Refining a Thesis

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Refining a Thesis

• Narrowing the Focus
• of Your Topic

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Step 1

• Start with your general topic and list some of
  the related issues.
• Example Taxes going for welfare,
  misappropriation of funds, tax system is too
  complicated, too many breaks for the rich
• Pick one.

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Step 2

• Pose your issues as an open-ended question.
• Example Are there too many tax shelters?

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Step 2 (cont.)Make Yes and No columns and list
support under each .

• NO
• Tax shelters are an important way to protect some
  income
• IRS tries to audit suspicious files
• Some people deserve not to pay

• YES
• Rich people seem to get richer
• If you can hire a good accountant you can find
  ways to avoid paying
• 100 wealthy Americans paid no taxes in 1997

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Step 3

• Decide which side you fall on.
• Add a qualifier if you dont feel comfortable
  with a simple yes or no.
• Example Certain tax shelters should be
  eliminated.
• In most cases, usually, when the situation is
  clearly are sample qualifiers.

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Step 4

• Add a phrase or clause explaining or summarizing
  your reasons behind your statement.
• Example Tax shelters should be eliminated
  because more than one hundred wealthy people paid
  no taxes last year while millions of low and
  middle income families paid exorbitant amounts.

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Step 5

• Ask, does it need tempered? Does it sound too
  dogmatic or inflexible? You dont want the reader
  to automatically reject your statement. Watch
  out for words like never and always.
• Example Certain tax shelters should be
  eliminated because more than 100 wealthy
  Americans paid no taxes last year while millions
  of low and middle income

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Step 6

• Edit for wordiness. By this time the sentence
  may be so convoluted that it makes no sense, or
  is too dense to read well.
• Ask for someone elses opinion!

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YOU HAVE YOUR THESIS

• NOW STICK TO IT.