A thesis statement is a complete sentence (usually in your introduction or right after it) that does two things. First, it states your topic, and second, it tells the reader where you're going with that topic. It's like a "map" of your paper. If you follow that map as you develop your paper, you won't get lost--and neither will your readers.
2. Can my thesis statement be a question?
Your thesis should be a statement rather than a question. If you have written your thesis as a question, rewrite it as a statement.
3. How do I develop a thesis statement?
If you're familiar with your topic, you can start with a working thesis. First, write down your general topic. Then write down the specific "message" you want to get across to your readers regarding that topic. For example, if your general topic was the meal plan at NSU, you might write down the following information:
Topic: Meal plan at NSU.
Message: Students shouldn’t have to be on the meal plan while they live in the dorms if they don’t want to be. The meal plan is very expensive, and students could cook for themselves in the dorms for less money. Also, the food served is high in fat and calories and doesn’t appeal to many students because it isn’t very healthy. Finally, students who are vegetarians don’t have many choices if they are on the meal plan since few meatless meals are served.
After you have written down both your topic and your message, you need to combine these two ideas into a single sentence with a subject and a verb. The thesis you develop for the above topic might read as follows:
Students at Northern State University should not have to be on the meal plan while they live in the dorms because the plan is very expensive, the food is not very healthy, and the food doesn’t offer vegetarians many choices.
If you wanted a shorter thesis statement, you could revise the above sentence into two sentences:
Students at Northern State University should not have to be on the meal plan while they live in the dorms. First, the plan is very expensive; second, the food is not very healthy; and third, the food doesn’t offer vegetarians many choices.
As you developed your paper, you would follow the "map" laid out in your thesis. First you would discuss the cost of the meal plan, then the nutritional value of the food, and finally the options available to vegetarians.
4. What if I'm not familiar with my topic?
If you're not familiar with your topic, you can begin with a broad area of interest and narrow it down by asking yourself questions (who, what, when, where, why, how, etc.) and doing research. For example, if you decided you wanted to write a paper about AIDS, you would need to narrow your focus before you could develop a working thesis. To do this, you might ask yourself what area of the topic you want to discuss (who, what, when, etc.). Based on the answers to these questions, you could develop your "message" and then a working thesis. For example, a working thesis for the topic AIDS might read:
The rights of AIDS victims in the workplace are currently being violated, and these rights need to be protected.
After developing this working thesis, you would research your specific topic to find information supporting/developing your ideas. If you found information that challenged your thesis, you would need to revise it.
5. Can my thesis change as I write/revise my paper?
Absolutely--many writers start with a working thesis and make changes as they go along.
6. What if some of the information in my paper doesn't relate to my thesis?
Every paragraph of your finished paper should relate back to and develop your thesis. If something in your paper doesn't relate to your thesis, you either need to get rid of that section of your paper or change your thesis.