thesis editing sample

Your Writing, Expertly Edited

Get your work meticulously edited and proofread by PhD-qualified academic writing specialists, who know exactly what markers want .

Your All-In-One Solution

Our flagship service includes both editing and proofreading . Here’s what we take care of:

• Fix typos, misspellings, punctuation issues and ensure consistency of your spelling format (e.g., UK or US English).
• Undertake light rewriting of poorly presented sentences, to improve readability and ease of understanding. If substantial rewriting is needed, we’ll provide suggestions.
• Highlight areas where clarification and additional explanation are needed.
• Ensure that your in-text references are in the correct style, formatted correctly and are included in the end-text reference list.
• Ensure that your reference list is correctly formatted.
• Highlight areas where additional references are needed (e.g., sweeping statements, unfounded arguments, etc.).
• Generate the table of contents page, lists of figures and tables.
• Ensure consistent style for figure and table captions.
• Insert captions where we are able to, or highlight areas where captions are needed.
• Ensure consistency of heading levels and styles.
• Ensure correct page numbering (e.g., roman numerals for pre-matter).
• Ensure that your format/page layout is in line with your institute’s requirements.

What exactly you get  

Every editing and proofreading project includes the following key deliverables:

A perfectly edited document

You’ll receive a clean, finalised version of your document, fully edited and proofread. You’ll also receive a second version with all changes tracked , as well as our comments and suggestions to improve your writing further.

A detailed plagiarism report

If you’d like, we can run a comprehensive plagiarism scan on your document and provide you with a detailed report that outlines potential plagiarism issues and provides a similarity index. This is included free of charge.

A certificate of editing

If your university requires a formal certificate of editing or confirmation letter, we’ll draft this according to your institution’s specific requirements. We can also provide copies of invoices and receipts if required by your sponsor. 

The Grad Coach Difference  

Editors are a dime a dozen  and there’s always someone who can do it cheaper. Here’s what makes Grad Coach’s editing and proofreading service different.

Academic Writing Specialists

Our PhD-qualified editors specialise in academic writing, so they know exactly what markers want.

Combined Editing & Proofreading

Our service includes both editing and proofreading, while others charge separately for each.

Full Plagiarism Reporting

In addition to editing and proofreading, we can also provide a  plagiarism report , completely free of charge.

Get Your Dissertation Edited Today

Or book a free, no-obligation consultation .

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most popular editing-related questions we receive.

Editing & Proofreading

How do you edit and proofread.

Our editing and proofreading process is 100% manual - in other words, it's handled by a team of highly qualified human editors, not machines . We don't use any automation software or tools, as nothing can beat the quality and accuracy of human editing.

Our editing team consists of a diverse mix of Doctoral and Master's-qualified language specialists . The team is managed by Dr Eunice Rautenbach , who holds both a Master's and Doctoral degree in language practice. All team members have extensive academic editing experience, are native English speakers (from the US, UK and SA) and have worked on numerous dissertations, theses and research projects.

Can I see an example/sample of your editing?

Certainly . You can download a sample editing and proofreading project here .

Will you sort out my references and citations?

Yes . As part of the editing process, we will ensure that your references and citations are in the correct format (e.g., Harvard, APA, etc) as per your university's requirements (you'll need to advise us what these are).

However, keep in mind that we can't fill in incomplete references or find the relevant sources for you (as it's impossible for us to know which sources you've referenced). We also cannot check whether the references you have are accurate or suitable for the arguments you make in your writing.

Can you fix/build my table of contents?

Yes , we can create a table of contents based on the headings and subheadings throughout your dissertation or thesis. This table of contents will include the respective page number for each heading or subheading.

Can you lower my word count?

Yes - as part of the editing process, we will edit your work for concision. However, we cannot guarantee a specific word count or percentage reduction, as this would risk cutting out important content.

Can you check my work for plagiarism?

Yes - we can provide a detailed plagiarism report with every editing and proofreading project. However, please keep in mind that universities use a variety of plagiarism-checking services. Therefore, if your university provides you with a plagiarism-checking facility (as they often do), you should double-check your score on that system.

How long does the editing and proofreading process take?

It depends on the length of the document, the overall quality of the writing (i.e., the number of issues to be resolved) and our project load at the time of submission.

Generally speaking, we can complete a standard dissertation/thesis of 20,000 words within 2-3 days , but this varies depending on the factors above. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you pre-book your editing with us for a specific date. For pre-booked projects, we can provide a guaranteed timeline, which is generally shorter than that of "walk-in" projects. Please email us to pre-book your project.

Can you provide a certificate of editing?

Yes , certainly. We can issue a certificate according to your university's requirements. We can also sign any paperwork required by your university as proof of editing.

Will my document be treated as confidential?

Yes , absolutely. Your work will be treated as strictly confidential and will never be shared or published. We will gladly sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with you if you wish.

How much does editing cost?

Our fee is based on the total word count of the document. This includes the body content and the reference list (as we need to review this). You can also include the appendices if you wish, but it's generally not required.

Click here to view our pricing or book a free consultation to discuss your project.

When should I submit my document to you?

Generally, editing and proofreading should be the very last step in your writing process. This ensures that you don't "undo" any editing work, or introduce new typos or grammar issues.

However, if your supervisor has specifically instructed you to get your work edited before submitting it to them for final review, you should follow their instructions. If you're unsure which approach to take, get in touch with us.

Can you edit my dissertation/thesis as I complete each chapter?

We can, but we don't recommend it . By editing chapter by chapter, consistency is reduced and there is a strong chance that there will be conflicts between document versions in terms of references, page, table and figure numbers, and so on. As a result, a lot of the work will be "undone" and you'll need to spend a lot of time revising and checking each section.

How much time should I factor in post-edit to make corrections?

We recommend that you factor in a day or two to make your final corrections after receiving your document back from us. This is not essential (as you can just accept all our edits "as is"), but it is a good idea to have a buffer in case you want to make any additions or revisions. You might also need to fix issues highlighted by the edit, e.g., regarding clarity of meaning or problems flagged with your referencing.

Can you do a second review of my document after the first edit?

We can review your document as many times as you need , but each review is charged separately. In other words, we cannot provide a second review (after we've edited and proofread) free of charge.

Can you check that my Conclusions and Recommendations represent all my findings?

This is beyond the scope of language editing, as it involves data analysis and interpretation. If you would like assistance with this, we can assist with 1-on-1 coaching , where we review your work critically and provide in-depth feedback.

Can you write my abstract (or exec summary) for me?

No , we can't. As part of the editing process, we will improve the quality of your writing, but we cannot write any section for you. Having any section written for you would constitute academic misconduct.

Can you rephrase text to reduce my plagiarism score?

No , we can’t. While we may undertake some very light rewriting of poorly constructed sentences to improve readability and ease of understanding, we cannot revise content to reduce plagiarism, as we are not familiar with the articles/sources being referenced.

Can you arrange the separate sections of my document?

No , we cannot arrange (or rearrange) sections of content on your behalf, as this may impact the core meaning and/or the thread of argument.

That said, if we feel that a section could be structured better for clarity, we will comment on this and make suggestions. Additionally, we will check that your headings and subheadings are numbered sequentially and are consistent in style.

I still have questions…

No problem. Feel free to email us or book an initial consultation to discuss.

Still have a question?   Email us  or  book a no-obligation consultation .

What Our Clients Say...

We've worked 1:1 with 5000+ students . Here's what some of them have to say:

David's depth of knowledge in research methodology was truly impressive. He demonstrated a profound understanding of the nuances and complexities of my research area, offering insights that I hadn't even considered. His ability to synthesize information, identify key research gaps, and suggest research topics was truly inspiring. I felt like I had a true expert by my side, guiding me through the complexities of the proposal.

Cyntia Sacani (US)

I had been struggling with the first 3 chapters of my dissertation for over a year. I finally decided to give GradCoach a try and it made a huge difference. Alexandra provided helpful suggestions along with edits that transformed my paper. My advisor was very impressed.

Tracy Shelton (US)

Working with Kerryn has been brilliant. She has guided me through that pesky academic language that makes us all scratch our heads. I can't recommend Grad Coach highly enough; they are very professional, humble, and fun to work with. If like me, you know your subject matter but you're getting lost in the academic language, look no further, give them a go.

Tony Fogarty (UK)

So helpful! Amy assisted me with an outline for my literature review and with organizing the results for my MBA applied research project. Having a road map helped enormously and saved a lot of time. Definitely worth it.

Jennifer Hagedorn (Canada)

Everything about my experience was great, from Dr. Shaeffer’s expertise, to her patience and flexibility. I reached out to GradCoach after receiving a 78 on a midterm paper. Not only did I get a 100 on my final paper in the same class, but I haven’t received a mark less than A+ since. I recommend GradCoach for everyone who needs help with academic research.

Antonia Singleton (Qatar)

I started using Grad Coach for my dissertation and I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for them, I would have really struggled. I would strongly recommend them – worth every penny!

Richard Egenreider (South Africa)

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Steps for Ordering Our Thesis Editing Services

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Select the document type and enter your word count to get a quote.

Upload Your Paper

Tell us about your field of study, the context of your work, and anything else you want us to focus on. We will match you with an editor with the exact background needed to revise your thesis.

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Download your edited thesis—we know how important deadlines are and guarantee completion within the requested delivery time.

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• Choose your editing service type.
• To calculate the word count of a specific selection of the document, highlight the text and then click [Word Count] .

Journal Manuscripts, Research Papers, Dissertations/Theses, Articles, Abstracts

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Features of Our Thesis Editing Services

Thesis proofreading.

Thesis proofreading includes correction for:

• Word-order, sentence structure, and grammar
• Spelling and punctuation issues
• Improper use of units, symbols, numerals, and abbreviations
• Inconsistencies in formatting and terminology

We guarantee 100% language accuracy —your thesis will be free of objective language errors and adhere to all necessary requirements.

Revisions for Clarity & Flow

Wordvice's thesis editors enhance the style, clarity, and tone of your writing in the following ways:

• Improving vocabulary and ensuring a natural tone
• Removing informal and unacademic phrases
• Rephrasing to enhance structure, flow, and readability
• Providing feedback and comments to explain changes

Our editors also apply your preferred formatting style ( APA , MLA , Chicago , etc.)

Customer Service Guarantee

Our thesis editing services provide more than just professional editing. Students keep coming back to us for a variety of reasons:

• Editor expertise in your field of study
• Directly communicate with your editor
• Personalized feedback helps you become a better writer
• Choose your turnaround time (from 9 hours to 7 days)

You can ask your editor as many questions as you want via our editor messaging system. We know how important your deadline is and guarantee delivery of your edited thesis by the selected delivery time.

Our Thesis Editing Experts

Professional editing for your graduate or doctoral thesis, authors love our thesis editing services.

Thesis Editing Services Reviews

• Chen Xi "Will use Wordvice again" Wordvice saved my master's thesis! I was stressed out because I thought I couldn't get everything done before my deadline, but my editor was so fast and their comments guided me really well through the last phase of polishing my writing. It sounds much more academic now, and I learned a lot from the feedback my editor gave me. I will definitely use Wordvice again for my dissertation!
• Ronald Yates "Best dissertation editor EVER!" I submitted my dissertation to Wordvice before handing it in, and my editor Carla G. did such an amazing job - it was much more helpful than I had expected! She was very thorough and left many detailed suggestions in the manuscript that helped me immensely with organizing and strengthening my arguments. I got my dissertation back on time and felt very self-assured when I finally handed it in. Thank you for your very professional help.

Thesis Editing Examples

Thesis Editing Sample

Thesis Editing Services FAQ

What are your thesis editing prices, how long do your thesis editing services take, who will be editing my thesis, what types of academic documents does wordvice edit.

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• - Journal Manuscripts ( Manuscript Editing )
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Educational resources and simple solutions for your research journey

How to Edit a Thesis and Revise it Successfully

As a researcher your PhD thesis is the culmination of many years of research on a subject. It helps to showcase your subject matter expertise, academic writing skills and capabilities as an independent researcher. After having spent months and years working on a PhD thesis, most early career researchers rush to submit their work before allowing themselves to take a breather. However, experienced researchers suggest that while taking a break from your thesis might be a good idea, it is imperative to spend some time to proofread, revise, and polish your thesis before submitting it for evaluation. Most early career researchers find this daunting and often procrastinate when it comes to editing PhD thesis and revising it.

Table of Contents

Why Editing PhD thesis and Proofreading it is Essential

Editing and revising your PhD thesis is absolutely essential as it helps improve the clarity and coherence of the thesis. Proofreading entails reading the content to ensure that it is understandable, accurate, and well-presented. A well-written thesis is easy to follow and presents ideas in a logical and organized manner. Editing and proofreading helps to identify areas where the thesis may be unclear or where the argument may be weak. A well-edited and proofread thesis demonstrates attention to detail and a commitment to excellence, which can help to impress the thesis committee and lead to a successful defence.

This article explains the importance of editing and proofreading a PhD thesis and offers advice on how to edit and revise your work.

  Tips for Successfully Editing and Revising Ph.D. Thesis

• Take a break: Once you finish your thesis, give yourself a few days or a week to relax and recharge your energies before return to it with a refreshed perspective. Taking a break from your work can help you to approach it with fresh eyes.
• Pay attention to detail: Take time to carefully edit your PhD thesis from start to finish, stay alert to minor grammatical errors, inaccurate information or issues with formatting. Focus on removing any contradiction and add supporting information where there is a lack of adequate proof.
• Edit section-by-section: Break down the thesis into smaller, more manageable sections to check for spelling errors, citation mistakes and look for problems with structure and coherence. This can be helpful to ease the editing and proofreading process.

• Refine your opening and conclusions: Pay attention to both the introduction and the conclusion of your thesis. They must be well written and impactful and must convey the details of your work in a compelling way. For better understanding and consistency, try re-organizing elements of your thesis by avoiding jargon and using clear and simple language to explain things.
• Ensure that your thesis meets submission guidelines: Most universities and departments may have guidelines and requirements for the submission of dissertations. These can include specifics on whether to use APA or MLA referencing and formatting guidelines. Being aware of these guidelines can ensure that your thesis is well-received and not returned for additional edits at a later stage.
• Check for inaccuracies in citations: Most early career researchers find themselves inadvertently making errors when it comes to listing citations. Reference management tools like Zotero and Mendeley can prove very helpful as they assistsyou with correctly linking sources and citing referenced articles.
• Be vigilant and check for inadvertent plagiarism: Plagiarism in academia is taken very seriously and can invite serious repercussions. Forgetting to insert quotation marks or citing a particular author you have paraphrased is deemed as plagiarism. When proofreading the thesis ensure that you check for these often inadvertent errors and correct them before final submissions.
• Consider using professional editing tools: There are numerous editing tools and apps available online that can be used to identify and fix common mistakes, make your writing clearer and format according to the required citation style, allowing you to submit a perfect thesis. Apps like Researcher.Life help evaluate the submission-readiness of dissertations and research manuscripts in addition to providing editing, translation, and end-to-end support through all stages of academic writing.
• Seek feedback : Having edited and proofread your PhD thesis do share it with your supervisors and request them to provide inputs and feedback. Constructive feedback can prove invaluable and help you to identify areas where you may need to make revisions or improvements. This ensures that your PhD thesis meets the high standards of academic excellence.

Finally, keep aside structured time for editing and proofreading your thesis. While you may be tempted to do so, avoid rushing through the editing and proofreading process. We hope that you will find these tips use in making your editing and proofreading process more efficient, manageable and less overwhelming.

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Thesis editing and proofreading services

Our expert editors ensure your thesis meets the highest academic standards, with flawless academic language, precise referencing, and perfect formatting.

A sample of our thesis editing services

We meticulously edit and proofread your thesis to refine its grammar, style, and overall structure. Your thesis undergoes a combination of the three levels of editing displayed below. You can also view a completely edited thesis here .

We will proofread your thesis to remove all errors from it. Your edited thesis will have the following improvements:

• Refined grammar and tenses
• Correct punctuation, spelling, and usage
• Adherence to university guidelines
• Accurate formatting and referencing in APA, Chicago, Harvard, and many more styles
• Clear and readable graphs, tables, and figures

Our thesis editors will improve the quality of your academic writing. Your edited thesis will have:

• Improved word choice and sentence structure
• Reduced repetition and redundancy
• Fewer ambiguities and logical gaps
• Enhanced flow, coherence, and paragraph structure

Our thesis editors will enhance your academic writing through detailed comments. Their in-depth feedback will include:

• Suggestions for improved arguments, logic, and clarity
• Refinement of the overall thesis structure
• Help with elaborating on your analysis and original research
• Comments pointing out any missing or incomplete thesis sections

Additional thesis editing services

Plagiarism checking.

We run your thesis through our in-house plagiarism checking software to ensure that your work does not come under fire for plagiarism.

Referencing

We format your thesis according to the guidelines prescribed by your university, prioritizing coherence and readability.

We refine and cross-check the citations and references in your thesis to ensure that they conform to the prescribed guidelines.

What happy customers say about us

4.6/5 (2,346 reviews).

Very trustworthy and extremely efficient

I had an academic document proofread by the papertrue team. They not only corrected numerous grammar and spelling issues, they also advised on certain expressions according to my target audience. And the best, they did so over night... extremely fast, extremely good, and trustworthy service. Will be coming here again for the next publication.

Even my tutor can not find these errors

Thank you for editing my document on time. The editor pointed my attention to my commonly made mistakes; missing words, incorrect spelling and grammatical inconsistencies throughout the document. I was happy to receive both a tracked and a clean version of the edited document. I will happily recommend PaperTrue to my friends, and I will myself come back on a later occasion.

I have been using their services for 1 years now, and the only word that could describe this Papertrue is excellent. English is my second language, and every time, when I send my paper, I learn a lot from their feedback, comments and suggestions. Also, every my email have been answered very quickly. A very good value for money.

Great proofreading and editing!

PaperTrue has done a great editing/Proofreading on my friend's thesis. The thesis was accepted promptly without any further query or demand for amendment. We really appreciate their work.

Best editing service ever!

PaperTrue is the most helpful proofreader I experienced. They are fast, professional and careful. With their help, my paper got A or A-! so excited! Thanks to PaperTrue, I can have more time on other subjects, which really saved my life! Very much appreciated their professional assistance. Thanks a million!

Wonderful services

The proofreaders and editors at papertrue did a wonderful job of improving my dissertation. Almost all the errors were gone and the sentences were reworded to make its style more academic. I will tell my friends at the university about your high quality proofreading.

Review of Thesis - Effect of Nanopolymers in Paints

I found Paper True on the internet and decided to use them because of their high star rating and tremendous reviews that were relevant to what I needed. My German niece asked me to review her thesis and after struggling with it for over 8 hours and 6 pages later I knew I needed help. Paper True delivered within 2 days, the time frame I gave them. Not only did they deliver a document with all corrections and helpful comments suggested on the side(Tracked) but another one that was already corrected (Clean). The Thesis was 100% better and I was thrilled.

PaperTrue is a life saver

PaperTrue allowed me to expedite my writing process and helped me hand my paper in on time. I took a nap after sending my paper in and wake up to a well edited final draft. It's a lifesaver for college students!

Good option for ESL

Since English isn't my first language, I needed a professional proofreading service, just for my peace of mind. After some research I found PaperTrue, found some good reviews and tried it. It is a great service on a fair price. I would come back for more :)

Our expert editors

Yvonne Vaz Managing Editor

Expertise in sociology and politics

Years of experience

Documents edited and reviewed

Paige Scofic Senior Editor

Specialization in science fiction and fantasy novels

Angela Desmond Managing Editor

Expertise in American literature and marketing

Susan Howell Business Editor

Key interest in media studies and communication

documents edited

Aaron Murphy Managing Editor

Specialization in data science and machine learning

documents edited and reviewed

Stephanie Helberg Humanities Editor

Key interest in psychology and philosophy

Documents edited

Olivia Hagerman Senior Editor

Expertise in poetry, fiction, and world literature

Nicholas Lovell Managing Editor

Expertise in film studies

Kelly Stauber Managing Editor

Expertise in advertising and marketing

Arthur Zigman Senior Editor

Expertise in literary criticism

Amy Trahant Humanities Editor

Background in history, politics, and sociology

Nancy Rothbard Business Editor

Expertise in finance and business administration

Katelyn Lane Science Editor

Specialization in biology and chemistry

Jordan Almeida Senior Editor

Specialization in statistics and economics

Ker Gibbs Science Editor

Background in economics

How it works

The industry's best customer experience, 24/7 customer service until and after delivery, we're here for you until you are 100% satisfied, free revision of your edited thesis, frequently asked questions.

We offer a 5% discount to first-time users of our thesis editing services. Further, we have special discounts for students throughout the academic year. Register on our website, and keep an eye out for our emails!

Yes. You can customize your order to choose the kind of editing you want for your thesis. We offer thesis proofreading, copyediting, referencing, formatting, feedback, plagiarism checking, and more. Feel free to contact us by chat, email, or phone to get a custom quote.

Yes, our editors are well-versed with citation styles from all fields of study, such as the American Psychological Association (APA) style, Harvard style, Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA), Modern Language Association (MLA) style, American Medical Association (AMA) style, and many more.

Yes, we point out any arguments or ideas in your thesis that need more substantiation; we suggest how you can further develop these points by citing relevant literature, resolving ambiguities in your ideas, or expanding on your arguments. We will also ask you thought-provoking questions to help you come up with new points based on the subject matter.

Yes, our editors can help ensure that your literature review highlights the gap(s) in the existing research; we aid you in emphasizing this research gap using compelling academic language without ambiguities, redundancies, or logical errors.

We can certainly point out segments of your thesis that need to be replaced with more original work, particularly extensive passages quoted or paraphrased from external sources. We do not rephrase, rewrite, or modify the content of your thesis, since this can harm the academic integrity of your work.

We edit all the references in your thesis in accordance with your specified guidelines. If we find that you've skipped important details in the entries, we will signal those missing points to you in detailed comments. We do not, however, create the reference list for you, as only you possess all the required information about your sources.

We have editors from diverse academic backgrounds who specialize in working on master's and PhD theses from every domain. Based on your field and the requirements of your thesis, our editorial coordinators will pair you up with the editor best suited to your needs.

Yes! We will edit your translated English thesis. When we work on your thesis in English, we work towards ensuring that your writing is up to global standards without compromising on your research and its arguments.

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Editing and Proofreading

What this handout is about.

This handout provides some tips and strategies for revising your writing. To give you a chance to practice proofreading, we have left seven errors (three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors) in the text of this handout. See if you can spot them!

Is editing the same thing as proofreading?

Not exactly. Although many people use the terms interchangeably, editing and proofreading are two different stages of the revision process. Both demand close and careful reading, but they focus on different aspects of the writing and employ different techniques.

Some tips that apply to both editing and proofreading

• Get some distance from the text! It’s hard to edit or proofread a paper that you’ve just finished writing—it’s still to familiar, and you tend to skip over a lot of errors. Put the paper aside for a few hours, days, or weeks. Go for a run. Take a trip to the beach. Clear your head of what you’ve written so you can take a fresh look at the paper and see what is really on the page. Better yet, give the paper to a friend—you can’t get much more distance than that. Someone who is reading the paper for the first time, comes to it with completely fresh eyes.
• Decide which medium lets you proofread most carefully. Some people like to work right at the computer, while others like to sit back with a printed copy that they can mark up as they read.
• Try changing the look of your document. Altering the size, spacing, color, or style of the text may trick your brain into thinking it’s seeing an unfamiliar document, and that can help you get a different perspective on what you’ve written.
• Find a quiet place to work. Don’t try to do your proofreading in front of the TV or while you’re chugging away on the treadmill. Find a place where you can concentrate and avoid distractions.
• If possible, do your editing and proofreading in several short blocks of time. Your concentration may start to wane if you try to proofread the entire text at one time.
• If you’re short on time, you may wish to prioritize. Make sure that you complete the most important editing and proofreading tasks.

Editing is what you begin doing as soon as you finish your first draft. You reread your draft to see, for example, whether the paper is well-organized, the transitions between paragraphs are smooth, and your evidence really backs up your argument. You can edit on several levels:

Have you done everything the assignment requires? Are the claims you make accurate? If it is required to do so, does your paper make an argument? Is the argument complete? Are all of your claims consistent? Have you supported each point with adequate evidence? Is all of the information in your paper relevant to the assignment and/or your overall writing goal? (For additional tips, see our handouts on understanding assignments and developing an argument .)

Overall structure

Does your paper have an appropriate introduction and conclusion? Is your thesis clearly stated in your introduction? Is it clear how each paragraph in the body of your paper is related to your thesis? Are the paragraphs arranged in a logical sequence? Have you made clear transitions between paragraphs? One way to check the structure of your paper is to make a reverse outline of the paper after you have written the first draft. (See our handouts on introductions , conclusions , thesis statements , and transitions .)

Structure within paragraphs

Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Does each paragraph stick to one main idea? Are there any extraneous or missing sentences in any of your paragraphs? (See our handout on paragraph development .)

Have you defined any important terms that might be unclear to your reader? Is the meaning of each sentence clear? (One way to answer this question is to read your paper one sentence at a time, starting at the end and working backwards so that you will not unconsciously fill in content from previous sentences.) Is it clear what each pronoun (he, she, it, they, which, who, this, etc.) refers to? Have you chosen the proper words to express your ideas? Avoid using words you find in the thesaurus that aren’t part of your normal vocabulary; you may misuse them.

Have you used an appropriate tone (formal, informal, persuasive, etc.)? Is your use of gendered language (masculine and feminine pronouns like “he” or “she,” words like “fireman” that contain “man,” and words that some people incorrectly assume apply to only one gender—for example, some people assume “nurse” must refer to a woman) appropriate? Have you varied the length and structure of your sentences? Do you tends to use the passive voice too often? Does your writing contain a lot of unnecessary phrases like “there is,” “there are,” “due to the fact that,” etc.? Do you repeat a strong word (for example, a vivid main verb) unnecessarily? (For tips, see our handouts on style and gender-inclusive language .)

Have you appropriately cited quotes, paraphrases, and ideas you got from sources? Are your citations in the correct format? (See the UNC Libraries citation tutorial for more information.)

As you edit at all of these levels, you will usually make significant revisions to the content and wording of your paper. Keep an eye out for patterns of error; knowing what kinds of problems you tend to have will be helpful, especially if you are editing a large document like a thesis or dissertation. Once you have identified a pattern, you can develop techniques for spotting and correcting future instances of that pattern. For example, if you notice that you often discuss several distinct topics in each paragraph, you can go through your paper and underline the key words in each paragraph, then break the paragraphs up so that each one focuses on just one main idea.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. You should proofread only after you have finished all of your other editing revisions.

Why proofread? It’s the content that really matters, right?

Content is important. But like it or not, the way a paper looks affects the way others judge it. When you’ve worked hard to develop and present your ideas, you don’t want careless errors distracting your reader from what you have to say. It’s worth paying attention to the details that help you to make a good impression.

Most people devote only a few minutes to proofreading, hoping to catch any glaring errors that jump out from the page. But a quick and cursory reading, especially after you’ve been working long and hard on a paper, usually misses a lot. It’s better to work with a definite plan that helps you to search systematically for specific kinds of errors.

Sure, this takes a little extra time, but it pays off in the end. If you know that you have an effective way to catch errors when the paper is almost finished, you can worry less about editing while you are writing your first drafts. This makes the entire writing proccess more efficient.

Try to keep the editing and proofreading processes separate. When you are editing an early draft, you don’t want to be bothered with thinking about punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If your worrying about the spelling of a word or the placement of a comma, you’re not focusing on the more important task of developing and connecting ideas.

The proofreading process

You probably already use some of the strategies discussed below. Experiment with different tactics until you find a system that works well for you. The important thing is to make the process systematic and focused so that you catch as many errors as possible in the least amount of time.

• Don’t rely entirely on spelling checkers. These can be useful tools but they are far from foolproof. Spell checkers have a limited dictionary, so some words that show up as misspelled may really just not be in their memory. In addition, spell checkers will not catch misspellings that form another valid word. For example, if you type “your” instead of “you’re,” “to” instead of “too,” or “there” instead of “their,” the spell checker won’t catch the error.
• Grammar checkers can be even more problematic. These programs work with a limited number of rules, so they can’t identify every error and often make mistakes. They also fail to give thorough explanations to help you understand why a sentence should be revised. You may want to use a grammar checker to help you identify potential run-on sentences or too-frequent use of the passive voice, but you need to be able to evaluate the feedback it provides.
• Proofread for only one kind of error at a time. If you try to identify and revise too many things at once, you risk losing focus, and your proofreading will be less effective. It’s easier to catch grammar errors if you aren’t checking punctuation and spelling at the same time. In addition, some of the techniques that work well for spotting one kind of mistake won’t catch others.
• Read slow, and read every word. Try reading out loud , which forces you to say each word and also lets you hear how the words sound together. When you read silently or too quickly, you may skip over errors or make unconscious corrections.
• Separate the text into individual sentences. This is another technique to help you to read every sentence carefully. Simply press the return key after every period so that every line begins a new sentence. Then read each sentence separately, looking for grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors. If you’re working with a printed copy, try using an opaque object like a ruler or a piece of paper to isolate the line you’re working on.
• Circle every punctuation mark. This forces you to look at each one. As you circle, ask yourself if the punctuation is correct.
• Read the paper backwards. This technique is helpful for checking spelling. Start with the last word on the last page and work your way back to the beginning, reading each word separately. Because content, punctuation, and grammar won’t make any sense, your focus will be entirely on the spelling of each word. You can also read backwards sentence by sentence to check grammar; this will help you avoid becoming distracted by content issues.
• Proofreading is a learning process. You’re not just looking for errors that you recognize; you’re also learning to recognize and correct new errors. This is where handbooks and dictionaries come in. Keep the ones you find helpful close at hand as you proofread.
• Ignorance may be bliss, but it won’t make you a better proofreader. You’ll often find things that don’t seem quite right to you, but you may not be quite sure what’s wrong either. A word looks like it might be misspelled, but the spell checker didn’t catch it. You think you need a comma between two words, but you’re not sure why. Should you use “that” instead of “which”? If you’re not sure about something, look it up.
• The proofreading process becomes more efficient as you develop and practice a systematic strategy. You’ll learn to identify the specific areas of your own writing that need careful attention, and knowing that you have a sound method for finding errors will help you to focus more on developing your ideas while you are drafting the paper.

Think you’ve got it?

Then give it a try, if you haven’t already! This handout contains seven errors our proofreader should have caught: three spelling errors, two punctuation errors, and two grammatical errors. Try to find them, and then check a version of this page with the errors marked in red to see if you’re a proofreading star.

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.

Especially for non-native speakers of English:

Ascher, Allen. 2006. Think About Editing: An ESL Guide for the Harbrace Handbooks . Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Lane, Janet, and Ellen Lange. 2012. Writing Clearly: Grammar for Editing , 3rd ed. Boston: Heinle.

For everyone:

Einsohn, Amy. 2011. The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications , 3rd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Lanham, Richard A. 2006. Revising Prose , 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman.

Tarshis, Barry. 1998. How to Be Your Own Best Editor: The Toolkit for Everyone Who Writes . New York: Three Rivers Press.

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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• Thesis Expert Summary Report

Interpretation in the context of race, class , and sex

Let us now shed some light on the following statement: ' " I cannot experience your experience. You cannot experience my experience ' " , [7] 7 . , as a fact, it It is clear that the two individuals will evaluate gaps in the same plot in two different ways. If these two individuals belong to different sexes, races , and classes , the dissimilarities between their interpretations will be significant.

For example, if I am a female reader and i feel may view that Sula’s way of living is as totally inappropriate, whereas a male reader might perceive it as interesting and , even ,   fun. In the same manner, it may is also happen possible that a female reader , such as me myself, but from a different class , or someone who has experienced the same life will contrast contradict my views. This is why , class and sex are both become important aspects be taken into consideration responsible for when evaluating the reader’s interpretation.

In the context of race s , there would will be a significant difference in identifying critical incidents within the plot points between me, a black man/woman and a white man / or woman , all as readers. However, without knowing their ideologies, arguments, and experiences, one cannot make a decision about their own position s as readers because all the three aforementioned novels portray blacks and the dispute between Americans and African -   Americans vast, deep, and controversial .

Language & Grammar Check

• Subject-Verb
• Prepositions
• Comma Splices
• Punctuation

Pronouns: The introduction of the pronouns makes it very clear to the reader which individuals are being referred to.

Style & Consistency

• US-UK Style
• Oxford Commas
• Style Guide Adherence
• Consistency
• Capitalization
• Academic Style

Serial Comma & American English Style: In American English, serial commas (also called Oxford commas, Harvard commas, or series commas) are the norm. These are commas that are inserted before the "and/or" preceding the last item in a series of three or more items.

Formatting & Template Application

• Template Application
• Stylistic Consistency
• Reference Formatting
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Template Application: Application of heading styles as mentioned in the template is crucial to improving the chances of successful submission/publication of your manuscript.

Logic, Flow, and Enhancements

• Paraphrasing
• Brevity & Clarity

Clarity and Smooth Transitions: Use of precise words helps in conciseness and clarity of the text. In this case, the change also helps in linking the narrative between two sentences.

Expert Tips and Commentary

• Academic Conventions
• Queries & Clarifications

Expert Commentary regarding Academic Style: In academic writing, male and female are used as adjectives, that is, they are followed by a noun (e.g., “This study include 15 female and 10 male participants.”). Thus, we have added “reader” after “female” Otherwise, the preferred terms are men and women. Note that this convention is based on preference.

Let us now shed some light on the following statement: ' " I cannot experience your experience. You cannot experience my experience ' " , [7] 7 . , as a fact, it is clear that the Evidently, two individuals will evaluate gaps in the same plot in two different ways. If these two individuals belong to different sexes, races , and classes , the dissimilarities between their interpretations will be significant.

For example, if I am a female reader and i feel may view that Sula’s way of living is as totally inappropriate, whereas a male reader might perceive it as interesting and , even ,   fun. In the same manner Similarly , it may is also happen possible that a female reader , such as me myself, but from a different class , or someone who has experienced the same life will contrast contradict my views. This is why Therefore , class and sex are both become important aspects to when be taken into considering consideration responsible for the reader’s interpretation.

In the context of race s , there would be a significant difference will exist in identifying critical incidents within the plot points between me, a black man/woman , and a white man / or woman , all as readers . However, without knowing their ideologies, arguments, and experiences, one cannot make a decision decide about their own position s as readers because all the three aforementioned novels portray black s characters and the vast, deep, and controversial dispute between Americans and African -   Americans vast, deep, and controversial .

• Flow & Transitions
• Content Structure
• Suggestions & Alternatives
• Writing Style
• Content Structure & Flow

Numerical Ratings

Get to know where your skillset ranks under different aspects in language, grammar, mechanics, and style. The expert rates you on a scale of 1 to 5 on each point, and you also get an average score

Benefits: This will help you improve your writing in future manuscripts

Tips and Quick Reads

Get useful tips and interesting facts in language, grammar, and academic publishing. These are intended to be informative and entertaining so that you can learn something new!

Benefits: Get to know the well-known and lesser-known aspects of the English language and academic writing while reviewing your edited manuscript.

Structural Checkpoints

The expert rates the main sections of your manuscript in terms of their content, structure, and completeness. This gives you a snapshot of the overall health of your thesis!

Benefits: You will know where the strengths and weaknesses of your thesis are, so you can devote the necessary attention to the weaker sections!

General Tip! Using precise words and phrases drastically improves the readability of your manuscript.

Did You Know? “Data" is a word that can be used both in the singular and plural forms. In academic text, it is best used as a plural!

Mechanics & Style

Quick Read! The APA Manual of Style is the preferred style guide in social sciences. However, its use is picking up in physical sciences!

Structure Checkpoints

Q: Is it sufficiently informative and concise?

A: The title is informative and concise.

Q: Does it follow a logical structure?

A: The abstract follows a logical structure.

Q: Were the key results summarized clearly?

A: The results are summarized adequately.

Q: Were the key results discussed adequately?

A: The results are discussed well.

Q: Was it limited to those affecting the results?

A: Not applicable for your chosen service.

Summary Report from your Thesis Expert

Assignment Number: GRESCW-1

Dear Author,

As a part of this service, I have summarized the major strengths and areas of improvement of your thesis based on its topic, title, content, and structure.

• The content is clear and structured
• The arguments are properly referenced
• Logical structure and flow are good and the document is easily comprehendible

Areas of Improvement

• Lengthy sentences can be broken down and simplified
• Some quotes have not been highlighted using quotation marks
• Repetitions and redundancies have been observed and may hamper readability

Your editor,

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i get a sample edit +.

Yes, you will receive a sample of about 200 words if your work is greater than 15,000 words. You can ask questions and offer feedback after viewing this sample edit to understand the editor's editing approach.

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Here is a list of Thesis Statement Examples that will help you understand better how to write them.

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The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a sentence in a paper or essay (in the opening paragraph) that introduces the main topic to the reader. As one of the first things your reader sees, your thesis statement is one of the most important sentences in your entire paper—but also one of the hardest to write! 

In this article, we explain how to write a thesis statement in the best way possible. We look at what to include and the steps to take for writing your own, along with plenty of thesis statement examples to guide you. 

Here’s a tip: Want to make sure your writing shines? Grammarly can check your spelling and save you from grammar and punctuation mistakes. It even proofreads your text, so your work is polished wherever you write.

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, how to write a thesis statement: basics, what to include in a thesis statement (with examples), how to write a thesis statement in 3 steps.

The goal of a thesis statement is to let your reader know what your paper or essay is about. It helps your reader understand the greater context and scope of your topic, plus it lets your readers know what to expect from the rest of the work. 

A secondary benefit of a thesis statement is that it makes it easier to search for papers on a particular topic, especially in the realm of academic writing like research papers and thesis papers (which are sometimes known as dissertations when written for doctoral degrees). For example, if you’re writing a paper of your own, you’ll want to look up other papers to use as evidence and sources . You can simply scan the thesis statements of several papers to see which match your topic and could be worthwhile sources to cite. 

Before we get into details, here are the basic steps for how to write a thesis statement: 

• Develop the best topic to cover in your paper
• Phrase your topic as a question-and-answer
• Add some polish

We ’ ll describe each of those steps in more detail below, but we wanted to share a quick guide. Also, we ’ ll provide some thesis statement examples and talk about how to write a thesis statement for different kinds of essays: persuasive, compare-and-contrast, expository, and argumentative essays.

The thesis statement is located at the beginning of a paper, in the opening paragraph, making it an essential way to start an essay . A thesis statement isn’t necessarily the first sentence in an essay; typically you’ll want to hook the reader in an engaging way in the opening sentence before inserting your central idea or argument later in the first paragraph. A thesis statement is often confused with a topic sentence , the first sentence in a paragraph, because they both introduce the central idea of what follows. You can think of thesis statements as the topic sentence of your entire paper.  

Thesis statements are a necessary part of paper and essay writing , but different formats have different rules and best practices. Below, we break down how to write a thesis statement for the most common types of papers. 

How to write a thesis statement for expository and argumentative essays

Expository and argumentative essays are some of the most common types of academic papers. Because they don’t have a formal abstract like research papers, they rely on their thesis statements to provide an overview of what’s discussed. 

Thesis statements for argumentative and expository essays should use strong and decisive language; don’t be wishy-washy or uncertain. You want to take a stand right in the opening so that your readers understand what your paper is trying to show. 

Moreover, thesis statements for these essays should be specific, with some minor details to hint at the rest of the paper. It’s not enough to merely make your point; you also want to provide some basic evidence or background context to paint a full picture. 

If your paper dives into different subtopics or categories, try to fit them into the thesis statement if you can. You don’t have to get into details here, but it’s nice to mention the different sections at the top so that the reader knows what to expect. 

Thesis statement examples

Despite the taboo, insects make an excellent food source and could stem humanity’s looming food shortage, based on both their protein output and the sustainability of farming them. 

The backlash to rock ’n’ roll music in the ’50s by religious groups and traditionalists actually boosted the genre’s popularity instead of diminishing it as intended.

How to write a thesis statement for persuasive essays

Similar to argumentative essays, persuasive essays follow many of the same guidelines for their thesis statements: decisive language, specific details, and mentions of subtopics. 

However, the main difference is that, while the thesis statements for argumentative and expository essays state facts, the thesis statements for persuasive essays state clear opinions . Still, the format is the same, and the opinions are often treated like facts, including conclusive language and citing evidence to support your claims. 

Furthermore, unlike with other essays, it’s appropriate to make emotional connections in a thesis statement in persuasive essays. This can actually be a clever strategy to start your essay off on a more personal, impactful note. 

Advertising should not be allowed in public schools because it’s a distraction from studies and may lead to misguided priorities among the school board, to say nothing of the materialist culture it promotes. 

Exotic pets provide the same love and companionship as conventional pets, so the laws regulating which animals can and cannot be kept as pets should be more relaxed.

How to write a thesis statement for compare-and-contrast essays

Thesis statements for compare-and-contrast essays are tricky because you have at least two topics to touch on instead of just one. The same general guidelines apply (decisive language, details, etc.), but you need to give equal attention to both your topics—otherwise, your essay will seem biased from the start. 

As always, your thesis statement should reflect what’s written in the rest of your essay. If your essay spends more time comparing than contrasting, your thesis statement should focus more on similarities than differences. 

It sometimes helps to give specific examples as well, but keep them simple and brief. Save the finer details for the body of your essay. 

Sean Connery and Daniel Craig are the two most popular actors to portray James Bond, but both have their own distinct and at times contradictory interpretations of the character. 

Now that you know what you’re aiming for, it’s time to sit down and write your own thesis statement. To keep you on track, here are three easy steps to guide you. 

1 Brainstorm the best topic for your essay

You can’t write a thesis statement until you know what your paper is about, so your first step is choosing a topic. 

If the topic is already assigned, great ! That’s all for this step. If not, consider the tips below for choosing the topic that’s best for you:

• Pick a topic that you’re passionate about. Even if you don’t know much about it, it’ll be easier to learn about it while writing if you’re genuinely interested. 
• Narrow down your topic to something specific; otherwise, your paper will be too broad and perhaps too long. Just make sure it’s not too specific, or you won’t have enough to write about. Try to find a happy medium. 
• Check beforehand that there are enough strong, credible sources to use for research. You don’t want to run out of referential material halfway through. 

Once you’ve chosen a topic—and the angle or stance you want to take—then it’s time to put the idea for your thesis sentence into words. 

2 Phrase your topic as a question and then answer it

It’s not always easy to fit your entire thesis into just one sentence, let alone one that’s written clearly and eloquently. Here’s a quick technique to help you get started. 

First, phrase your topic as a question. For example, if you want to write about Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, ask yourself, “What influences did Gandhi have on society after his death?” 

If you already know the answer, write it down—that’s a good start for your thesis statement. If you don’t know the answer, do some preliminary research to find out; you can certainly use what you discover as evidence and sources in your essay’s body paragraphs . 

3 Add some polish

Chances are, your first attempt at a thesis statement won’t be perfect. To get it to its best, try revising , editing , and adding what’s missing. 

Remember the core traits for thesis statements we mentioned above: decisive language, a happy medium of specific but not too specific details, and mention of subtopics. If you’re struggling to contain everything in a single sentence, feel free to move the secondary information to the following sentence. The thesis statement itself should only have what’s most necessary. 

If you’re in doubt, read your thesis statement to a friend and ask them what they think your paper is about. If they answer correctly, your thesis statement does its job. 

Next comes the hard part—writing the rest! While the bulk of the writing lies ahead, at least you’ve nailed down your central idea. To plot out your supporting argument, follow our advice on essay structure and let your ideas flow. 

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Theses and dissertations are already intensive, long-term projects that require a lot of effort and time from their authors. Formatting for submission to the university is often the last thing that graduate students do, and may delay earning the relevant degree if done incorrectly.

Below are some strategies graduate students can use to deal with institutional formatting requirements to earn their degrees on time.

Disciplinary conventions are still paramount.

Scholars in your own discipline are the most common readers of your dissertation; your committee, too, will expect your work to match with their expectations as members of your field. The style guide your field uses most commonly is always the one you should follow, and if your field uses conventions such as including all figures and illustrations at the end of the document, you should do so. After these considerations are met, move on to university formatting. Almost always, university formatting only deals with things like margins, font, numbering of chapters and sections, and illustrations; disciplinary style conventions in content such as APA's directive to use only last names of authors in-text are not interfered with by university formatting at all.

Use your university's formatting guidelines and templates to your advantage.

If your institution has a template for formatting your thesis or dissertation that you can use, do so. Don't look at another student's document and try to replicate it yourself. These templates typically have the necessary section breaks and styles already in the document, and you can copy in your work from your existing draft using the style pane in MS Word to ensure you're using the correct formatting (similarly with software such as Overleaf when writing in LaTeX, templates do a lot of the work for you). It's also often easier for workers in the offices that deal with theses and dissertations to help you with your work if you're using their template — they are familiar with these templates and can often navigate them more proficiently.

These templates also include placeholders for all front matter you will need to include in your thesis or dissertation, and may include guidelines for how to write these. Front matter includes your table of contents, acknowledgements, abstract, abbreviation list, figure list, committee page, and (sometimes) academic history or CV; everything before your introduction is front matter. Since front matter pages such as the author's academic history and dissertation committee are usually for the graduate school and not for your department, your advisor might not remember to have you include them. Knowing about them well before your deposit date means you won't be scrambling to fill in placeholders at the last minute or getting your work returned for revision from the graduate school.

Consider institutional formatting early and often.

Many graduate students leave this aspect of submitting their projects until it's almost too late to work on it, causing delays in obtaining their degree. Simply being aware that this is a task you'll have to complete and making sure you know where templates are, who you can ask for help in your graduate office or your department, and what your institution's guidelines are can help alleviate this issue. Once you know what you'll be expected to do to convert to university formatting, you can set regular check-in times for yourself to do this work in pieces rather than all at once (for instance, when you've completed a chapter and had it approved by your chair). 

Consider fair use for images and other third-party content.

Most theses and dissertations are published through ProQuest or another publisher (Harvard, for instance, uses their own open publishing service). For this reason, it may be the case that your institution requires all images or other content obtained from other sources to fall under fair use rules or, if an image is not considered under fair use, you'll have to obtain permission to print it in your dissertation. Your institution should have more guidance on their specific expectations for fair use content; knowing what these guidelines are well in advance of your deposit date means you won't have to make last-minute changes or removals to deposit your work.

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25 Thesis Statement Examples That Will Make Writing a Breeze

Understanding what makes a good thesis statement is one of the major keys to writing a great research paper or argumentative essay. The thesis statement is where you make a claim that will guide you through your entire paper. If you find yourself struggling to make sense of your paper or your topic, then it's likely due to a weak thesis statement.

Let's take a minute to first understand what makes a solid thesis statement, and what key components you need to write one of your own.

A thesis statement always goes at the beginning of the paper. It will typically be in the first couple of paragraphs of the paper so that it can introduce the body paragraphs, which are the supporting evidence for your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement should clearly identify an argument. You need to have a statement that is not only easy to understand, but one that is debatable. What that means is that you can't just put any statement of fact and have it be your thesis. For example, everyone knows that puppies are cute . An ineffective thesis statement would be, "Puppies are adorable and everyone knows it." This isn't really something that's a debatable topic.

Something that would be more debatable would be, "A puppy's cuteness is derived from its floppy ears, small body, and playfulness." These are three things that can be debated on. Some people might think that the cutest thing about puppies is the fact that they follow you around or that they're really soft and fuzzy.

All cuteness aside, you want to make sure that your thesis statement is not only debatable, but that it also actually thoroughly answers the research question that was posed. You always want to make sure that your evidence is supporting a claim that you made (and not the other way around). This is why it's crucial to read and research about a topic first and come to a conclusion later. If you try to get your research to fit your thesis statement, then it may not work out as neatly as you think. As you learn more, you discover more (and the outcome may not be what you originally thought).

Additionally, your thesis statement shouldn't be too big or too grand. It'll be hard to cover everything in a thesis statement like, "The federal government should act now on climate change." The topic is just too large to actually say something new and meaningful. Instead, a more effective thesis statement might be, "Local governments can combat climate change by providing citizens with larger recycling bins and offering local classes about composting and conservation." This is easier to work with because it's a smaller idea, but you can also discuss the overall topic that you might be interested in, which is climate change.

So, now that we know what makes a good, solid thesis statement, you can start to write your own. If you find that you're getting stuck or you are the type of person who needs to look at examples before you start something, then check out our list of thesis statement examples below.

Thesis statement examples

A quick note that these thesis statements have not been fully researched. These are merely examples to show you what a thesis statement might look like and how you can implement your own ideas into one that you think of independently. As such, you should not use these thesis statements for your own research paper purposes. They are meant to be used as examples only.

• Vaccinations Because many children are unable to vaccinate due to illness, we must require that all healthy and able children be vaccinated in order to have herd immunity.
• Educational Resources for Low-Income Students Schools should provide educational resources for low-income students during the summers so that they don't forget what they've learned throughout the school year.
• School Uniforms School uniforms may be an upfront cost for families, but they eradicate the visual differences in income between students and provide a more egalitarian atmosphere at school.
• Populism The rise in populism on the 2016 political stage was in reaction to increasing globalization, the decline of manufacturing jobs, and the Syrian refugee crisis.
• Public Libraries Libraries are essential resources for communities and should be funded more heavily by local municipalities.
• Cyber Bullying With more and more teens using smartphones and social media, cyber bullying is on the rise. Cyber bullying puts a lot of stress on many teens, and can cause depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. Parents should limit the usage of smart phones, monitor their children's online activity, and report any cyber bullying to school officials in order to combat this problem.
• Medical Marijuana for Veterans Studies have shown that the use of medicinal marijuana has been helpful to veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Medicinal marijuana prescriptions should be legal in all states and provided to these veterans. Additional medical or therapy services should also be researched and implemented in order to help them re-integrate back into civilian life.
• Work-Life Balance Corporations should provide more work from home opportunities and six-hour workdays so that office workers have a better work-life balance and are more likely to be productive when they are in the office.
• Teaching Youths about Consensual Sex Although sex education that includes a discussion of consensual sex would likely lead to less sexual assault, parents need to teach their children the meaning of consent from a young age with age appropriate lessons.
• Whether or Not to Attend University A degree from a university provides invaluable lessons on life and a future career, but not every high school student should be encouraged to attend a university directly after graduation. Some students may benefit from a trade school or a "gap year" where they can think more intensely about what it is they want to do for a career and how they can accomplish this.
• Studying Abroad Studying abroad is one of the most culturally valuable experiences you can have in college. It is the only way to get completely immersed in another language and learn how other cultures and countries are different from your own.
• Women's Body Image Magazines have done a lot in the last five years to include a more diverse group of models, but there is still a long way to go to promote a healthy woman's body image collectively as a culture.
• Cigarette Tax Heavily taxing and increasing the price of cigarettes is essentially a tax on the poorest Americans, and it doesn't deter them from purchasing. Instead, the state and federal governments should target those economically disenfranchised with early education about the dangers of smoking.
• Veganism A vegan diet, while a healthy and ethical way to consume food, indicates a position of privilege. It also limits you to other cultural food experiences if you travel around the world.
• University Athletes Should be Compensated University athletes should be compensated for their service to the university, as it is difficult for these students to procure and hold a job with busy academic and athletic schedules. Many student athletes on scholarship also come from low-income neighborhoods and it is a struggle to make ends meet when they are participating in athletics.
• Women in the Workforce Sheryl Sandberg makes a lot of interesting points in her best-selling book, Lean In , but she only addressed the very privileged working woman and failed to speak to those in lower-skilled, lower-wage jobs.
• Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide should be legal and doctors should have the ability to make sure their patients have the end-of-life care that they want to receive.
• Celebrity and Political Activism Although Taylor Swift's lyrics are indicative of a feminist perspective, she should be more politically active and vocal to use her position of power for the betterment of society.
• The Civil War The insistence from many Southerners that the South seceded from the Union for states' rights versus the fact that they seceded for the purposes of continuing slavery is a harmful myth that still affects race relations today.
• Blue Collar Workers Coal miners and other blue-collar workers whose jobs are slowly disappearing from the workforce should be re-trained in jobs in the technology sector or in renewable energy. A program to re-train these workers would not only improve local economies where jobs have been displaced, but would also lead to lower unemployment nationally.
• Diversity in the Workforce Having a diverse group of people in an office setting leads to richer ideas, more cooperation, and more empathy between people with different skin colors or backgrounds.
• Re-Imagining the Nuclear Family The nuclear family was traditionally defined as one mother, one father, and 2.5 children. This outdated depiction of family life doesn't quite fit with modern society. The definition of normal family life shouldn't be limited to two-parent households.
• Digital Literacy Skills With more information readily available than ever before, it's crucial that students are prepared to examine the material they're reading and determine whether or not it's a good source or if it has misleading information. Teaching students digital literacy and helping them to understand the difference between opinion or propaganda from legitimate, real information is integral.
• Beauty Pageants Beauty pageants are presented with the angle that they empower women. However, putting women in a swimsuit on a stage while simultaneously judging them on how well they answer an impossible question in a short period of time is cruel and purely for the amusement of men. Therefore, we should stop televising beauty pageants.
• Supporting More Women to Run for a Political Position In order to get more women into political positions, more women must run for office. There must be a grassroots effort to educate women on how to run for office, who among them should run, and support for a future candidate for getting started on a political career.

Still stuck? Need some help with your thesis statement?

If you are still uncertain about how to write a thesis statement or what a good thesis statement is, be sure to consult with your teacher or professor to make sure you're on the right track. It's always a good idea to check in and make sure that your thesis statement is making a solid argument and that it can be supported by your research.

After you're done writing, it's important to have someone take a second look at your paper so that you can ensure there are no mistakes or errors. It's difficult to spot your own mistakes, which is why it's always recommended to have someone help you with the revision process, whether that's a teacher, the writing center at school, or a professional editor such as one from ServiceScape .

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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

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.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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• The Baader–Meinhof phenomenon
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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.)

Cite this Scribbr article

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George, T. (2023, November 21). Dissertation & Thesis Outline | Example & Free Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/dissertation-thesis-outline/

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