quieter, character-driven moments.”
  • “Pixar’s ‘Soul’ is a heartwarming exploration of life’s purposes and passions, appealing to both kids and adults.”
  • “Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ is a nostalgic trip back to a bygone era, sprinkled with his signature style.”
  • “‘Frozen II’ expands the magical world of Arendelle but struggles to capture the original’s charm.”

Thesis Statement Examples for Evaluation

Evaluation thesis statements provide a balanced assessment, considering various criteria.

  • “While the government’s new policy promises economic growth, it lacks clear provisions for environmental protection.”
  • “The museum’s latest exhibit excels in interactivity, though some historical inaccuracies weaken its credibility.”
  • “The new school curriculum offers a broader range of subjects, but its heavy workload might stress students.”
  • “The city’s public transportation overhaul is commendable for its coverage but needs to prioritize punctuality.”
  • “The company’s rebranding strategy succeeded in attracting a younger demographic, though it alienated its long-term customers.”
  • “The festival, while boasting international artists, lacked adequate facilities and organization.”
  • “The new app update enhances user experience with its design but raises privacy concerns with data collection.”
  • “While the online course offers flexibility, it lacks the community engagement of traditional classroom settings.”
  • “The company’s sustainability initiative is praiseworthy, but its implementation in overseas factories remains questionable.”
  • “The software’s latest version promises enhanced features, but its steep learning curve can deter novice users.”

Thesis Statement Examples for Analysis

Analysis thesis statements delve deep into subjects, dissecting their intricacies.

  • “Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ intricately explores the human psyche through its complex protagonist.”
  • “The architectural design of the new library emphasizes accessibility, reflecting a democratic approach to knowledge.”
  • “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 represents a triumphant battle against fate, evident in its progression from minor to major tonalities.”
  • “Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ is a profound commentary on the horrors of war, using distorted imagery to convey pain and chaos.”
  • “The marketing campaign’s success lies in its appeal to emotions, creating a strong brand-community connection.”
  • “The poem’s use of iambic pentameter mirrors the rhythmic quality of natural speech, drawing readers into its narrative.”
  • “The software’s code reveals an emphasis on user privacy, using encryption techniques that prioritize data protection.”
  • “The character’s development throughout the novel is a reflection of society’s evolving views on gender roles.”
  • “The film’s use of light and shadow not only establishes mood but also accentuates character dynamics.”
  • “The policy’s language subtly promotes corporate interests, evident in its emphasis on deregulation and market freedoms.

Does a review need a thesis statement?

Absolutely! A review, whether of a book, film, product, or any other subject, should possess a clear thesis statement. This statement helps set the tone for the review and provides readers or listeners with an understanding of the reviewer’s main stance or perspective. The thesis establishes the foundational argument or point the reviewer is trying to convey. This clarity not only aids in structuring the review but also offers readers a lens through which they can understand the subsequent analysis and critique.  In addition, you should review our  college essay thesis statement .

How do you write a thesis statement for a review? – Step by Step Guide

  • Identify the Main Element : Begin by pinpointing what the core element or aspect of the item you’re reviewing is. For a book, this could be the plot or a character; for a product, perhaps its primary function.
  • Evaluate Your Response : Reflect on your reactions to this core element. Did it resonate with you? Was there something lacking?
  • Draft a Preliminary Statement : Start with a general statement that captures your initial thoughts about the review subject.
  • Be Specific : Avoid vague phrases. For instance, rather than saying a book was “good” or “bad,” specify what made it so – was the character development rich, or was the plot predictable?
  • Consider Counterarguments : Think about potential counterarguments to your stance. This doesn’t mean you should necessarily include them in the thesis, but being aware of them can help you craft a more robust statement.
  • Revise and Refine : Like all thesis statements, your initial draft might not be perfect. Revisit and refine it to ensure it’s concise, clear, and compelling.
  • Ensure It’s Arguable : A good thesis statement for a review should present a point that someone could reasonably disagree with.
  • Avoid Subjectivity : While reviews are inherently subjective, try to ground your thesis in objective observations. Instead of “I didn’t like the book,” you might say, “The book lacked depth in character development, leading to a less immersive experience.”
  • Test It : Before finalizing your thesis statement, present it to someone unfamiliar with the review subject. If they get a clear sense of your stance and the direction of your review, you’re on the right track.
  • Position Appropriately : Place your thesis statement at the beginning of your review to give readers a clear sense of direction from the outset.

Tips for Writing a Review Thesis Statement

  • Stay Concise : Brevity is key. Ensure your thesis is one to two sentences long and clearly encapsulates your main argument or perspective.
  • Use Active Voice : Active voice makes your statement sound more decisive. For instance, “The film delivers a powerful message about resilience” is preferable to “A powerful message about resilience is delivered by the film.”
  • Be Open to Change : As you delve deeper into your review, you might find your perspective shifting slightly. Be ready to adjust your thesis accordingly.
  • Avoid Spoilers : Especially for book and movie reviews, make sure your thesis doesn’t give away key plot points.
  • Stay Objective : While personal opinions in reviews are inevitable, aim for a balanced view that’s grounded in observable facts or features.
  • Remember the Audience : Consider who you’re writing for. If your audience is more specialized, like in a scholarly review, your thesis might be more detailed and nuanced. If it’s for a broader audience, clarity and accessibility are paramount.
  • Seek Feedback : Sometimes, having another set of eyes on your thesis can be invaluable. They might catch ambiguities or vaguenesses that you missed.

Writing a specific thesis statement for a review is as much an art as it is a science. It requires introspection, a clear understanding of the review subject, and the ability to articulate one’s thoughts concisely and compellingly. By following the above steps and tips, you can craft a thesis that anchors your review effectively.

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How to... Convert your thesis into a book

This how to guide takes you through everything you need to know to convert your thesis into a book.

You can read all the information you need below, or watch this video from Books Commissioning Editor, Katy Mathers.

On this page

Consider the level of conversion.

  • What are book publishers looking for

Consider the audience

  • Tips for converting your thesis

What happens next?

Your first consideration when thinking about book publishing options for your thesis should be the level of conversion. You could consider the following options.

A full conversion – from thesis to book

This is a good option should your thesis be on a topic that would have wide appeal to an academic audience. A key consideration here is that the structure of a thesis is massively different to a book. Rather than starting with a hypothesis, a book should showcase a considered argument and its narrative should communicate that argument to peers in the field – demonstrating how the research has evolved into this viewpoint, and what impact it can have.

Partial conversion – using parts of your thesis in a book

Using parts of your thesis in a book usually means that you are conducting further research that might be ongoing, and might involve colleagues that might be a co-author on the project.

Partial conversion – a chapter in an edited collection

Perhaps your thesis doesn’t quite have the broad appeal for a full book conversion. In this case you might consider a chapter in an edited collection under a broader theme – this means you’re broadening the scope of your PhD research to a wider audience by collaborating with a team of contributors on an edited book. Look out for calls for chapters on relevant themes.

What are publishers looking for?

Broad (global) scholarly appeal.

  • Remember your thesis is written for a handful of examiners and experts in your field and is partly there to demonstrate the expertise you have gained from your research. A book should have a much wider audience than that, and should be engaging and interesting enough to appeal to a broad section of researchers across your field (and potentially other disciplines as appropriate), and should particularly be accessible enough to engage any researcher interested in your topic of study.
  • Single-country case studies won’t always translate well into a book given their focused scope, however, they would work as part of an edited collection with a broader global scope.
  • A good book manuscript should focus on a coherent argument/narrative, rather than a step-by-step checklist of things you need to demonstrate in a thesis.
  • You don’t need to include big sections or whole chapters on literature review or methodology, these can be weaved into the book as and when appropriate.

Development potential

  • An original thesis should be regarded as the basis for an entirely new work, written with a new audience in mind.

thesis for a novel

Talking about your research and the process of working it into a book is one of the best ways to ensuring success.

Try reaching out to your immediate colleagues, and co-authors on published papers, your PhD supervisor, peers you might meet at conferences, with a publishing contact, or even online. Try asking for advice on twitter, or any professional network sites.

It is advisable to start a conversation with supervisors and other colleagues shortly after the completion of a PhD.

Once you’ve started to get a good idea of what you want to do, it’s also a great time to reach out to a commissioning editor at a publisher. They can advise on further considerations for turning your thesis into a book with a broad scholarly appeal, as well as how to fill in a book proposal form.

Following this, the next natural step is to submit a book proposal which will be considered by the publisher, often involving a peer review process.

The single most important thing to remember when converting your thesis is the audience. Your thesis is written for a select amount of examiners with specific expertise in your field and showcases your nuanced and rich expertise, which you have gleaned from your research in your particular area.

In contrast, a book should have a much wider audience and should be engaging and interesting enough to appeal to a broad section of researchers across your field, and potentially even other disciplines as appropriate.

As a book, your research should be accessible enough to engage any researcher interested in your topic of study.

  • Realise which parts of your thesis are useful only to examiners. Any sections such as literature review, or extended methodology discussion should be cut or heavily amended/digested. These sections can weave in and out of your overall narrative rather than be structured separately.
  • Writing style is less important for examiners, but essential for book readers. PhD examiners will read your thesis regardless of the writing style, but the writing style for book readers is essential for ensuring your research is accessible and engaging. You must be prepared to extensively re-write your thesis to retain and engage readers. This should be seen as essential rather than optional.
  • Keep the big picture in mind. It’s important to take a step back while putting together a proposal, or during the manuscript writing process. Set reminders at intervals to focus on the overall narrative of the book. Is there a logical development of an argument? Does it make sense to a reader’s point of view? If not , be prepared to rethink the structure – it can be freeing to step away from a traditional thesis structure.
  • Write concisely. It’s important to bear in mind the importance of the reader’s time. At all stages of the writing process you should focus on streamlining where possible and keep in mind the agreed length of the book. Books are often much shorter than theses, which by their nature contain much repetition. If you’re finding it hard to meet the agreed word limit, your writing style is likely not quite right yet for a book audience.
  • Emphasise context. If your research is specialist and nuanced, with a narrow scope, try boosting its contextual implications by adding an international or inter-disciplinary context. It’s particularly useful to do this within the introductory and concluding chapters. Rounding off your book with opening and closing contextual chapters can really emphasise the place of the research within the field and showcase how it’s adding to the literature or breaking fresh ground.
  • Get a third party proof-reader. Consider getting someone within your field, perhaps without the specialist knowledge relating to your PhD knowledge, and see what they think of your writing style. If they can follow your argument and find value in the work you’re presenting for the wider field, then the book has good potential. If they’re struggling, you might need to re-think the project.

Top tips for converting your thesis

  • The main title of the book should position it clearly without reference to other bibliographic information, and should be as short as possible.
  • Chapter titles are something people often forget, and chapter titles can sometimes be a real giveaway in a proposal that a book is based on a thesis and maybe hasn’t been revised appropriately. It’s often a comment reviewers make, and a clear sign to them that the proposal is a thesis conversion. Chapter titles can be way more dynamic in a book than in a thesis, and there’s no need to have chapters called 'methodology' or 'results'. Freeing yourself from these structured ways of thinking can be liberating, and is a good way of diverting yourself from writing in a thesis style.
  • Remember that readers of the book are most interested in what your findings/argument are. Think about leading your book with the 'end' of your thesis, i.e. the results/answer to the question you were researching, rather than starting by explaining how you got there.
  • You don’t need to include big sections or whole chapters on literature review or methodology, these can be weaved in to the book as and when appropriate (particularly if your research employed an innovative methodology, for example).
  • A book manuscript should typically be shorter than your thesis. If you’re struggling to bring the word count down, you might need to get help with your writing style, or evaluate if you’ve cut enough “thesis-heavy” content from your work.
  • Use introductory and concluding chapters to contextualise your research. This is super helpful for placing your work within the field.

thesis for a novel

To summarise

Be prepared to re-write: Having sketched out a new structure and focus, you now have to start writing all over again to create a completely new work. You should accept this as a must for success, and enjoy the creative process that comes with it.

Remove academic structuring: Ordinary readers want you to get straight to the point, Anything that sounds like "In this chapter I will argue . . ." or "In this chapter I have shown . . ." should be deleted immediately.

Audience is the most important consideration. Re-organise your writing around your new audience – remember that concise, narrative-led writing is essential.

Re-focus on the storytelling. Any background material (such as surveys of previous literature, historical background, discussions of earlier and current theories, arguments, methodology, etc.) if retained at all, should be moved from the beginning to the end of the book, or incorporated in a condensed form into the relevant sections of the main text. From start to finish, you should begin with an answer rather than a question, and your argument should be maintained throughout.

Once you’ve formed an idea for your book project, it’s a good time to talk to a commissioning editor at a publisher about submitting a proposal.

Get ready to publish a book

See a list of our book commissioning editors, along with their subject areas and contact information.

Submit your book proposal

Find out how submit a book or series proposal and what the next steps in the publishing process are.

The book peer review process

A helpful guide to our book peer review process.

American Psychological Association

APA Style for beginners

thesis for a novel

Then check out some frequently asked questions:

What is APA Style?

Why use apa style in high school, how do i get started with apa style, what apa style products are available, your help wanted.

APA Style is the most common writing style used in college and career. Its purpose is to promote excellence in communication by helping writers create clear, precise, and inclusive sentences with a straightforward scholarly tone. It addresses areas of writing such as how to

  • format a paper so it looks professional;
  • credit other people’s words and ideas via citations and references to avoid plagiarism; and
  • describe other people with dignity and respect using inclusive, bias-free language.

APA Style is primarily used in the behavioral sciences, which are subjects related to people, such as psychology, education, and nursing. It is also used by students in business, engineering, communications, and other classes. Students use it to write academic essays and research papers in high school and college, and professionals use it to conduct, report, and publish scientific research .

High school students need to learn how to write concisely, precisely, and inclusively so that they are best prepared for college and career. Here are some of the reasons educators have chosen APA Style:

  • APA Style is the style of choice for the AP Capstone program, the fastest growing AP course, which requires students to conduct and report independent research.
  • APA Style helps students craft written responses on standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT because it teaches students to use a direct and professional tone while avoiding redundancy and flowery language.
  • Most college students choose majors that require APA Style or allow APA Style as an option. It can be overwhelming to learn APA Style all at once during the first years of college; starting APA Style instruction in high school sets students up for success.

High school students may also be interested in the TOPSS Competition for High School Psychology Students , an annual competition from the APA Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools for high school students to create a short video demonstrating how a psychological topic has the potential to benefit their school and/or local community and improve people’s lives.

Most people are first introduced to APA Style by reading works written in APA Style. The following guides will help with that:

Handout explaining how journal articles are structured and how to become more efficient at reading and understanding them

Handout exploring the definition and purpose of abstracts and the benefits of reading them, including analysis of a sample abstract

Many people also write research papers or academic essays in APA Style. The following resources will help with that:

Guidelines for setting up your paper, including the title page, font, and sample papers

More than 100 reference examples of various types, including articles, books, reports, films, social media, and webpages

Handout comparing example APA Style and MLA style citations and references for four common reference types (journal articles, books, edited book chapters, and webpages and websites)

Handout explaining how to understand and avoid plagiarism

Checklist to help students write simple student papers (typically containing a title page, text, and references) in APA Style

Handout summarizing APA’s guidance on using inclusive language to describe people with dignity and respect, with resources for further study

Free tutorial providing an overview of all areas of APA Style, including paper format, grammar and usage, bias-free language, punctuation, lists, italics, capitalization, spelling, abbreviations, number use, tables and figures, and references

Handout covering three starter areas of APA Style: paper format, references and citations, and inclusive language

Instructors will also benefit from using the following APA Style resources:

Recording of a webinar conducted in October 2023 to refresh educators’ understanding of the basics of APA Style, help them avoid outdated APA Style guidelines (“zombie guidelines”), debunk APA Style myths (“ghost guidelines”), and help students learn APA Style with authoritative resources

Recording of a webinar conducted in May 2023 to help educators understand how to prepare high school students to use APA Style, including the relevance of APA Style to high school and how students’ existing knowledge MLA style can help ease the transition to APA Style (register for the webinar to receive a link to the recording)

Recording of a webinar conducted in September 2023 to help English teachers supplement their own APA Style knowledge, including practical getting-started tips to increase instructor confidence, the benefits of introducing APA Style in high school and college composition classes, some differences between MLA and APA Style, and resources to prepare students for their future in academic writing

Poster showing the three main principles of APA Style: clarity, precision, and inclusion

A 30-question activity to help students practice using the APA Style manual and/or APA Style website to look up answers to common questions

In addition to all the free resources on this website, APA publishes several products that provide comprehensive information about APA Style:

The official APA Style resource for students, covering everything students need to know to write in APA Style

The official source for APA Style, containing everything in the plus information relevant to conducting, reporting, and publishing psychological research

APA Style’s all-digital workbook with interactive questions and graded quizzes to help you learn and apply the basic principles of APA Style and scholarly writing; integrates with popular learning management systems, allowing educators to track and understand student progress

APA’s online learning platform with interactive lessons about APA Style and academic writing, reference management, and tools to create and format APA Style papers

The APA Style team is interested in developing additional resources appropriate for a beginner audience. If you have resources you would like to share, or feedback on this topic, please contact the APA Style team . 

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thesis for a novel

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Against the Corporate Media: Forty-two Ways the Press Hates You

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Against the Corporate Media: Forty-two Ways the Press Hates You Paperback – September 10, 2024

  • Print length 448 pages
  • Language English
  • Publisher Bombardier Books
  • Publication date September 10, 2024
  • Dimensions 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  • ISBN-13 979-8888454213
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  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CWYYX1CS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bombardier Books (September 10, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
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thesis for a novel

Turning to essays, Edwidge Danticat makes shrewd use of the form

Edwidge Danticat portrait

  • Copy Link URL Copied!

Book Review

We're Alone: Essays

By Edwidge Danticat Graywolf: 192 pages, $26 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

Essay collections appear infrequently on the lists of most popular nonfiction — memoirs and historical narratives dominate conversations about the genre. Those forms of nonfiction are wonderful in their own ways. They are also the versions that are closest to fiction. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it can exclude the unique offerings of the essay.

Cover of "We're Alone"

An essay collection presents a compressed reading experience, sometimes poetic, and often requiring the author to demonstrate the act of forming an opinion. In its most exalted form, the essay collection is about many things at once. Its goal is not to share information about a topic but to dramatize the formation of a perspective, the development of an informed point of view — a focus that makes the form much more dependent on the writer than the subject matter. “We’re Alone,” a collection of eight short essays by the celebrated Haitian American novelist and short story writer Edwidge Danticat, exemplifies that achievement.

Readers who have appreciated other voice-driven essay collections, such as Zadie Smith’s pandemic-inspired “Intimations,” Erica Caldwell’s “Wrong Is Not My Name,” Jordan Kisner’s “Thin Places,” Cathy Park Hong’s “Minor Feelings” or Elissa Gabbert’s “ The Unreality of Memory ,” will find something familiar with Danticat in “We’re Alone.” The thematic thread of this collection binds loosely around experiences of disconnection or isolation that are exacerbated by a sense of risk predicated on racial, political or social vulnerability. In the essay “A Rainbow in the Sky,” Danticat writes: “The less stable your house, the more terror you feel.” She has elegantly captured that those who face a storm with all foundations intact have a different relationship to the experience than those who were already struggling before it.

In the preface to the book, Danticat discloses that writing essays allows her to feel alone with herself and present with a reader. These pieces represent her outstretched hand, an invitation to spend shared time in reflection. Danticat took the book’s title from the French poem “Plage” by the Haitian writer Roland Chassagne, whose tragic history of imprisonment is also explored in the book. His poem envisions a night spent under palm trees, and the longing for the end of a deep disappointment. Here Danticat finds an early foothold into one of the book’s chief concerns: thresholds where someone’s feelings have been constricted for the sake of other people’s comfort. The title also invokes a plural self, a collective that shares in the writer’s experience of solitude and disaffection.

In the literary essay, a tradition that unites personal insight with anecdotes, evidence and reasoning, one of the most satisfying moments is finding where the writer’s logic breaks and she struggles to fully accommodate the proportions of her subject. Such moments make the inquiries appear vulnerable and honest, even when in reality they are simulations of sense-making. Not all essayists are invested in showing their struggle in understanding or are given the space to do so. But Danticat invites readers into the challenge of putting facts and feelings together. She excels at showing how hard it is to know what the right questions are to ask or how to answer them, and like many of us, she struggles to talk about difficult subjects, especially with her children.

For example, in “By the Time You Read This…,” Danticat debates how much and when to tell her children about how police violence affects the way Black people and immigrants think about safety. She writes, “Each time a young Black person is killed by a police officer or by a vigilante civilian, I ask myself if the time had come for me to write to my daughters a letter about Abner Louima and the long list of nonsurvivors who have come after him.” There is dignity in her doubt, which makes way for the kind of compassion that characterizes these essays.

Danticat’s insights are informed by accounts of the trials of friends and family: Her beloved mother wanders off in an airport; an uncle suffers from an irresolvable, progressive disorientation; Louima, a family friend, is attacked and raped by police; and two mentors, Toni Morrison and Paule Marshall, live through their final months. These experiences emphasize the possibility of loss and disconnection, reflecting a kind of hypervigilance that can be an inheritance of trauma. She approaches these accounts with the courage of an intentional witness, maintaining that perspective even when she looks beyond her own circle. In “Chronicles of a Death Foretold,” Danticat tells the story of a self-proclaimed prophetess who predicted the 2021 assassination of the Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, and the collection’s penultimate essay, “Wozo, Not Mawozo,” examines the weeks following the kidnapping of Christian missionaries in Haiti in 2021.

These are clearly the essays of an accomplished novelist. They move swiftly through detailed anecdotes and varied landscapes, even when the principal action the speaker engages in is “thinking.” There is room in an essay for dramatic action, for the expression of the body as it relates to thought, which was somewhat lacking here. At times, I struggled to see the author as a figure in the dramatic action she cited. Even so, it’s a testament to Danticat’s skill that these brief, intense works about serious matters do not feel heavy. She brings us close enough to the trouble at hand that we cannot mistake what we have seen.

But we are not alone in trying to make sense of feelings that come from becoming a witness to this world. No one is.

Wendy S. Walters is the author of the prose collection “Multiply/Divide” and an associate professor of nonfiction at Columbia University.

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thesis for a novel

Law, Morality and Judicial Reasoning

Essays on W. J. Waluchow’s Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory

  • © 2024
  • Thomas Bustamante 0 ,
  • Saulo de Matos 1 ,
  • André L. S. Coelho 2

Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

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Federal University of Para, Belém, Brazil

Federal university of rio de janeiro, rio de janeiro, brazil.

  • Presents a unique book dedicated to study in depth a widely appreciated and globally acknowledged legal philosophy
  • Includes comprehensive studies from experienced and senior scholars
  • Provides original contributions with high quality and interest across different areas of law like constitutional law and jurisprudence

Part of the book series: Law and Philosophy Library (LAPS, volume 147)

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About this book

This book provides a critical outlook on, and an inquiry into the practical implications of, the works of Professor W.J. Waluchow, one of the most important jurisprudence scholars of the early twenty-first century, while also reflecting on the interconnections between his legal theory and his theory of constitutional interpretation. It also features an interview with Waluchow, in which he responds to some of the chapters and shares a first-person perspective on his main philosophical ideas, how they emerged, and how they can be further developed and applied.

The book makes a valuable contribution to contemporary legal philosophy by asking and providing different answers (from prominent legal philosophers and newer scholars in the field) to questions such as ‘How does Waluchow’s jurisprudence relate to his theories of legal reasoning and constitutional interpretation?’, ‘On what terms should we understand inclusive legal positivism?’, ‘Can inclusive legal positivism be reconciled with an interpretivist theory of adjudication?’, ‘How does it compare with Raz’s model of legal authority?’, ‘Can Waluchow’s notion of “community constitutional morality” be applied to contexts such as international law, pluralist legal communities, and indigenous laws?’, and ‘Is Waluchow’s methodology equipped to provide interpretive directives in unstable and extremely unequal legal systems?’.

The chapters, all written by experts on jurisprudence (including some of the scholars who helped develop the tradition known as inclusive legal positivism), offer a unique analysis of Waluchow’s most complex and intriguing theses, providing not only a valuable exegetical analysis of his work but also a range of answers to the challenge of interpreting legal and constitutional values, as well as practical resolutions to persisting controversies in the philosophy of law.

  • Legal Positivism
  • Inclusive Legal Positivism
  • Judicial Review
  • Jurisprudence
  • Constitutional Law

Table of contents (17 chapters)

Front matter, introduction.

  • Thomas Bustamante, Saulo de Matos, André L. S. Coelho

Waluchow’s Jurisprudence Restated

Incorporationism, inclusivism, and indeterminacy.

  • Matthew H. Kramer

Inclusive Legal Positivism and the Fallibility of Officials

  • Kenneth M. Ehrenberg

Responses to Waluchow on Raz

André L. S. Coelho

Waluchow on Institutional Forces of Law

  • João Vitor Penna

Some Issues Concerning Waluchow’s Early Critique of Dworkin in Inclusive Legal Positivism

  • Ronaldo Porto Macedo Junior

Competing Legal Positivisms, Methodology and Distinctive Visions of Law

  • Brian H. Bix

Constitutional Reasoning, Political Morality and Judicial Review

Waluchow and dworkin’s disagreement on legal theory, precedent and adjudication: a family affair.

Thomas Bustamante

Lessons from Waluchow: Necessity, Desirability, and Intelligibility of (Weak) Judicial Discretion

  • Imer B. Flores

Fixed and Non-fixed Meaning in Constitutional Interpretation: Waluchow’s Answer to Humpty Dumpty’s Paradox

  • Saulo de Matos, Ricardo Dib Taxi

Waluchow’s Theory of Constitutional Interpretation from a Rhetorical-Argumentative Point of View

  • Katharina Stevens

Waluchow on Reasoning with the Morality of the Community

  • Fábio Perin Shecaira

Constitutional Morality Applied

Reconciliation and the living tree metaphor.

  • Michael Giudice, Xavier Scott

Global Justice, Indigenous Knowledge, and the Epistemic Merits of Institutionally Embodied Moral Intuitions

  • Jorge Sanchez Perez

The Common Law Methodology in Barren Soil: Prospective Judicial Precedents and Abstract Judicial Review

  • Breno Baía Magalhães

Democracy and Adjudication in Latin America: A Critical Analysis of Wil Waluchow’s Common Law Theory of Judicial Review

  • Francisco Tarcísio Rocha Gomes Júnior

Editors and Affiliations

Saulo de Matos

About the editors

Prof. Thomas Bustamante  is Professor of Legal Theory and Philosophy of Law at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and Research Productivity Fellow of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazil. He was a Global Research Fellow with a Fulbright Visiting Research Grant at the New York University, from 2020 to 2022, and a Research Fellow at King’s College London from 2022 to 2023. He holds a PhD from the Pontifical Catholic University, Rio de Janeiro.

Prof.  Saulo de Matos  is Professor of Legal Theory and Philosophy of Law at the Federal University of Pará, Brazil, and Vice-director of the Master and PhD Program in Human Rights of the same University. He holds a PhD from University of Gottingen, Germany, and a Master’s degree from the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Prof. André Coelho  is Professor of Legal Theory and Philosophy of Law at the Law School of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. He holds an M.Phil and a Ph.D in Philosophy from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, with a Research Visit at the Goethe Universität of Frankfurt, Germany. He has previously taught at CESUPA and The University of Amazon, both in Brazil.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title : Law, Morality and Judicial Reasoning

Book Subtitle : Essays on W. J. Waluchow’s Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory

Editors : Thomas Bustamante, Saulo de Matos, André L. S. Coelho

Series Title : Law and Philosophy Library

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61879-6

Publisher : Springer Cham

eBook Packages : Law and Criminology , Law and Criminology (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-031-61878-9 Published: 29 August 2024

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-031-61881-9 Due: 12 September 2025

eBook ISBN : 978-3-031-61879-6 Published: 28 August 2024

Series ISSN : 1572-4395

Series E-ISSN : 2215-0315

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : X, 313

Topics : Theories of Law, Philosophy of Law, Legal History , Philosophy of Law

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Anti-racism author accused of plagiarising ethnic minority academics

Robin DiAngelo alleged to have copied parts of doctoral thesis from Asian-American scholars

Robin DiAngelo

The bestselling author of a book about “white fragility” has been accused of plagiarising sections of the work of two Asian-Americans in her doctoral thesis.

Robin DiAngelo, an anti-racism consultant who argues that racial divisions have been entrenched by “defensive” white people, committed 20 cases of plagiarism, according to a complaint filed with her alma mater, the University of Washington.

Ms DiAngelo’s book White Fragility became a New York Times bestseller when it was published in 2018, and also experienced a surge in popularity following the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

The 67-year-old has previously written about the importance of properly attributing the work of ethnic minority writers in a section on her website about how white people must “continually educate” themselves on race.

Her thesis allegedly lifts two paragraphs from Thomas Nakayama, an Asian-American professor with Northeastern University, and his co-author, Robert Krizek, without attribution, The Washington Free Beacon reported .

In making its case the newspaper published large excerpts from her work alongside the text she is accused of copying, with the similarities highlighted in red.

In one section, Prof Nakayama and Prof Krizek wrote: “While this discourse recognises a part of its historical constitution … this reflexivity does not necessarily mean that there has been a recognition of the power relations embedded in that history.”

Similarly, Ms DiAngelo wrote in her 2004 thesis: “While this discourse recognises in part a historical constitution, this does not necessarily indicate that there is a recognition of the power relations embedded in that history.”

Her “Whiteness in Racial Dialogue” dissertation is also reported to have lifted material from Stacey Lee, an Asian-American professor of education, summarising the work of a third scholar.

Prof Lee wrote that David Theo Goldberg “argues that the questions surrounding racial discourse should focus not so much on how true stereotypes are, but on how the truth-claims they offer are a part of a larger worldview, and what forms of action that worldview authorises”.

Ms DiAngelo wrote: “Goldberg … argues that the questions surrounding racial discourse should not focus so much on how true stereotypes are, but how the truth claims they offer are a part of a larger worldview that authorises.”

‘Never appropriate’

Peter Wood, the president of the National Association of Scholars, likened the practice to “forgery.”

“It is never appropriate to use the secondary source without acknowledging it, and even worse to present it as one’s own words,” said Mr Wood, a former provost of Boston University. He added: “That’s plagiarism.”

Ms DiAngelo has previously emphasised the importance of providing proper academic citation, writing on her website: “Always cite and give credit to the work of BIPOC [black, indigenous and people of colour] people who have informed your thinking.”

She added: “When you use a phrase or idea you got from a BIPOC person, credit them.”

Robin DiAngelo's book White Fragility

The University of Washington defines plagiarism as “borrowing the structure of another author’s phrases or sentences” without credit, or citing a source but reproducing their exact words without quotation marks.

Among her other alleged examples of plagiarism, Ms DiAngelo seemingly lifts two sentences from Bronwyn Davies, a professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne .

Both write of how “an individual emerges through the processes of social interaction” as “one who is constituted and reconstituted through the various discursive practices in which they participate”.

“It does look like plagiarism,” Prof Davies told The Washington Free Beacon.

In her book, Ms DiAngelo characterised “white fragility” as the “defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, characterised by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt”, entrenching racial inequalities.

Ms DiAngelo and her publisher, Beacon Press, have been approached for comment.

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  1. Developing a Thesis

    This thesis focuses on the idea of social corruption and the device of imagery. To support this thesis, you would need to find images of beasts and cannibalism within the text. This handout covers major topics relating to writing about fiction. This covers prewriting, close reading, thesis development, drafting, and common pitfalls to avoid.

  2. How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay

    Table of contents. Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices. Step 2: Coming up with a thesis. Step 3: Writing a title and introduction. Step 4: Writing the body of the essay. Step 5: Writing a conclusion. Other interesting articles.

  3. thesis examples

    The thesis may draw parallels between some element in the work and real-life situations or subject matter: historical events, the author's life, medical diagnoses, etc. Example: In Willa Cather's short story, "Paul's Case," Paul exhibits suicidal behavior that a caring adult might have recognized and remedied had that adult had the ...

  4. Example of an Insightful Literary Analysis Essay

    Get a sense of what to do right with this literary analysis essay example that will offer inspiration for your own assignment.

  5. How to Write a Thesis Statement

    Placement of the thesis statement. Step 1: Start with a question. Step 2: Write your initial answer. Step 3: Develop your answer. Step 4: Refine your thesis statement. Types of thesis statements. Other interesting articles. Frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

  6. Analyzing Novels & Short Stories

    When analyzing a novel or short story, you'll need to consider elements such as the context, setting, characters, plot, literary devices, and themes. Remember that a literary analysis isn't merely a summary or review, but rather an interpretation of the work and an argument about it based on the text. ... Ex. Thesis In The Once and Future ...

  7. Thesis Statements

    The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel. Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between ...

  8. 8.3: Literary Thesis Statements

    The Literary Thesis Statement. Literary essays are argumentative or persuasive essays. Their purpose is primarily analysis, but analysis for the purposes of showing readers your interpretation of a literary text. So the thesis statement is a one to two sentence summary of your essay's main argument, or interpretation.

  9. Literature Reviews & Writing Your Thesis

    How to Write a Thesis by Umberto Eco; Geoff Farina; Francesco Erspamer; Caterina Mongiat Farina By the time Umberto Eco published his best-selling novel The Name of the Rose, he was one of Italy's most celebrated intellectuals, a distinguished academic and the author of influential works on semiotics. Some years before that, in 1977, Eco published a little book for his students, How to Write a ...

  10. How to Write a Thesis, According to Umberto Eco

    In 1977, three years before Umberto Eco's groundbreaking novel "The Name of the Rose" catapulted him to international fame, the illustrious semiotician published a funny and unpretentious guide for his favorite audience: teachers and their students. Now translated into 17 languages (it finally appeared in English in 2015), "How to Write a Thesis" delivers not just practical advice ...

  11. Thesis Statements for a Literature Assignment

    The first thesis merely describes something about the poem; the second tells the reader what the writer thinks the poem is about--it offers a reading or interpretation. The paper would need to support that reading and would very likely examine the way Parker uses images of suicide to make the point the writer claims.

  12. Thesis

    Thesis. Your thesis is the central claim in your essay—your main insight or idea about your source or topic. Your thesis should appear early in an academic essay, followed by a logically constructed argument that supports this central claim. A strong thesis is arguable, which means a thoughtful reader could disagree with it and therefore ...

  13. Developing a Thesis Statement

    A thesis statement . . . Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic. Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper. Is focused and specific enough to be "proven" within the boundaries of your paper. Is generally located near the end ...

  14. » The Giver Thesis Statements and Essay Topics

    These thesis statements offer a short summary of "The Giver" in terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. You are, of course, free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them. ... If novel opportunities promote growth, Sameness prohibits it. Discuss how Jonas's development throughout the ...

  15. Creating a Thesis Statement, Thesis Statement Tips

    Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence. 3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper. 4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what ...

  16. Can you provide two or three good thesis statements for the novel Night

    Quick answer: One example of a good thesis statement for the novel Night would be that enduring ongoing cruelty can make people feel hopeless, can cause them to inflict cruelty on others, and can ...

  17. PDF Thesis Statement Book Review Examples

    Thesis Statement Book Review Examples 1. THESIS: Although Ivanhoe by Walter Scott was not my favorite historical fiction, I did learn three important things as I read this novel. This story taught me about the Medieval Ages, Cedric the Saxon, and tournaments. 2. THESIS: As I read A Child Called It, an autobiography, by David Pelzer, I realized ...

  18. What is a thesis

    A thesis is an in-depth research study that identifies a particular topic of inquiry and presents a clear argument or perspective about that topic using evidence and logic. Writing a thesis showcases your ability of critical thinking, gathering evidence, and making a compelling argument. Integral to these competencies is thorough research ...

  19. Dissertation & Thesis Outline

    Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Published on June 7, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on November 21, 2023. A thesis or dissertation outline is one of the most critical early steps in your writing process.It helps you to lay out and organize your ideas and can provide you with a roadmap for deciding the specifics of your dissertation topic and showcasing its relevance to ...

  20. Thesis Statement for Review

    Thesis Statement Examples for Book Review. Book reviews encapsulate the essence, themes, and overall impact of a specific book. "In '1984', George Orwell presents a harrowing vision of a totalitarian future that challenges the essence of individuality.". "J.D. Salinger's 'Catcher in the Rye' offers an introspective look at ...

  21. Convert your thesis into a book

    A full conversion - from thesis to book. This is a good option should your thesis be on a topic that would have wide appeal to an academic audience. A key consideration here is that the structure of a thesis is massively different to a book. Rather than starting with a hypothesis, a book should showcase a considered argument and its narrative ...

  22. Self-Publishing Book Cover Design 101

    In self-publishing, book cover design is crucial to making a strong first impression. A striking cover design can be all the difference. Whether you're a new author navigating self-publishing book cover design for the first time, or a seasoned author, understanding the essentials of cover design is key to your success.

  23. APA Style for beginners: High school, college, and beyond

    Many people also write research papers or academic essays in APA Style. The following resources will help with that: Writing resource. Details. ... APA Style and MLA style citations and references for four common reference types (journal articles, books, edited book chapters, and webpages and websites) Avoiding Plagiarism Guide (PDF, 141KB)

  24. Book Review: Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a Life on the

    Travelling While Black comprises seventeen distinct essays focusing on specific traveling experiences woven together by the overarching themes of identity and belonging, otherness, white supremacy, and power dynamics. In each chapter, Nyabola poses thought-provoking questions that challenge readers to examine their beliefs and privileges, and to consider how these either disrupt or perpetuate ...

  25. Against the Corporate Media: Forty-two Ways the Press Hates You

    The author of seventeen novels and non-fiction books, Michael Walsh was the classical music critic and a foreign correspondent for Time Magazine, and received the 2004 American Book Awards prize for fiction for his gangster novel, And All the Saints.His books The Devil's Pleasure Palace and The Fiery Angel examine the enemies, heroes, triumphs, and struggles of Western Civilization from the ...

  26. Turning to essays, Edwidge Danticat makes shrewd use of the form

    Book Review. We're Alone: Essays. By Edwidge Danticat Graywolf: 192 pages, $26 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support ...

  27. Law, Morality and Judicial Reasoning: Essays on W. J. Waluchow's

    This book provides a critical outlook on, and an inquiry into the practical implications of, the works of Professor W.J. Waluchow, one of the most important jurisprudence scholars of the early twenty-first century, while also reflecting on the interconnections between his legal theory and his theory of constitutional interpretation.

  28. 'White Fragility' author Robin DiAngelo accused of ...

    Her controversial 2018 book sold more than 750,000 copies and helped her rake in even more money hosting "anti-racist" seminars costing as much as $40,000 a head. Beacon Press

  29. Rape survivors publish book aimed at recovery, healing

    Rape survivors compiled poetry, narrative and essays as part of their recovery from sexual violence in a new book published this month.

  30. Anti-racism author Robin DiAngelo accused of plagiarising ethnic

    The bestselling author of a book about "white fragility" has been accused of plagiarising sections of the work of two Asian-Americans in her doctoral thesis. Robin DiAngelo, an anti-racism ...