Choosing a Topic and Writing a Thesis Statement

After reading the nonfiction selections from this module, we will now use that information to help craft a research paper about an historical nonfiction event. Let's take a look at the research process and the steps needed to write that paper.

Step 1 - Choosing and Narrowing a Research Topic

This is the step of the research process in which a writer will select a topic. However, the topic choice cannot be too broad. Make sure that the topic is a narrow topic, but one that will yield a fair amount of information. Examine the chart below for some examples.

Topic Example	Outcome
Inventions in the United States	Too broad - this topic encompasses more information than can be included in one paper
The individual components of the cotton gin	Too specific - information may be available, but will be too limited to develop an entire paper
The roles and effects of the cotton gin on life in the United States	Good - this has narrowed down the topic inventions, but still allows for a good deal of focused research

A writer will then take the topic of "The roles effects of the cotton gin on life in the United States" and ask who, what, why, and how questions. This will help the writer choose a focus for the research. Let's take a look at the example below.

Topic: The cotton gin in the United States

What: What effect did the cotton gin have?
Who: Who invented the cotton gin and how did it happen?
Why: Why is this significant? Was there opposition?
When: When did these events occur?

Step 2 - Writing Your Thesis

After narrowing down the topic, write the thesis statement. A writer may need to revise this statement a little while writing the paper.

A thesis statement is a brief, declarative sentence that expresses the focus of your paper. This is generally an opinion. The research will prove the opinion to be either true or false in the end. The bottom line is that a writer must choose a side and defend it. Take a look at the topic and thesis statement below. The broad topic of the cotton gin and its effects was finely tuned into an arguable thesis statement. Readers may not agree with the thesis, but the paper should support it.

Sample Topic of Thesis
Notice the difference between general topic and an arguable thesis.
TOPIC
Effect of the cotton gin on life in our country

THESIS STATEMENT
The invention of the cotton gin ultimately increased slavery in the United States, which in turn was a precursor to the Civil War.

Now that you have had an introduction to the thesis statement, watch this brief video to learn more about creating your own. Please remain patient as the video loads.

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