formula for thesis

Deciding on a Topic

Ideally, you should write about something that you care about or at least that you have an opinion about. But let’s be honest, we don’t find interest in every subject we come across. If you find yourself in this situation, pick a topic that is controversial ; that people don’t see eye to eye on. Picking a topic like this means that you will grab the reader’s attention and establish a clear sense of direction.

Formulating the Question

For argumentative papers, your thesis statement should be an assertive proposition; somebody should be able to either agree or disagree with it. One way to ensure that you’ll come out with an assertive thesis statement is to ask yourself a “yes” or “no” question about your topic.

Answering the Question

Now that you’ve formulated the question, you have to take a side. If you already feel strongly about something, run with it. If you don’t feel particularly compelled to either side of an argument, don’t worry. You should take some comfort knowing that because there is often times a lot of grey area, there are a lot of interesting points that can be made for either side. If you run into this problem, take a chance and see where it takes you . After answering “yes” or “no” you need to shape your response into a claim and then support it with a reason .

Specificity

Teachers will tell you that your thesis statement needs to be specific but this is a very subjective and sometimes unhelpful instruction. And so because it’s not altogether easy to define, perhaps the better question is, “How do I make my thesis specific?” To a large extent, making your thesis specific will depend upon how much reading and studying you’ve done on the topic. The more you read and understand the subject matter, the more precise and detailed questions you’ll be capable of asking.

Nonetheless, it’s important that you consult your professor or a tutor on this. Sometimes, we may feel that our subject is adequately narrow but a second set of eyes will help to sheer away some of the excess. Don’t be ashamed of asking for help and don’t be afraid of rejecting your old ideas for new ones. In the end, you’ll find that working in dialogue with others can really improve your writing skills.

Let’s say you’re taking a psychology class and you decide to write on the subject of Freud. Let’s go through the steps.

• Decide on a topic – Freud as an individual, of course, is much too broad of a topic and not controversial so maybe we could pick one of his ideas, like his theory of the unconscious .
• Formulate a question – Freud’s theory about the unconscious is a subject of great controversy in the field of psychology. Many believe that the idea of repression tied up with the notion of the unconscious fails to account for mental illness as Freud thought it did. Thus, the unconscious’s relation to mental illness is something we can formulate into a question: Does the unconscious adequately account for mental illness?
• Answer the Question – In our research, we may find ultimately that we agree with Freud’s detractors. Some would say that Freud’s theory doesn’t adequately account for mental illness because it fails to take into account that some conditions are not caused by repression of the unconscious but by chemical imbalances in the brain. So ultimately, we will answer “no,” to our question. And, as stated above, when we answer the question, we don’t want to return with just a “yes” or “no” but to provide the sense in which we’re disagreeing (i.e. Freud’s theory fails in accounting for mental illness) and then providing a reason (i.e. because it fails to account for biologically based mental illnesses). Put all together: No, Freud’s theory fails in accounting for mental illness because it doesn’t account for conditions that have a biological basis.

Now we have all the raw materials for our thesis statement. If I use the structure at the beginning and piece everything together (topic, claim, reason), I get the following:

Freud’s theory of the unconscious is inadequate in accounting for mental illness because it fails to account for conditions that are of a strictly biological origin.

Now, we have a thesis! Of course, you don’t have to stop there. You may find in more reading and studying that you want to make your statement even more specific. Writing is a process and one that isn’t always linear (in fact, it rarely is). This means that you’ll probably go back to redefine your thesis statement a few times and that’s okay! Best of luck!

Examples Often times, it’s difficult to take abstract directions and strategies such as those listed above and apply them to your specific subject area. For that reason, we’ve provided a series of sample thesis statements showing how these strategies can be applied at a more specific level.

Art History Panofsky and his followers’ interpretation of van Eyck’s double portrait is a misunderstanding of the overall artistic intent of the piece. The painting is not a celebration of the sacrament of marriage but rather that of an alliance between two rich and important Italian merchant families with all the financial and social benefits that might be expected to accrue therefrom. (Edwin Hall)

Film Ridley Scott’s film  Blade Runner  cannot be labeled science fiction because the designation fails to consider the full scope of the film’s structure and style as postmodern film noir. (Online)

History The Russian Revolution of 1917 cannot be labeled an authentic Marxist revolution. Despite widespread worker discontent, the organization of the revolution by Lenin’s “vanguard” was premature, foregoing the development of working class consciousness, an essential step in Marx’s overthrow of the bourgeoisie.

Philosophy Immanuel Kant’s idea of the categorical imperative is inadequate as an ethical theory insofar as it only accounts for an individual’s intentions behind their actions, not the lived consequences of the actions themselves.

Theology The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Employment Division v. Smith is a dangerous precedent in the state’s attitude toward religious practice. In denying the defendants their unemployment benefits by virtue of their ceremonial ingestion of peyote, they emaciate the value of religious freedom, strictly confining it to the private sphere. (Thomas Powers)

• Thesis Formulation (Printable)
• Stasis Questions (Printable)
• Purdue's Guide to Thesis Statements
• UNC-Chapel Hill Intro to Library Research Consists of a series of self-paced instructional modules designed to introduce students to important research concepts and to guide them in the use of the UNC Libraries.

After reading the above information on outlining, attempt the writing activity below for further practice. 

• Writing Activity: Formulating a Thesis
• Thesis Formulation Writing Activity Answers
• << Previous: Drafting Strategies
• Next: Introductions >>
• Last Updated: Jul 26, 2024 11:56 AM
• URL: https://libguides.lmu.edu/writing

• Email and Calendar
• IT Help Desk
• Academic Dates & Deadlines
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Ask Student Central
• Faculty/Staff Intranet
• Request Information

Tallahassee State College

Explore the area.

• Maps and Directions
• Schedule a Tour
• Resources for Parents
• Housing Options
• About Tallahassee

Apply to TSC

• First Time College Student
• Returning Student
• Dual Enrollment
• International Students
• Explore All Student Types

Paying for College

• Scholarships
• Cashier's Office
• Florida Residency
• Tuition Waivers & Exemptions
• Eagle Relief Fund

Getting Started at TSC

• Orientation
• Register for Classes
• Credit By Exam
• Express Sessions
• Admissions and Records Forms

Program Options

• College Catalog
• Bachelor's Programs
• Adult Education
• Accelerated Learning

Student Records

• Enrollment Verification
• Transcripts and Parchment
• Personal Info Change
• Enrollment Appeals
• Commencement

Academic Advising

• Who's My Advisor
• Request an Advisor Appointment
• Academic Recovery
• Testing Center

Academic Resources

• Dates and Deadlines
• Library Services
• Learning Commons
• Veterans Success Center
• Transfer Services

Student Affairs

• Office of Student Conduct
• Student Resource Center
• Eagle Relief
• College Ombud

Student Life

• Campus Recreation
• Clubs and Orgs
• Student Government Association
• First Year Experience
• Arts and Culture
• Academic Enrichment

Student Resources

• Talon's Market
• Counseling Center
• Veteran's Affairs
• Career Services
• International Services
• Student Accessibility Services

Policies and Conduct

• Student Handbook and Code of Conduct
• Behavioral Intervention Team
• Student Complaint Procedures
• Title IX Compliance

Divisions and Departments

• Academic Affairs and Provost
• Administrative Services
• Communication and Marketing
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Institutional Effectiveness
• Sponsored Programs
• Departmental Directory
• Main Campus
• Advanced Manufacturing & Training Center
• Center for Innovation
• Florida Public Safety Institute
• Gadsden Center
• Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education
• Transportation and Logistics Center of Excellence
• Wakulla Center
• Wakulla Environmental Institute
• Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan
• District Board of Trustees
• Office of the President
• Executive Leadership Team
• President's Leadership Institute

Resources and Community

• Community Initiatives
• Careers at TSC
• Conferences and Events
• Pre-Collegiate Programs
• Fostering Achievement
• African American History Calendar
• Women's History Month
• Prosperity 32304
• Performance Innovation Institute
•  »  404
• Go to Explore the Area
• Go to Apply to TSC
• Go to Paying for College
• Go to Getting Started at TSC
• Go to Admissions & Aid
• Go to Program Options
• Go to Student Records
• Go to Academic Advising
• Go to Academic Resources
• Go to Academics
• Go to Student Affairs
• Go to Student Life
• Go to Student Resources
• Go to Policies and Conduct
• Go to Divisions and Departments
• Go to Locations
• Go to Leadership
• Go to Resources and Community
• Go to About
• Go to Search

404 Page Not Found

The page you were looking for cannot be found..

Possible Reasons:

• The page has been moved, renamed or deleted
• You mistyped the URL in the address bar
• You are using an outdated or broken link

If you came to this message through a web bookmark/favorite, please delete it as it appears to be out of date.

If you would like to report the broken link, please email [email protected]  with the web page the broken link is on.

Here are some helpful links:

Academic Calendar (Dates & Deadlines) Admissions ASK TSC Campus Police Canvas Email (Faculty/Staff and Students) Financial Aid & Tuition Human Resources IT Help Desk Workday

Home / Guides / Writing Guides / Parts of a Paper / How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement

How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis can be found in many places—a debate speech, a lawyer’s closing argument, even an advertisement. But the most common place for a thesis statement (and probably why you’re reading this article) is in an essay.

Whether you’re writing an argumentative paper, an informative essay, or a compare/contrast statement, you need a thesis. Without a thesis, your argument falls flat and your information is unfocused. Since a thesis is so important, it’s probably a good idea to look at some tips on how to put together a strong one.

Guide Overview

What is a “thesis statement” anyway.

• 2 categories of thesis statements: informative and persuasive
• 2 styles of thesis statements
• Formula for a strong argumentative thesis
• The qualities of a solid thesis statement (video)

You may have heard of something called a “thesis.” It’s what seniors commonly refer to as their final paper before graduation. That’s not what we’re talking about here. That type of thesis is a long, well-written paper that takes years to piece together.

Instead, we’re talking about a single sentence that ties together the main idea of any argument . In the context of student essays, it’s a statement that summarizes your topic and declares your position on it. This sentence can tell a reader whether your essay is something they want to read.

2 Categories of Thesis Statements: Informative and Persuasive

Just as there are different types of essays, there are different types of thesis statements. The thesis should match the essay.

For example, with an informative essay, you should compose an informative thesis (rather than argumentative). You want to declare your intentions in this essay and guide the reader to the conclusion that you reach.

To make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you must procure the ingredients, find a knife, and spread the condiments.

This thesis showed the reader the topic (a type of sandwich) and the direction the essay will take (describing how the sandwich is made).

Most other types of essays, whether compare/contrast, argumentative, or narrative, have thesis statements that take a position and argue it. In other words, unless your purpose is simply to inform, your thesis is considered persuasive. A persuasive thesis usually contains an opinion and the reason why your opinion is true.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best type of sandwich because they are versatile, easy to make, and taste good.

In this persuasive thesis statement, you see that I state my opinion (the best type of sandwich), which means I have chosen a stance. Next, I explain that my opinion is correct with several key reasons. This persuasive type of thesis can be used in any essay that contains the writer’s opinion, including, as I mentioned above, compare/contrast essays, narrative essays, and so on.

2 Styles of Thesis Statements

Just as there are two different types of thesis statements (informative and persuasive), there are two basic styles you can use.

The first style uses a list of two or more points . This style of thesis is perfect for a brief essay that contains only two or three body paragraphs. This basic five-paragraph essay is typical of middle and high school assignments.

C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series is one of the richest works of the 20th century because it offers an escape from reality, teaches readers to have faith even when they don’t understand, and contains a host of vibrant characters.

In the above persuasive thesis, you can see my opinion about Narnia followed by three clear reasons. This thesis is perfect for setting up a tidy five-paragraph essay.

In college, five paragraph essays become few and far between as essay length gets longer. Can you imagine having only five paragraphs in a six-page paper? For a longer essay, you need a thesis statement that is more versatile. Instead of listing two or three distinct points, a thesis can list one overarching point that all body paragraphs tie into.

Good vs. evil is the main theme of Lewis’s Narnia series, as is made clear through the struggles the main characters face in each book.

In this thesis, I have made a claim about the theme in Narnia followed by my reasoning. The broader scope of this thesis allows me to write about each of the series’ seven novels. I am no longer limited in how many body paragraphs I can logically use.

Formula for a Strong Argumentative Thesis

One thing I find that is helpful for students is having a clear template. While students rarely end up with a thesis that follows this exact wording, the following template creates a good starting point:

___________ is true because of ___________, ___________, and ___________.

Conversely, the formula for a thesis with only one point might follow this template:

___________________ is true because of _____________________.

Students usually end up using different terminology than simply “because,” but having a template is always helpful to get the creative juices flowing.

The Qualities of a Solid Thesis Statement

When composing a thesis, you must consider not only the format, but other qualities like length, position in the essay, and how strong the argument is.

Length: A thesis statement can be short or long, depending on how many points it mentions. Typically, however, it is only one concise sentence. It does contain at least two clauses, usually an independent clause (the opinion) and a dependent clause (the reasons). You probably should aim for a single sentence that is at least two lines, or about 30 to 40 words long.

Position: A thesis statement always belongs at the beginning of an essay. This is because it is a sentence that tells the reader what the writer is going to discuss. Teachers will have different preferences for the precise location of the thesis, but a good rule of thumb is in the introduction paragraph, within the last two or three sentences.

Strength: Finally, for a persuasive thesis to be strong, it needs to be arguable. This means that the statement is not obvious, and it is not something that everyone agrees is true.

Example of weak thesis:

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are easy to make because it just takes three ingredients.

Most people would agree that PB&J is one of the easiest sandwiches in the American lunch repertoire.

Example of a stronger thesis:

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are fun to eat because they always slide around.

This is more arguable because there are plenty of folks who might think a PB&J is messy or slimy rather than fun.

Composing a thesis statement does take a bit more thought than many other parts of an essay. However, because a thesis statement can contain an entire argument in just a few words, it is worth taking the extra time to compose this sentence. It can direct your research and your argument so that your essay is tight, focused, and makes readers think.

EasyBib Writing Resources

Writing a paper.

• Academic Essay
• Argumentative Essay
• College Admissions Essay
• Expository Essay
• Persuasive Essay
• Research Paper
• Thesis Statement
• Writing a Conclusion
• Writing an Introduction
• Writing an Outline
• Writing a Summary

EasyBib Plus Features

• Citation Generator
• Essay Checker
• Expert Check Proofreader
• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tools

Plagiarism Checker

• Spell Checker

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Grammar and Plagiarism Checkers

Grammar Basics

Plagiarism Basics

Writing Basics

Upload a paper to check for plagiarism against billions of sources and get advanced writing suggestions for clarity and style.

Get Started

How to Write a Thesis Statement That Your Professor Will Love

If you’re wondering how to write a thesis statement without getting into a complete muddle, check out our incredibly simple thesis statement template to craft an amazing thesis statement. Simply fill in the blanks, and you’re done.

When it comes to perfecting the dark art of thesis statements, there’s good news and bad news:

The bad news: Your thesis statement may well be the single, most important sentence in your essay, so you can’t mess it up.

The good news: It’s actually really, really easy to write a great thesis statement without wasting too many brain cells.

Luckily, despite what you may have been told, writing a thesis statement is actually incredibly easy. You can read more here: thesis statement help .

And we’re about to share a simple trick that will help you nail your statement every single time.

But before we get to the only thesis statement you’ll ever need, let’s take a look at the basics so you can better understand: is this a thesis statement ?

What is a Thesis Statement?

• A single sentence located at the end of your introduction.
• Tells the reader what your opinion is and what the paper is going to prove.
• Directs your reader to the main pieces of evidence you will explore.

If you want to learn more, check out Purdue’s guide to thesis statements .

You may also wish to check out our guide to rewriting your thesis .

If you’re ready to get started on crafting the perfect statement, read on.

Alternatively, if you want to get a little help from AI, take a look at our free thesis statement generator .

Thesis Statements That Suck

Announcing something.

I’m going to describe Shakespeare’s love life. This essay will examine the life of a politician.

What’s so wrong?

These thesis statements provide the reader with an idea about what the essay, dissertation or thesis will discuss, but don’t actually put anything on the line. There’s nothing at stake, no specific issue to be resolved and absolutely nothing to make the reader want to learn more. Many of the theses and essays we come across as part of our student proofreading services contain this basic mistake.

Stating the obvious

Shakespeare wrote a lot about love. Politicians work long hours.

If very few people are actually likely to disagree with the issues you discuss in your essay, what’s the point in wasting your time analyzing them? Your thesis statement needs to make a claim that someone may disagree with. You will then spend your essay arguing why your claim is true. Check out our guide to writing argumentative essays for more deets.

Asking a question

Did Shakespeare ever get married? Why are politicians paid so much?

What’s so wrong?

To write a good thesis, you need to ensure your thesis statement clearly states your position and the purpose of the essay as opposed to simply posing a question. The questions above are weak and do not give your reader any idea about what you intend to prove in your paper.

So, now we know what a poor statement looks like, how do you write a fabulous one?

The Only Thesis Statement Template You Will Ever Need

Simply fill in the blanks of this thesis statement template in relation to the topic of your essay and what you intend to prove, and you’re done.

By examining <claim one>, <claim two> and <claim three> it is clear that <opinion>.

See it in action:

By examining politicians’ long working hours, depth of responsibility, and the important role they play in the social and economic wellbeing of the country, it is clear that they are not overpaid.

We’re done.

Yep. It really is that easy.

And to make your life even easier, we’ve crammed all this great info into a free printable PDF. Print the poster out and refer to it when you’re in the process of crafting your next thesis statement.

Don’t forget to proofread your thesis statement!

Download this Fill-in-the-Blank  Formula  by clicking on the image below.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

You can place our thesis statement template on your webpage free of charge. Simply copy and paste the code below.

<a href=”https://www.vappingo.com/word-blog/how-to-write-a-thesis-statement/”><img src=”https://www.vappingo.com/word-blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Thesis-statement-poster.jpg” alt=”How to write a thesis statement”/></a>[Infographic provided by <a href=”https://www.vappingo.com”><em>proofreading</em></a>]

Get instant access to professional essay editors who can transform your grades. Students throughout the world use Vappingo to transform their academic documents and make themselves understood.

Thesis Statement Checklist

Still not sure if your thesis statement is fantastic enough? Use our thesis statement checklist to make sure you have written a good thesis:

9 thoughts on “How to Write a Thesis Statement That Your Professor Will Love”

• Pingback: Essay Formatting - How to Format an Essay Right Every Time
• Pingback: Essay Transitions Cheat Sheet
• Pingback: How to Rewrite Your Thesis as a Journal Article with Minimum Effort - Vappingo
• Pingback: The 10 Commandments of Writing a Great Essay - Vappingo
• Pingback: 8 Quick Tips for Writing an Academic Proposal - Vappingo
• Pingback: Thesis Structure: A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting a Strong Thesis
• Pingback: Proofreading Your Thesis - Vappingo
• Pingback: Free Thesis Statement Generator | Get Your Thesis Statement Now
• Pingback: Is This a Thesis Statement?

Comments are closed.

The Study Blog :

Simplified formula for writing a strong thesis statement with examples.

By Evans Sep 26 2021

I love writing. I have always loved writing. I am the kind of person who actually enjoys writing essays. Crazy, right? However, I realized that my professors had a problem with my writing. Every time I submitted a paper, I got a correction for the wrong thesis statement. One of my professors was incredibly frustrated that I was not getting it. He made me spend a detention period coming up with a thesis statement formula (I didn’t know there’s a formula!). It took me a while, but in the end, I got it right and went back to getting A+ on my essays. Maybe you are like me. You keep wondering what you have to do to crack this “impossible” task. Lucky for you, you do not have to struggle as I did. Do you know why? I have some formulae for you to follow in coming up with a strong thesis statement .

Are tight deadlines, clashing assignments, and unclear tasks giving you sleepless nights?

Do not panic, hire a professional essay writer today.

Parts of a thesis statement

A strong thesis statement helps readers know what your paper is all about even before they read it. It also allows you remain grounded while working on that paper. In a way, it serves as a blueprint, reminding you of what your paper needs and what it does not need. A strong thesis will make your paper flow easily, resulting in that enviable top grade. So what are these parts of a thesis statement?

·          The main idea of the essay

·          Why do you support that idea

·          Rebuttal (not compulsory)

In short, a thesis statement must have a subject of the paper, your stand, reasons for your stand, and a counterargument.

Descriptive thesis statement formula

A good thesis statement for a descriptive paper  is supposed to provide a summary of the entire paper. Its formula looks like this:

P=R, S, E, & U

P=descriptive paper

E=expression

U=understanding

Example of a descriptive thesis statement

This paper will discuss whether men should be allowed to have a say in the abortion debate since both sides have compelling arguments.

A descriptive essay does not take one side. Rather, it seeks to inform the reader of the arguments made by the two sides.

Get Rid of Plagiarism with the Help of Expert Writers

Looking for a plagiarism removal service? Hire a professional writer to remove plagiarism without affecting your writing style or meaning conveyed.

Argumentative thesis statement formula

An argumentative paper needs you to pick a side and explain why you have chosen that particular position. It is an essay that is meant to do more than inform. It is meant to convince the readers of your position on the matter.

Example of an argumentative thesis statement

Using the same subject we used for the descriptive paper:

P=C, because of 1, 2, 3

P=argumentative paper

1, 2, 3= reasons for your position

Though abortion is something that concerns the two parents, the male partner should be allowed to have his say on the issue. While it’s true that the woman is the one to carry and bear the child, the male partner has the right to weigh in the debate since he helped create the child. If the two are in a committed relationship, the man should be consulted since both parents have a role to play in the future of the child, whether planned for or not.

Process essay

You might be wondering, does a process essay need a thesis statement? The answer is yes! Sorry to burst your bubble, but every essay requires a thesis statement. A process essay is the kind of essay that requires you to give a step-by-step direction to something.

Process thesis statement formula

P=the subject, 1, 2, 3 (how it works)

For example,

You can easily make a chocolate cake using Oreo cookies, milk, and cream only without an oven.

That statement has the subject (cake), ingredients (Oreo cookies, milk, and cream), and how to do it (with no oven).

Other thesis statement formulae

If perhaps you find these algebraic formulae confusing, there are other formulae that you can use.

The basic formula

(Someone) has failed to (do something) because of (reasons).

It is crucial to begin with simple thesis statements before you can launch out to more complex ones. Remember that the professor is not impressed with complexity. What will give you marks is getting it right, not making it complicated.

Different essay types will require you to adjust your thesis statement accordingly. The most important thing to remember is that your thesis statement must have the main idea, support for that idea, and counterargument (if any). Whatever essay you are required to work on, play with those three things, and you will be safe.

Do you still feel not ready to write a killer thesis statement?

It is funny how one or two sentences torment you and take much of your time. An excellent thesis statement does not just happen. You need to make it happen. If you are still unsure, do not torment yourself. We have a group of writers who know how to come up with an excellent thesis statement. Why don’t you let us take care of it? Please note, it is also equally important to restate your thesis statement in the conclusion to make your paper excellent. Read the article below to learn how to do so

How to restate a thesis: Simplified Guide

Earn Good Grades Without Breaking a Sweat

✔ We've helped over 1000 students earn better grades since 2017. ✔ 98% of our customers are happy with our service

Why choose paper per hour academic writing service

You need to trust your thesis statement and the rest of the essay on someone who knows what they are doing. There is something you cannot afford to do as a student, and that is to take unnecessary risks with your academic papers . You need such work to be in the hands of a professional.’

We have been in business for several years now, having helped thousands of students with their academic work. We have an excellent team of professionals carefully chosen to satisfy all your needs. These writers specialize in different areas, meaning that you will get someone who is perfect for your paper. For example, do you need someone to help you with your racism paper ? We will give you the best. Do you need someone else to handle a reflection paper? We will provide you with the best in that area too.

Being a student is hard in this time and age. Students have so many responsibilities. You might have a job, a family to take care of, or extra curriculum activity that takes up all your free time. It is almost impossible for you to finish up all the given assignments on time. That’s why we are here. Our job is to make sure that you get a quality paper on time without selling a body organ to afford it.

With us, you are also assured of free editing, revision, and tips that will help you ace your exams. They say that a strong person is the one who knows when they need help and does not shy away from asking for it. So dear strong person, we are here to offer you help with the thesis statement and all your essays. Contact us now.

Popular services

The little secret why your friends are earning better grades.

Hire an Expert from our write my essay service and start earning good grades.

Can Someone Write My Paper for Me Online? Yes, We Can!

Research topics

Essay Topics

Popular articles

Six Proven ways to cheat Turnitin with Infographic

Understanding Philosophy of Nursing: Complete Guide With Examples

50+ Collection of the Most Controversial Argumentative Essay Topics

50+ Economics research Topics and Topic Ideas for dissertation

20+ Interesting Sociology research topics and Ideas for Your Next Project

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU ARE TIRED OF WRITING COLLEGE PAPERS!

Hire a professional academic writer today.

Each paper you order from us is of IMPECCABLE QUALITY and PLAGIARISM FREE

Use code PPH10 to get 10% discount. Terms and condition apply.

Ready to hire a professional essay writer?

Each paper you receive from us is plagiarism-free and will fetch you a good grade. We are proud to have helped 10,000+ students achieve their academic dreams. Enjoy our services by placing your order today.

Write my paper

Do my assignment

Essay writing help

Research paper help

College homework help

Essay writing guide

College admission essay

Writing a research paper

Paper format for writing

Terms & conditions

Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy

Money-Back Guarantee

Our services

Copyright © 2017 Paper Per Hour. All rights reserved.

Encyclopedia

Writing with artificial intelligence, formulating a thesis.

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Andrea Scott

You need a good thesis statement for your essay but are having trouble getting started. You may have heard that your thesis needs to be specific and arguable, but still wonder what this really means.

Let’s look at some examples. Imagine you’re writing about John Hughes’s film  Sixteen Candles  (1984).

You take a first pass at writing a thesis:

Sixteen Candles  is a romantic comedy about high school cliques.

Is this a strong thesis statement? Not yet, but it’s a good start. You’ve focused on a topic–high school cliques–which is a smart move because you’ve settled on one of many possible angles. But the claim is weak because it’s not yet arguable. Intelligent people would generally agree with this statement—so there’s no real “news” for your reader.  You want your thesis to say something surprising and debatable.   If your thesis doesn’t go beyond summarizing your source, it’s not arguable.

The key words in the thesis statement are “romantic comedy” and “high school cliques.” One way to sharpen the claim is to start asking questions .

For example, how does the film represent high school cliques in a surprising or complex way?  How does the film reinforce stereotypes about high school groups and how does it undermine them? Or why does the film challenge our expectations about romantic comedies by focusing on high school cliques? If you can answer one of those questions (or others of your own), you’ll have a strong thesis.

Tip : Asking “how” or “why” questions will help you refine your thesis, making it more arguable and interesting to your readers.

Take 2. You revise the thesis. Is it strong now?

Sixteen Candles is a romantic comedy criticizing the divisiveness created by high school cliques.

You’re getting closer. You’re starting to take a stance by arguing that the film identifies “divisiveness” as a problem and criticizes it, but your readers will want to know how this plays out and why it’s important. Right now, the thesis still sounds bland – not risky enough to be genuinely contentious.

Tip : Keep raising questions that test your ideas. And ask yourself the “so what” question. Why is your thesis interesting or important?

Take 3. Let’s try again. How about this version?

Although the film Sixteen Candles appears to reinforce stereotypes about high school cliques, it undermines them in important ways, questioning its viewers’ assumptions about what’s normal.

Bingo! This thesis statement is pretty strong. It challenges an obvious interpretation of the movie (that it just reinforces stereotypes), offering a new and more complex reading in its place. We also have a sense of why this argument is important. The film’s larger goal, we learn, is to question what we think we understand about normalcy.

What’s a Strong Thesis?

As we’ve just seen, a strong thesis statement crystallizes your paper’s argument and, most importantly, argues a debatable point .

This means two things. It goes beyond merely summarizing or describing to stake out an interpretation or position that’s not obvious, and others could challenge for good reasons. It’s also arguable in the literal sense that it can be argued , or supported through a thoughtful analysis of your sources. If your argument lacks evidence, readers will think your thesis statement is an opinion or belief as opposed to an argument.

Exercises for Drafting an Arguable Thesis

A good thesis will be focused on your object of study (as opposed to making a big claim about the world) and will introduce the key words guiding your analysis. To get started, you might experiment with some of these “mad libs.” They’re thinking exercises that will help propel you toward an arguable thesis.

By examining __________________ [topic/approach], we can see _____________________[thesis—the claim that’s surprising], which is important because ___________________________.

“ By examining Sixteen Candles through the lens of Georg Simmel’s writings on fashion, we can see that the protagonist’s interest in fashion as an expression of her conflicted desire to be seen as both unique and accepted by the group. This is important because the film offers its viewers a glimpse into the ambivalent yearnings of middle class youth in the 1980s.

Although readers might assume _________________ [the commonplace idea you’re challenging], I argue that _________________________ [your surprising claim].

Although viewers might assume the romantic comedy Sixteen Candles is merely entertaining, I believe its message is political. The film uses the romance between Samantha, a middle-class sophomore, and Jake, an affluent senior, to reinforce the fantasy that anyone can become wealthy and successful with enough cunning and persistence.

Still Having Trouble? Let’s Back Up…

It helps to understand why readers value the arguable thesis. What larger purpose does it serve? Your readers will bring a set of expectations to your essay. The better you can anticipate the expectations of your readers, the better you’ll be able to persuade them to entertain seeing things your way.

Academic readers (and readers more generally) read to learn something new. They want to see the writer challenge commonplaces—either everyday assumptions about your object of study or truisms in the scholarly literature. In other words, academic readers want to be surprised so that their thinking shifts or at least becomes more complex by the time they finish reading your essay. Good essays problematize what we think we know and offer an alternative explanation in its place. They leave their reader with a fresh perspective on a problem.

We all bring important past experiences and beliefs to our interpretations of texts, objects, and problems. You can harness these observational powers to engage critically with what you are studying. The key is to be alert to what strikes you as strange, problematic, paradoxical, or puzzling about your object of study. If you can articulate this and a claim in response, you’re well on your way to formulating an arguable thesis in your introduction.

How do I set up a “problem” and an arguable thesis in response?

All good writing has a purpose or motive for existing. Your thesis is your surprising response to this problem or motive. This is why it seldom makes sense to start a writing project by articulating the thesis. The first step is to articulate the question or problem your paper addresses.

Here are some possible ways to introduce a conceptual problem in your paper’s introduction.

1. Challenge a commonplace interpretation (or your own first impressions).

How are readers likely to interpret this source or issue? What might intelligent readers think at first glance? (Or, if you’ve been given secondary sources or have been asked to conduct research to locate secondary sources, what do other writers or scholars assume is true or important about your primary source or issue?)

What does this commonplace interpretation leave out, overlook, or under-emphasize?

2. Help your reader see the complexity of your topic. 

Identify and describe for your reader a paradox, puzzle, or contradiction in your primary source(s).

What larger questions does this paradox or contradiction raise for you and your readers?

3. If your assignment asks you to do research, piggyback off another scholar’s reserach.

Summarize for your reader another scholar’s argument about your topic, primary source, or case study and tell your reader why this claim is interesting.

Now explain how you will extend this scholar’s argument to explore an issue or case study that the scholar doesn’t address fully.

4. If your assignment asks you to do research, identify a gap in another scholar’s or a group of scholars’ research.

Summarize for your reader another scholar’s argument about your topic, primary source, or case study and tell your reader why this claim is interesting. Or, summarize how scholars in the field tend to approach your topic.

Next, explain what important aspect this scholarly representation misses or distorts. Introduce your particular approach to your topic and its value.

5. If your assignment asks you to do research, bring in a new lens for investigating your case study or problem.

Summarize for your reader how a scholar or group of scholars has approached your topic.

Introduce a theoretical source (possibly from another discipline) and explain how it helps you address this issue from a new and productive angle.

Testing Your Thesis

You can test your thesis statement’s arguability by asking the following questions:

If so, try some of the exercises above to articulate your paper’s conceptual problem or question.

If not, return to your sources and practice the exercises above.

If it’s about the world, revise it so that it focuses on your primary source or case study. Remember you need solid evidence to support your thesis.

“Formulating a Thesis” was written by Andrea Scott, Princeton University

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank my current and former colleagues in the Princeton Writing Program for helping me think through and test ways of teaching the arguable thesis. Special thanks go to Kerry Walk, Amanda Irwin Wilkins, Judy Swan, and Keith Shaw. A shout-out to Mark Gaipa as well, whose cartoons on teaching source use remain a program favorite .

Brevity – Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence – How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow – How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity – Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style – The DNA of Powerful Writing

Suggested Edits

• Please select the purpose of your message. * - Corrections, Typos, or Edits Technical Support/Problems using the site Advertising with Writing Commons Copyright Issues I am contacting you about something else
• Your full name
• Your email address *
• Page URL needing edits *
• Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Featured Articles

Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community

Professional Writing – How to Write for the Professional World

Credibility & Authority – How to Be Credible & Authoritative in Research, Speech & Writing

Think of yourself as a member of a jury, listening to a lawyer who is presenting an opening argument. You'll want to know very soon whether the lawyer believes the accused to be guilty or not guilty, and how the lawyer plans to convince you. Readers of academic essays are like jury members: before they have read too far, they want to know what the essay argues as well as how the writer plans to make the argument. After reading your thesis statement, the reader should think, "This essay is going to try to convince me of something. I'm not convinced yet, but I'm interested to see how I might be."

An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. "Reasons for the fall of communism" is a topic. "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" is a fact known by educated people. "The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe" is an opinion. (Superlatives like "the best" almost always lead to trouble. It's impossible to weigh every "thing" that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of Hitler? Couldn't that be "the best thing"?)

A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should "telegraph" how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay.

Steps in Constructing a Thesis

First, analyze your primary sources.  Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication. Does the author contradict himself or herself? Is a point made and later reversed? What are the deeper implications of the author's argument? Figuring out the why to one or more of these questions, or to related questions, will put you on the path to developing a working thesis. (Without the why, you probably have only come up with an observation—that there are, for instance, many different metaphors in such-and-such a poem—which is not a thesis.)

Once you have a working thesis, write it down.  There is nothing as frustrating as hitting on a great idea for a thesis, then forgetting it when you lose concentration. And by writing down your thesis you will be forced to think of it clearly, logically, and concisely. You probably will not be able to write out a final-draft version of your thesis the first time you try, but you'll get yourself on the right track by writing down what you have.

Keep your thesis prominent in your introduction.  A good, standard place for your thesis statement is at the end of an introductory paragraph, especially in shorter (5-15 page) essays. Readers are used to finding theses there, so they automatically pay more attention when they read the last sentence of your introduction. Although this is not required in all academic essays, it is a good rule of thumb.

Anticipate the counterarguments.  Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that you'll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counterargument. If yours doesn't, then it's not an argument—it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)

This statement is on its way to being a thesis. However, it is too easy to imagine possible counterarguments. For example, a political observer might believe that Dukakis lost because he suffered from a "soft-on-crime" image. If you complicate your thesis by anticipating the counterargument, you'll strengthen your argument, as shown in the sentence below.

Some Caveats and Some Examples

A thesis is never a question.  Readers of academic essays expect to have questions discussed, explored, or even answered. A question ("Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?") is not an argument, and without an argument, a thesis is dead in the water.

A thesis is never a list.  "For political, economic, social and cultural reasons, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" does a good job of "telegraphing" the reader what to expect in the essay—a section about political reasons, a section about economic reasons, a section about social reasons, and a section about cultural reasons. However, political, economic, social and cultural reasons are pretty much the only possible reasons why communism could collapse. This sentence lacks tension and doesn't advance an argument. Everyone knows that politics, economics, and culture are important.

A thesis should never be vague, combative or confrontational.  An ineffective thesis would be, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because communism is evil." This is hard to argue (evil from whose perspective? what does evil mean?) and it is likely to mark you as moralistic and judgmental rather than rational and thorough. It also may spark a defensive reaction from readers sympathetic to communism. If readers strongly disagree with you right off the bat, they may stop reading.

An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim.  "While cultural forces contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of economies played the key role in driving its decline" is an effective thesis sentence that "telegraphs," so that the reader expects the essay to have a section about cultural forces and another about the disintegration of economies. This thesis makes a definite, arguable claim: that the disintegration of economies played a more important role than cultural forces in defeating communism in Eastern Europe. The reader would react to this statement by thinking, "Perhaps what the author says is true, but I am not convinced. I want to read further to see how the author argues this claim."

A thesis should be as clear and specific as possible.  Avoid overused, general terms and abstractions. For example, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because of the ruling elite's inability to address the economic concerns of the people" is more powerful than "Communism collapsed due to societal discontent."

Copyright 1999, Maxine Rodburg and The Tutors of the Writing Center at Harvard University

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

What’s Covered:

What is the purpose of a thesis statement, writing a good thesis statement: 4 steps, common pitfalls to avoid, where to get your essay edited for free.

When you set out to write an essay, there has to be some kind of point to it, right? Otherwise, your essay would just be a big jumble of word salad that makes absolutely no sense. An essay needs a central point that ties into everything else. That main point is called a thesis statement, and it’s the core of any essay or research paper.

You may hear about Master degree candidates writing a thesis, and that is an entire paper–not to be confused with the thesis statement, which is typically one sentence that contains your paper’s focus. 

Read on to learn more about thesis statements and how to write them. We’ve also included some solid examples for you to reference.

Typically the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, the thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your essay. When your reader gets to the thesis statement, they should have a clear outline of your main point, as well as the information you’ll be presenting in order to either prove or support your point. 

The thesis statement should not be confused for a topic sentence , which is the first sentence of every paragraph in your essay. If you need help writing topic sentences, numerous resources are available. Topic sentences should go along with your thesis statement, though.

Since the thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay or paper, it’s imperative that you get this part right. Otherwise, your paper will not have a good flow and will seem disjointed. That’s why it’s vital not to rush through developing one. It’s a methodical process with steps that you need to follow in order to create the best thesis statement possible.

Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

When you’re assigned an essay, there are several different types you may get. Argumentative essays are designed to get the reader to agree with you on a topic. Informative or expository essays present information to the reader. Analytical essays offer up a point and then expand on it by analyzing relevant information. Thesis statements can look and sound different based on the type of paper you’re writing. For example:

• Argumentative: The United States needs a viable third political party to decrease bipartisanship, increase options, and help reduce corruption in government.
• Informative: The Libertarian party has thrown off elections before by gaining enough support in states to get on the ballot and by taking away crucial votes from candidates.
• Analytical: An analysis of past presidential elections shows that while third party votes may have been the minority, they did affect the outcome of the elections in 2020, 2016, and beyond.

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Once you know what type of paper you’re writing, you then need to figure out the point you want to make with your thesis statement, and subsequently, your paper. In other words, you need to decide to answer a question about something, such as:

• What impact did reality TV have on American society?
• How has the musical Hamilton affected perception of American history?
• Why do I want to major in [chosen major here]?

If you have an argumentative essay, then you will be writing about an opinion. To make it easier, you may want to choose an opinion that you feel passionate about so that you’re writing about something that interests you. For example, if you have an interest in preserving the environment, you may want to choose a topic that relates to that. 

If you’re writing your college essay and they ask why you want to attend that school, you may want to have a main point and back it up with information, something along the lines of:

“Attending Harvard University would benefit me both academically and professionally, as it would give me a strong knowledge base upon which to build my career, develop my network, and hopefully give me an advantage in my chosen field.”

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Once you have the point you want to make, you need to figure out how you plan to back it up throughout the rest of your essay. Without this information, it will be hard to either prove or argue the main point of your thesis statement. If you decide to write about the Hamilton example, you may decide to address any falsehoods that the writer put into the musical, such as:

“The musical Hamilton, while accurate in many ways, leaves out key parts of American history, presents a nationalist view of founding fathers, and downplays the racism of the times.”

Once you’ve written your initial working thesis statement, you’ll then need to get information to back that up. For example, the musical completely leaves out Benjamin Franklin, portrays the founding fathers in a nationalist way that is too complimentary, and shows Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist despite the fact that his family likely did own slaves. 

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and that you feel like you can truly write a paper on the topic. Once you’ve done that, you can then begin writing your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, there are some common pitfalls you should avoid so that your paper can be as solid as possible. Make sure you always edit the thesis statement before you do anything else. You also want to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Don’t make your reader hunt for your point. Finally, put your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and have your introduction flow toward that statement. Your reader will expect to find your statement in its traditional spot.

If you’re having trouble getting started, or need some guidance on your essay, there are tools available that can help you. CollegeVine offers a free peer essay review tool where one of your peers can read through your essay and provide you with valuable feedback. Getting essay feedback from a peer can help you wow your instructor or college admissions officer with an impactful essay that effectively illustrates your point.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

• Math Worksheets
• Social Studies
• 6th and 7th Grade
• High School
• Literature Summaries

Thesis Statement Formula

Definition: A thesis statement is the most important part of an essay or research paper. In this single sentence expressed the main idea of the text that is being developed. It can be found at the end of the introduction of a work and it is very specific by answering the main question or objective of the essay. You need to have a very specific idea about the topic you are going to develop in the body of the essay, so you can express better the thesis statement that will work as a summary for the readers. After you have this idea, you need to write the statement or sentence that summarized the topic and your opinion about to.

Formula: An adequate thesis statement should content not more than 2 sentences. There are two types of statements, each of them correspondents to a type of essay, a persuasive statement and an informative (or explanatory) statement. In the persuasive statement, you will write your opinion and the reasons behind it, meanwhile, in the informative statement, you will inform your ideas and the conclusion you get after studying them. A possible template you can use for writing an argumentative thesis statement is:

___________ is true due to ___________.

For an informative thesis statement there is not a particular template to follow up. You must create an statement considering the information you want to pass to your readers.

Example: Argumentative thesis statement:

"Reading about the current situation in the place you are visiting will give you a safe travel because you will be aware of dangerous situation".

"The mango juice is the best juice in the world because it is full of vitamins".

Informative thesis statement:

"To have a safe travel, you must read about the current situation in the country you are visiting".

"there are many delicious juices, one of them is the mango juice".

More Topics

• Handwriting
• Difference Between
• 2020 Calendar
• Online Calculators
• Multiplication

Educational Videos

• Coloring Pages
• Privacy policy
• Terms of Use

© 2005-2020 Softschools.com

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Developing Strong Thesis Statements

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

The thesis statement or main claim must be debatable

An argumentative or persuasive piece of writing must begin with a debatable thesis or claim. In other words, the thesis must be something that people could reasonably have differing opinions on. If your thesis is something that is generally agreed upon or accepted as fact then there is no reason to try to persuade people.

Example of a non-debatable thesis statement:

This thesis statement is not debatable. First, the word pollution implies that something is bad or negative in some way. Furthermore, all studies agree that pollution is a problem; they simply disagree on the impact it will have or the scope of the problem. No one could reasonably argue that pollution is unambiguously good.

Example of a debatable thesis statement:

This is an example of a debatable thesis because reasonable people could disagree with it. Some people might think that this is how we should spend the nation's money. Others might feel that we should be spending more money on education. Still others could argue that corporations, not the government, should be paying to limit pollution.

Another example of a debatable thesis statement:

In this example there is also room for disagreement between rational individuals. Some citizens might think focusing on recycling programs rather than private automobiles is the most effective strategy.

The thesis needs to be narrow

Although the scope of your paper might seem overwhelming at the start, generally the narrower the thesis the more effective your argument will be. Your thesis or claim must be supported by evidence. The broader your claim is, the more evidence you will need to convince readers that your position is right.

Example of a thesis that is too broad:

There are several reasons this statement is too broad to argue. First, what is included in the category "drugs"? Is the author talking about illegal drug use, recreational drug use (which might include alcohol and cigarettes), or all uses of medication in general? Second, in what ways are drugs detrimental? Is drug use causing deaths (and is the author equating deaths from overdoses and deaths from drug related violence)? Is drug use changing the moral climate or causing the economy to decline? Finally, what does the author mean by "society"? Is the author referring only to America or to the global population? Does the author make any distinction between the effects on children and adults? There are just too many questions that the claim leaves open. The author could not cover all of the topics listed above, yet the generality of the claim leaves all of these possibilities open to debate.

Example of a narrow or focused thesis:

In this example the topic of drugs has been narrowed down to illegal drugs and the detriment has been narrowed down to gang violence. This is a much more manageable topic.

We could narrow each debatable thesis from the previous examples in the following way:

Narrowed debatable thesis 1:

This thesis narrows the scope of the argument by specifying not just the amount of money used but also how the money could actually help to control pollution.

Narrowed debatable thesis 2:

This thesis narrows the scope of the argument by specifying not just what the focus of a national anti-pollution campaign should be but also why this is the appropriate focus.

Qualifiers such as " typically ," " generally ," " usually ," or " on average " also help to limit the scope of your claim by allowing for the almost inevitable exception to the rule.

Types of claims

Claims typically fall into one of four categories. Thinking about how you want to approach your topic, or, in other words, what type of claim you want to make, is one way to focus your thesis on one particular aspect of your broader topic.

Claims of fact or definition: These claims argue about what the definition of something is or whether something is a settled fact. Example:

Claims of cause and effect: These claims argue that one person, thing, or event caused another thing or event to occur. Example:

Claims about value: These are claims made of what something is worth, whether we value it or not, how we would rate or categorize something. Example:

Claims about solutions or policies: These are claims that argue for or against a certain solution or policy approach to a problem. Example:

Which type of claim is right for your argument? Which type of thesis or claim you use for your argument will depend on your position and knowledge of the topic, your audience, and the context of your paper. You might want to think about where you imagine your audience to be on this topic and pinpoint where you think the biggest difference in viewpoints might be. Even if you start with one type of claim you probably will be using several within the paper. Regardless of the type of claim you choose to utilize it is key to identify the controversy or debate you are addressing and to define your position early on in the paper.

Jump to navigation

• Inside Writing
• Teacher's Guides
• Student Models
• Writing Topics
• Minilessons
• Shopping Cart
• Inside Grammar
• Grammar Adventures
• CCSS Correlations
• Infographics

Get a free Grammar Adventure! Choose a single Adventure and add coupon code ADVENTURE during checkout. (All-Adventure licenses aren’t included.)

Sign up or login to use the bookmarking feature.

Forming a Thesis Statement

Minilesson print.

The whole purpose of writing is to transfer an idea from your head into someone else's. If you can state your idea in a single, clear sentence, your reader can easily grasp it.

Use this simple formula to craft an effective thesis statement (for an essay) or topic sentence (for a paragraph).

Topic (who or what am I writing about? )

+ Focus (what specific thought or feeling do I have about my topic?)

_________________________________

= Thesis Statement (or Topic Sentence)

Here are some examples of the formula in action with different forms of writing.

Explanatory

Antibiotic resistance (topic) creates superbugs through the misuse of modern medicine (focus).

Sex and gender (topic) are related but different, one defined by biology and the other by culture (focus).

Narrative Writing

My hectic senior year of high school (topic) embodied the word overcommitment (focus) .

Your Turn Use the formula to create thesis statements for the following topics. Note: The focus is up to you.

• Career opportunities
• Community involvement
• Generational differences
• The search for colleges
• Lasting lessons of high school

From 30 in Write for College

Teacher Support:

Click to find out more about this resource.

Answers will vary.

Standards Correlations:

The State Standards provide a way to evaluate your students' performance.

• 110.38.c.10.C
• 110.39.c.10.C
• 110.38.c.5.J
• 110.39.c.5.J
• LAFS.1112.W.1.1
• LA 12.2.1.b
• LA 12.2.2.a
• LAFS.1112.W.1.2
• 110.38.c.10.A
• 110.39.c.10.A
• LAFS.1112.W.1.3

© 2024 Thoughtful Learning. Copying is permitted.

k12.thoughtfullearning.com

Related Resources

All resources.

• Seeing Emotion in Facial Expressions
• Seeing Emotions in Body Language
• Calming Down with Deep Pressure
• Teaching the Whole Child (in a Fragmented World)
• Developing Social-Emotional Skills Through Literature
• Inquire Online Middle School Classroom Set
• Inquire Online Middle School Teacher's Guide
• The Science Writer
• The Social Studies Writer
• The Math Writer
• All Write SkillsBook
• All Write SkillsBook Teacher's Edition

How To Develop A Thesis Statement Formula That Counts

Do you need a thesis statement formula that will help you to write a good thesis? well, you need to ensure your thesis statement formula clearly states your position and the purpose of the essay as opposed to simply

What Is A Thesis Statement?

We know the value of a thesis statement. It is the most important part of a paper. It is also a single sentence that tells a paper’s main idea located at the end of the introduction. Normally, most people find it challenging to develop a good thesis statement because of the how hard the paper is.

So, we understand that you are not the only one finding it hard to come up with a thesis statement. So, to write a good thesis for your paper, you need to make sure that the thesis statement well talks about the position and the aim of your paper. Therefore make this possible, you need a thesis statement formula to guide you.

What is a Thesis Statement Formula?

• It is a framework used to develop a thesis statement. So, the statement should be able to tell a reader about how you will display the significance of the subject matter in the paper.

What is The Role of a Thesis Statement Formula?

It makes the writer able to develop a sentence that communicates the aim of the whole paper. It also makes sure you develop:

• A thesis statement that is clear and can foster a coherent argument of thought and to remain focused on the topic.
• A demonstrable thesis statement. It must also allow room for the provision of reasons and examples.

Does a Good Thesis Statement Help You And Your Reader?

• Firstly, a thesis statement creates a focus on the primary idea of a paper. It is important for you to be able to write the main idea in a sentence to create a good idea for the paper. So, it guides both you and the reader. It also gives direction to help you in keeping your paper organized.
• Secondly, a good thesis statement helps the reader in understanding the main idea of the paper. In other words, it set the reader up for the rest of the paper. Normally, at the end of an introduction paragraph, the thesis leads to the body paragraph, which offers evidence and ideas that support the thesis. The statement is helpful because it informs the reader about the main idea.
• Thirdly, it gives your paper a unified format and point. This is to say, a reader can understand what you are talking about from the introduction through the thesis statement.

The Formula For Developing a Thesis Statement

Purpose statement.

Start with a purpose statement that you want to change into a thesis statement. Write the purpose of the paper. For example, the paper aims to describe how gender inequality changed between 1900 and 1950.

Question-to-assertion

• If you need to respond to a specific question in a paper, turn it into an assertion and provide a reason for your view. For example, How did gender inequality change between 1900 and 1950? Using the above, you can start the thesis by saying, “Between 1850 and 1950, gender inequality changed because women began to participate in other roles other than domestic ones.

Summarize the main idea

• You can write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the paper. The main idea will be able to provide the direction of the paper. Women’s participation in other roles apart from domestic roles during the first half of the 20 th century led to the positive change in gender inequality.
• Take time researching your topic. List the idea you want to include in the essay and see how to group them into headings. Through this, you will be able to see a plan from the sorting process.
• Use a formula in developing a working thesis statement. You need one to have a good thesis statement. Usually, a thesis statement follows a pattern and can be shown by a formula. Here are some examples:
• For a descriptive thesis statement

This should be short, but it should be able to provide a goody summary of the whole paper. It has to include the subject of a description as well as the purpose. Also, it needs organization, proper research of the subject matter, and expression in good English. In the absence of a deep understanding of the topic, the paper is likely to fall apart. The thesis can be represented by P (Descriptive) = Research (R), Subject (S), Expression (E), and Understanding (U).

• For an argumentative thesis statement

It has to make a claim on the paper on which people can well disagree. The statement must therefore take a position which you stand for. It means that the claim must be logical and possible. The thesis can be represented by Paper (argumentative) = Claim (C) that people can reasonably deny. For instance, although most scholars have argued that education positively affects income, close examination shows other factors that affect income.

Develop a draft

• Use the above formula to do a draft of the thesis statement. Make sure that the thesis has the attributes presented. It should have the needed attributes of a good thesis statement.

Choose Us To Write Your Thesis Statement That Grades High

We understand the value of a thesis statement and guarantee you the following:

Quality content

A good paper begins with a good thesis statement. Our writers understand the formula of writing a thesis statement for all the papers. They are experienced in applying doing that and will make your paper cultivating. This is the reason why we guarantee you quality content.

Cheap services

We provide cheap services to our clients. The cost of our services depends on the quality services we provide to our clients. Getting the thesis statement of a paper is not a simple task. We pay our writers well to provide you with a quality paper that begins with a good thesis statement.

Timely delivery

Our writers are always time keeping and make sure that a paper is done before the set deadline. Therefore, while making an order for your paper, you are needed to set a deadline to allow timely delivery. Our writers will meet the deadline you provide.

Error-free paper

Grammatical mistakes often lower the quality of an academic custom paper . A thesis statement needs to be clear and free from grammar-based errors because it is supposed to communicate the structure of the paper. This is the reason why we major in editing and proofreading papers. Our writers make sure that the paper has correct sentences and free from grammar-based mistakes.

Originality

Originality is a critical aspect of writing. Original work is one that is not copied from other people’s work.  We understand the value of presenting original work. Delivering an original paper increases the likelihood of attaining high grades. Based on this, our writers are trained to provide original work without compromising on the quality. To ensure this, we pass the paper through software to confirm its originality.

Final remarks

Always ensure that your thesis statement is clear and coherent for readers to understand the direction of your paper. However, this can be hard for you. If you need any help, you can order and get a quality thesis statement for your paper. Our writers can use thesis statement formula to generate a coherent statement.

Needs help with similar assignment?

We are available 24x7 to deliver the best services and assignment ready within 3-4 hours? Order a custom-written, plagiarism-free paper

We are a professional writing service that provides original papers. Our products include academic papers of varying complexity and other personalized services, along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references.

• How It Works
• Testimonials

CONTACT US:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1 (256) 789 8083

WhatsApp us

Maintenance work is planned from 21:00 BST on Sunday 18th August 2024 to 21:00 BST on Monday 19th August 2024, and on Thursday 29th August 2024 from 11:00 to 12:00 BST.

During this time the performance of our website may be affected - searches may run slowly, some pages may be temporarily unavailable, and you may be unable to log in or to access content. If this happens, please try refreshing your web browser or try waiting two to three minutes before trying again.

We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause and thank you for your patience.

CrystEngComm

Designed synthesis of co(ii) coordination polymers for evaluation of structural transformations.

Five coordination polymers constructed from Co(II) salts, N‚N' -bis(3-pyridylmethyl)oxalamide ( L ) and 4,4’-methylenedibenzoic acid (H 2 MBA), {[Co( L )(MBA)(H 2 O)]·H 2 O} n , 1 , {[Co( L )(MBA)]·4H 2 O} n , 2, {[Co( L )(MBA)]·0.25H 2 O} n , 3 , [Co( L )(MBA)(H 2 O) 2 ]n, 4 ,{[Co( L ) 0.5 (MBA)(H 2 O) 2 ]·CH 3 OH} n , 5 , are reported, which have been structurally characterized by using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1 and 4 have the same formula, but differ in the number of coordinated and cocrystallized water molecules, whereas 2 and 3 form a pair of supramolecular isomers with different numbers of cocrystallized water molecules. Complexes 1 and 4 show interdigitated 2D layers with the (6 4 ⋅8⋅10)(6)-2,4L3 topology, which differ in the ligand conformations of L and bonding modes of MBA 2- . Complex 2 shows 2-fold interpenetrated 2D layers with the (6 4 ⋅8⋅10)(6)-2,4L3 topology and 3 displays a 2-fold interpenetrated 3D framework with the (4⋅6 2 )(4⋅6 6 ⋅8 3 )- fet topology, whereas 5 is a 1D ladder with the (6 2 ⋅10)(6)-2,3C1 topology, indicating that the coordination and/or cocrystallization of solvent molecules are important in determining their structural diversity. The structural transformations of 1 – 4 are also evaluated.

Supplementary files

• Supplementary information PDF (2376K)
• Crystal structure data CIF (144K)

Article information

Download Citation

Permissions.

C. Lee, M. Usman, S. Wang, K. B. Thapa, T. R. Chen and J. Chen, CrystEngComm , 2024, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D4CE00723A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence . You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication , please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page .

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content .

Social activity

Search articles by author.

This article has not yet been cited.

Advertisements

More From Forbes

Will buxton breaks down history of formula 1 in new book, ‘grand prix’.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Will Buxton of Sky Sports F1 talks to Zak Brown of USA and McLaren F1 Team before the F1 Grand Prix ... [+] of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 30, 2023 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images)

Will Buxton is attempting to make learning the complex history of Formula 1 more accessible for race fans. The British broadcaster, who works for Formula 1, is debuting “Grand Prix: An Illustrated History of Formula 1.”

The new book, published by Ten Speed Press and Penguin Random House, is 240 pages of outstanding images that shape the history of Formula 1. What Buxton encapsulates in this book compared to others is that he delves deep into the basics of Formula 1, as well as the complexities, without scaring away new fans.

“We spitballed a few ideas, but the basis of every idea that I had was going back to the idea of educating,” Buxton, who started writing the book on his honeymoon in the Maldives, explained. “There are things that we take for granted [as motor sports experts] that maybe aren’t that obvious. When it comes to the history of the sport — one in three people have been watching the sport for five years or less, which means they never saw Sebastian Vettel in a competitive car or saw Michael Schumacher race — we take it for granted.

“How is anyone supposed to learn if you don’t open your arms and embrace them? Let me show you everything and bring you up to speed.”

In the book, there are 400-word driver profiles, which encapsulates their background, history and their success.

"Grand Prix" is an incredible summary of the history of Formula 1, written by Will Buxton.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024.

Buxton’s stardom grew tremendously with the launch of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive,” especially in America, since 2018 as he is among the series’ leading faces.

“I never expected that the interviews would be used so much,” he said. “It’s huge, especially in the U.S. The recognition was never as large during the days I broadcast on NBC as they are now thanks to Netflix.

“I see that as the growth of Formula 1 because more people are watching Formula 1.”

Buxton grew up as a motor sports fan, watching racing on television even though no one in his family was a major race fan. When Buxton was 13, legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna was killed and the tragedy left a lasting impression on him about the risks drivers take when they strap into a racecar. While reading “Motor Sport Magazine,” he realized he wasn’t alone in feeling the pain of losing an international hero.

From that day, all I wanted to do was tell the story of Formula 1,” Buxton said. “I set myself out to chase this crazy dream that I might one day write about Formula 1.”

His thesis at the end of his university career focused on the politics of Formula 1, which was a foreshadowing of sorts as he elaborated on this during “Drive to Survive.”

Buxton sent his piece to the editor of the now defunct “Formula 1 Magazine,” who loved it and they hired him shortly thereafter as a staff writer.

He became the press officer for the GP2 Series (now Formula 2), where he grew close with several of the current drivers on the Formula 1 grid, such as Lewis Hamilton.

Buxton “fell into television completely by mistake.” He worked three years at SPEED Channel and five years with NBC. And when Liberty Media took over Formula 1, they asked Buxton if he’d lead the charge for the organization when it comes to digital media, an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.

Now, as one of the most well-known Formula 1 experts across the globe, he hopes the new book gives fans an opportunity to learn about the history of the sport he has dedicated his life to.

“Grand Prix” is available to purchase on Amazon and via other online retailers.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

Mastering Standard Deviation in Excel: A Step-by-Step Guide

Excel is widely used for data analysis and statistics. As we all know, we can perform various types of mathematics and statistical methods in Microsoft Excel as per our requirements. Finding the standard deviation in Excel is very easy. You need to know which formula has to be applied to find the standard deviation.

Many people needed clarification in this part because they needed to know which formula should be applied. In this article, you will find all your answers related to the standard deviation. You will get all the knowledge you need about how each standard deviation formula works. And which standard deviation formula will be best according to your data and requirements?

Let’s get started with the standard deviation in Microsoft Excel. Whether you are a student, businessman, employee, or just getting started with Microsoft Excel, learning how to find the standard deviation in excel is essential for all. 

What is a standard deviation?

Table of Contents

The standard deviation is a statistical method for calculating how much the data set deviates from its mean. This method is very useful for understanding your data; it will tell you how similar or dissimilar your given data is. 

There are many types of formulas Microsoft provides us to perform the standard deviation. Each method or formula will be used for a different purpose. This all depends on what kind of action you want to take with your data.

Why do we use the standard deviation? 

Several reasons will explain why we use the standard deviation. 

1. Understanding How Data Varies

When you look at numbers like sales figures or exam scores, the average tells you the middle point but not how much the numbers differ from that point. The standard deviation shows you how much the numbers spread out from the average, giving you a better understanding of the data.

2. Making Better Decisions

Knowing the standard deviation helps you make better decisions. For example, if two groups of students have the same average score but different standard deviations, the group with the higher standard deviation has more varied scores. This might mean you need to pay closer attention to that group.

3. Measuring risk

In areas like finance, the standard deviation is used to measure risk. A higher standard deviation means more uncertainty because the numbers are more spread out. Excel makes it simple to calculate this, so you can quickly assess the level of risk and make more intelligent choices.

4. Saving Time with Accurate Calculations

Calculating the standard deviation by hand can be tedious and prone to mistakes. Excel’s built-in functions, like STDEV.P (for entire data sets) and STDEV.S (for samples), do the work for you, ensuring you get accurate results without the hassle.

5. Visualizing Data Clearly

Excel lets you add standard deviation bars to charts, giving you a visual way to see how much the data varies. This makes it easier to compare different sets of numbers and quickly spot patterns or differences.

Types of Standard Deviations in Microsoft Excel  

Microsoft Excel provides us with six types of standard deviation formulas. Two additional standard deviation formulas are used only for the database. If we add those two formulas, we get a total of eight standard formulas. But we mostly work on those six formulas unless we work on the database.

1. STDEV.S (Sample Standard Deviation)

• What It Does: This function calculates the standard deviation when you have a sample, or a small part, of a larger group. For example, if you’re analyzing a few test scores to represent the performance of all students, you’d use STDEV.S.
• How It Works: It adjusts the calculation to be more accurate because it knows you’re only working with a sample, not the whole group.

2. STDEV.P (Population Standard Deviation)

• What It Does: This function calculates the standard deviation when you have data for an entire group or population. For example, if you have test scores for all students in a school, you’d use STDEV.P.
• How It Works: It calculates the exact spread of the data without any adjustments since you’re dealing with all the data.

3. STDEVA (Sample Standard Deviation, Including Text and Logical Values)

• What It Does: Similar to STDEV.S, but it also includes text and logical values like TRUE or FALSE.
• How It Works: In this function, TRUE is counted as 1, and FALSE (along with any text) is counted as 0. It’s useful when your data set includes these kinds of values, and you want them included in the standard deviation calculation.

4. STDEVPA (Population Standard Deviation, Including Text and Logical Values)

• What It Does: Similar to STDEV.P, but it includes text and logical values in the calculation.
• How It Works: In this function, TRUE is counted as 1, and FALSE (along with any text) is counted as 0. It’s useful when your data set includes these kinds of values and you want them included in the standard deviation calculation.

5. STDEV (Older Version of Sample Standard Deviation)

• What It Does: This is an older version of STDEV.S, which calculates the standard deviation for a sample.
• How It Works: It does the same job as STDEV.S by adjusting the calculation for sample data but is mainly kept in Excel for use in older spreadsheets.

6. STDEVP (Older Version of Population Standard Deviation)

• What It Does: This is the older version of STDEV.P. It calculates the standard deviation for an entire population.
• How It Works: It works the same way as STDEV.P, providing an exact measure of how spread out the data is across the entire group, but it’s kept in Excel for older files.
• STDEV.S and STDEV.P are the most commonly used functions for sample and population data.
• STDEVA and STDEVPA include logical and textual values in their calculations.
• STDEV and STDEVP are older functions kept for compatibility with older Excel files.

How to Find the Standard Deviation in Excel

Here is a step-by-step guide for how to find the standard deviation in Excel.

Step 1: Enter your data

• Type your data into a single column or row. For example, if you have 10 test scores, enter each score into a separate cell in a single column (like A1 to A10).

Step 2: Choose the Right Function

You need to pick the right standard deviation function based on whether your data is a sample (a part of a bigger group) or the entire population.

• When to Use: If your data is a sample, meaning it’s just a part of a larger  For example, if you’re analyzing scores from just a few students out of an entire school, use STDEV.S.
• When to Use: If your data represents the entire group or population, For example, if you have the test scores for every student in the school, use STDEV.P.
• When to Use: If your data includes text or logical values like TRUE or FALSE. These functions work similarly to STDEV.S and STDEV.P, but they include those special values in the calculation.

Step 3: Enter the formula

• Click on the cell where you want Excel to display the standard deviation.
• Start by typing = to begin the formula.
• For a sample: Type =STDEV.S(A1:A10) (assuming your data is in cells A1 to A10).
• For a population: Type = STDEV.P(A1:A10).
• For data with textual or logical values: use STDEVA for samples or STDEVPA for populations.
• Press Enter after typing the formula. Excel will calculate the standard deviation and show the result in the selected cell.

Step 4: Understand the Result

• Low Standard Deviation: Data points are close to the average, meaning they’re consistent.
• High Standard Deviation: Data points are spread out, showing more variation.

Imagine you have test scores of 85, 90, 78, 88, 92, 75, 91, 89, 84, and 77.

• Enter these scores into cells A1 to A10.
• For a sample: Use the formula = STDEV.S(A1:A10) if you’re only looking at a small group of students.
• For the whole group: Use =STDEV.P(A1:A10) if you have all the test scores.

Additional Tips

• Updating the Range: If you add more data, just update the range in your formula. For example, if you add scores in A11 to A15, change the formula to = STDEV.S(A1:A15).
• Other Tools: You can also use Excel’s AVERAGE function to find the mean (average) and VAR.S or VAR.P to find the variance, which is the square of the standard deviation.

Shortcuts and Tips for Calculating Standard Deviation in Excel

Here are some easy shortcuts and tips for calculating the standard deviation in Excel:

1. Add to the Quick Access Toolbar

• What It Does: Adds standard deviation functions to the Quick Access Toolbar for quick access.
• Go to File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar .
• In the “Choose commands from” dropdown, select All Commands .
• Find STDEV.S, STDEV.P, STDEVA, or STDEVPA and add them to the toolbar.

2. Use AutoSum

• What It Does: Quickly calculates the standard deviation using the AutoSum feature.
• Click on a cell below or to the right of your data.
• Click the AutoSum button (Σ) in the Home tab.
• Select More Functions > Statistical , then choose STDEV.S or STDEV.P.

3. Formula AutoComplete

• What It Does: It helps you quickly insert the right standard deviation function.
• Start typing STDEV in a cell.
• Excel will suggest functions like STDEV.S or STDEV.P. Press Tab to select and complete the function.

4. Use the Formula Wizard

• What It Does: Assists with inserting the right function.
• Click the cell where you want the result.
• Press Shift + F3 to open the Insert Function dialog.
• Type STDEV in the search box and choose the function you need.

5. Keyboard Shortcuts for Formulas

• What It Does: Makes entering and editing formulas quicker.
• To enter a formula, type = followed by the function name (e.g., =STDEV.S(A1:A10)), then press Enter .
• To edit a formula, click the cell, press F2 , make your changes, and press Enter .

6. Copying formulas

• What It Does: Quickly applies the formula to other cells.
• Enter the formula in one cell.
• Drag the fill handle (small square at the bottom-right of the cell) to copy the formula to adjacent cells.

7. Use named ranges

• What It Does: Makes formulas easier to read by naming your data ranges.
• Select your data range.
• Go to the Formulas tab and click Define Name .
• Enter a name (like Scores) and click OK .
• Use this name in your formula (e.g., =STDEV.S(Scores)).

Example Shortcuts

• Type STDEV.S(, select your data range, and press Enter .
• Type STDEV.P(, select your data range, and press Enter .

These tips will help you use standard deviation functions more efficiently in Excel!

Final Words

The standard deviation is an easy and effective method that we use in statistics. Using the standard deviation method in Microsoft Excel is easy and very helpful for our work and data. In this guide, you will get all the knowledge you need about standard deviation and its different types of methods. All those methods work differently according to the user-given data and its needs.

Learning how to find the standard deviation is important for all Excel users. We need to use this method many times in our work or our assignments . That is why learning the standard deviation matters for all. In this guide, you must have all the answers to your question about the standard deviation. 

• Where Can You See The Excel Application Being Useful In Your Life?
• How to Find Z Score in Excel | Best Ways to Find it Like A Pro
• Learn About Excel & Topics of Excel Assignment For Students
• Excel vs Tableau: The Comparison You Should Know
• Top Tips from The Experts on How to Learn Excel

What’s the difference between STDEV.S and STDEV.P?

Use STDEV.S if your data is just a sample of a larger group. Use STDEV.P if your data includes the whole group. STDEV.S makes adjustments for samples, while STDEV.P uses the whole data.

Can the standard deviation be negative?

No, the standard deviation can’t be negative. It’s always a positive number or zero, showing how spread out the data is.

How do I understand a high or low standard deviation?

A high standard deviation means the data points are spread out a lot from the average. A low standard deviation means they are closer to the average, showing less spread

How should I handle outliers in standard deviation calculations?

Outliers can affect the standard deviation. If you think outliers are skewing your results, consider removing them or using methods that reduce their impact.

Can I calculate the standard deviation for a large data set?

Yes, you can calculate the standard deviation for large data sets in Excel. Excel handles large amounts of data well, and you can use features like AutoSum and named ranges to make it easier.

Related Posts

Step by Step Guide on The Best Way to Finance Car

The Best Way on How to Get Fund For Business to Grow it Efficiently

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stocks hold firm as US inflation data keeps rate cut hopes alive

• Medium Text

• Recent data raises speculation about Fed rate cuts
• U.S. CPI rose moderately in July, as expected
• New Zealand cuts rates

POLICY EASING

Sign up here.

Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; Additional reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe; Editing by Mark Potter, David Holmes, Leslie Adler and Deepa Babington

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Thomson Reuters

Elizabeth Howcroft reports on finance and technology, including Europe's "fintech" industry and cryptocurrencies. She was part of the team which won a Loeb award and SABEW award for covering the collapse of crypto exchange FTX in 2022.

Take Five: How deep a cut?

Central bank chiefs congregate in Jackson Hole for their annual retreat, U.S. Democrats choose their presidential candidate and energy markets ricochet due to a confluence of Middle East and Russia-Ukraine tensions, while global PMIs are due.