Research question and thesis statement
Most writing at university is exploratory or argumentative in nature, in the sense that you are expected to present information and construct an argument. A fruitful way of getting started is therefore to formulate one or more research questions and a tentative thesis statement. The research question is the question that your essay sets out to answer, whereas the thesis statement is the claim that you make in your text. Quite naturally, both research question and thesis statement may need to be revised and developed as your work progresses, but clarifying to yourself early on what you will investigate and what your tentative claim is will help you find information and establish a structure for your essay text.
Formulating research questions
To develop an argument for your essay, you will need to ask questions about your essay topic. Importantly, such questions must be formulated so that they do not generate simple yes/no answers, but in a way that enables you to start collecting information or data for your project. One way of beginning is to use so-called journalists' questions: who, what, where, when, why, or why.
Depending on your topic, one or more of these question words can be helpful. In the table below, you find examples of how to start formulating research questions.
| Question word | Examples of how to frame research questions |
|---|---|
| who |
|
| what |
|
| where |
|
| when |
|
| why |
|
| how |
|
Turning a direct question into an indirect question
Writers usually start out with direct questions like the ones in the table above. Such direct questions often start with the question word, and they end with a question mark. By the time writers start writing their text, they may be expected to turn these research questions into indirect questions in which the question word is embedded in a sentence that is a statement ending with a full stop. This is a natural development of the research question, and you will often be able to develop it regarding content and precision so that the research question gives the reader a clear indication as to what will be investigated or discussed.
| Direct question | Indirect question |
|---|---|
| When is the ideal time for pruning fruit trees? | This essay investigates when the ideal time for pruning fruit trees is, with regard to both environmental and horticultural factors. |
| What factors need to be taken into account when replanting geraniums? | The essay examines what factors need to be taken into account in the spring replanting of geraniums. |
In the table below, you find another way of generating research questions in the form of indirect questions. Read the table from left to right: You start with an introduction followed by a verb plus a question word plus something about the topic.
| Introduction | verb | question word | something about your topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| I will | explore | how | replanting geraniums in the spring affects the timing of their blooming. |
| This essay will | examine | where | geraniums should be placed during winter. |
| The aim of this paper is to | determine | why | different geranium species may require different replanting routines. |
Note that the verb you choose indicates what you will do in the text; will you discuss, compare, or perhaps explore? Such verbs are sometimes referred to as analytical verbs, and it matters which one you choose as it signals to your reader what kind of investigation will be carried out. An online search will give lists of useful analytical verbs, but note discipline and type of assignment may decide which type pf verb to choose.
As a student you also encounter similar so-called academic verbs in exams and assignment instructions. Read more about that here:
Formulating a thesis statement
A thesis statement is the claim the writer makes in their text, or the argument that is presented. It is, naturally, not easy to formulate a strong thesis statement at the start of an essay project, but just as writers need to start thinking of what they will investigate, they early on need to form an idea of what their claim or argument will be. Creating a tentative thesis statement early on will help you navigate through your project, even though you may need to rephrase it at a later stage. In other words, revising your thesis statement is a common and natural part of the writing process.
To clarify what your argument is, consider using phrases like these for your tentative thesis statement:
- This paper argues that…
- It will be argued that…
- My main claim is…
- In the following, an argument will be made for…
- This paper attempts to show that …
- The central thesis of this paper is that …
- In the pages that follow, it will be argued that …
- In this essay, I attempt to defend the view that …
Please note that depending on discipline, you may or may not be expected to use first-person pronouns in the thesis statement, and you may be expected to use other verbs than in the examples above. If you are unsure of the conventions in your field and at your department, ask your teacher.
Further information
For further information and examples, have a look at the following video from the online MOOC "Writing in English at University" which was developed at Lund University (2016).