Selecting a Research Topic

The research goal and purpose can be expressed in either of two ways: as a thesis statement or as a research question.

Thesis Statement

• Write your topic as a thesis statement. Your thesis statement will be one or two sentences that state precisely what is to be answered, proven, or what you will inform your readers about your topic.
• The development of a thesis assumes there is sufficient evidence to support the thesis statement.

​For example, a thesis statement could be: Music benefits both society and the individual in a number of practical ways.

Research Question

You will often begin with a couple of words, develop a more focused interest in an aspect of something relating to these words, then begin to have questions about the topic.

For example:

• Ideas = music effects
• Research Question = In what ways does music affect people?
• Focused Research Question = What positive effects does music have on young children?

Below are links to web sites to assist you in developing a thesis statement:

Dartmouth University: Developing Your Thesis  

Indiana University: How to Write a Thesis Statement  

The OWL at Purdue: Creating a Thesis Statement  

University of North Carolina: Thesis Statements  

These web tools can be used to help you formulate your Thesis Statement:

ElectraGuide: Thesis Builder  

McGarvey Online: Thesis Statement Creator