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Thesis Statement Essays and Research Papers

Instructions for Thesis Statement College Essay Examples

Title: Outline

Total Pages: 2 Words: 673 Bibliography: 0 Citation Style: APA Document Type: Essay

Essay Instructions: Thesis Statement: Considering the current cause, effects, and solution of how crack cocaine and crimes will make an impact on future generations.

Outlining
Your outline must include your thesis statement with three key points at level I.C.
Levels II–IV should represent body paragraphs and begin with topic sentences.
Level V should be the conclusion.
Each body-paragraph outline level (II–IV) must include at least two supporting details and evidence that support those points.
The more complete your outline, the easier it will be to write your informative essay.

Your outline should follow the format below:
I. Introduction
A. Capturing the audience’s attention
B. Background information
C. Thesis statement

II. Key point
A. Supporting details (Give citation)
B. Supporting details (Give citation)

III. Key point
A. Supporting details (Give citation)
B. Supporting details (Give citation)

IV. Key point
A. Supporting details (Give citation)
B. Supporting details (Give citation)

V. Conclusion
A. Restatement of thesis
B. Wrap up of major ideas
C. Concluding statement that returns to topic used to capture audience’s attention.

This should be a double-spaced, Roman numeral outline. Your points are to be in full sentences.

Include complete APA-style citations for all outside sources you use, both in the text and in the reference page.

Excerpt From Essay:

Essay Instructions: Thesis Statement
The easiest way to structure your Thesis Statement is to follow the template below:
"This paper will examine ____x____, specifically focusing on ___y___, toward a greater understanding of ___z___."
Where "x" = the title of your object
Where "y" = specific information about your object: visual, situational, historical, etc.
Where "z" = the theme of your paper: what you wish to learn about that is beyond your object (something about the society from which it comes, something about the artistic conventions it espouses, etc.)

BE SPECIFIC. Don't give me "This paper will examine Guernica, specifically focusing on what it looks like toward a greater understanding of the society from which it comes." That's really, really vague.

Instead, give me "This paper will examine Guernica, specifically focusing on Picasso's use of both Cubist fragmentation and Surrealist metaphor toward a greater understanding of the historical moment of 1937 and Picasso's desire to create an iconic representation of the trauma of war."

Final Paper
1. 5 pages regular margins (with footnotes/endnotes)
2. last page should be your bibliography of sources (citation)
- Five print sources REQUIRED; items from approved scholarly internet databases such as JSTOR are acceptable. Do NOT use Wikipedia, About.com, the Met website, etc. as sources; those are for preliminary research ONLY.
3. General Structure:
*Introduction and Thesis Statement
* Initial Description of Object (visual analysis) that will serve as the basis for your exploration of a theme.
*2pages of Development of Themes inherent to your Thesis Statement.
(end) - Conclusion reiterating what your paper has succeeded in arguing

Excerpt From Essay:

Title: non traditional families i e gay couples grandparents raising children adoptive families etc

Total Pages: 2 Words: 554 References: 2 Citation Style: APA Document Type: Essay

Essay Instructions: Thesis statement- non-traditional families (i.e. gay couples, adopted children, etc.) have become the new "tradition" of families in modern American culture.


Chapter I: Introduction


The first chapter of your research paper provides an overview of the project. The specific subsections of this chapter will vary, depending on the subject matter. In general, the first chapter should include the following information:



Introduction: provide a brief history of the ideas and issues related to the research topic. This section should not be a review of the literature (though some information may be repeated in the literature review), but a description of the social, cultural, economic, political, and/or historical events leading up to this research.

You should assume that your reader has some knowledge of your topic; you do not need to provide an exhaustive summary. However, you need to describe why your topic deserves attention - what is the sociological importance of your research?

The Introduction section summarizes some of the earlier work on your topic; therefore, this section will include a number of citations. If your topic is controversial, you should present a balanced overview and do not express your personal opinion.

The Introduction is generally several paragraphs in length; rarely would you exceed two pages.

As you read journal articles, pay attention to how the introduction is written. Some are more extensive than yours' will be (in many journal articles, the Introduction is the same as the Literature Review. Since you are writing a separate Literature Review, your Introduction will be briefer.), but they should give you a good idea of the kinds of information that go into an Introduction.


Research Question: list the component parts of the research question. Rarely is a problem in sociology one dimensional. This subsection should describe the specific elements of the problem being addressed by the research. This will be a slight expansion of what you submitted in Week 1.

There are generally four considerations in selecting a good research question. First, is it researchable? Can you apply the scientific method in answering your question? Are the data you need to answer your question available? If not, do you have the time and resources to collect those data? Second, is your topic sufficiently narrow and focused? Remember: this project is not your life's work! The goal is to complete the project - to do it well and with quality, but to get it done. Third, is your topic credible? Is it important, and can you remain objective? And fourth, are you prepared to consider rival explanations? Rarely is sociological research one or even two dimensional. Can you account for other reasons why you obtained the results you did?




Problem Statement: this is the heart of the research project. This subsection states the reason(s) why this research project is important. A good way to approach the Problem Statement is to address the following: Because of x and y, there is a problem in society; if only we knew more about z, things might be better. The research project should be designed to answer z, which is the research question.

For example, if your research question is What is the relationship between race/ethnicity and socio-economic status (SES)? there are several issues you should address in your Problem Statement. First, in your Introduction, you will make an argument that a problem exists: you will include references to or specify data related to variations in SES among different racial and ethnic groups. You may use Department of Labor statistics to show income disparities; you may describe the proportion of CEOs, business owners, elected officials, etc. comprised of different groups; and perhaps other indicators that will catch our attention without trying to explain why such a relationship might exist.

In your Problem Statement you will highlighting the sociological significance of this relationship. What does it mean for individuals and our society if different groups, defined by their race or ethnicity, are more likely to vary by SES? Using the x, y, z "formula" above: because non-Whites are more likely to experience lower SES than Whites, and because SES in linked to many factors related to quality of life and opportunity, it is important to understand how race and ethnicity affect one's socio-economic status. This is a simplified version, but this scenario should suggest a number of important issues: if immutable characteristics determines one's place in society, how do we resolve inequities? How do we provide equal access to resources, power and life-chances? How do we maintain a coherent, viable society (a structural-functionalist perspective) and avoid situations that lead to institutionalized racism, repression, and social disorganization (a conflict perspective).

The Problem Statement should be a paragraph or two in length. If the Introduction provides the context for your research, the Problem Statement addresses the question "Why bother with this research? Who cares?" After reading this section, we should know why the topic is important. Most sociological research looks for explanations for human behavior and underlying causes (and solutions) to social problems; how does your research fit in? What is the problem that deserves our attention?


Research Hypotheses: based on the research question(s), what are the expected outcomes for the research? Hypotheses are essentially predictions about the answers to the research question and its component parts. The research hypotheses are a critical element of the research project: they will guide the literature review; heavily influence the research methodology needed to obtain data that will either support or reject the hypotheses; and provide the focus for data analysis, discussion, conclusions, and recommendations. Hypotheses are most appropriate in quantitative research.

Your textbook provides a good explanation of hypotheses on pages 137-138. Most sociological research relies of "relational" hypotheses (e.g. there is a relationship between race/ethnicity and SES) rather than "causal" hypotheses (e.g. one's race/ethnicity causes - or determines - SES). The reason we tend to avoid causal hypotheses is that causation is very difficult to prove; in fact, we usually say that hypotheses are supported or rejected, not proven. It is important to remember that the results of most research are provisional: the results may be credible for this sample at this time, but will they hold up in another setting, another time? This is why we see social science research that replicates previous research - do the findings stand up over time? Can we get the same results a second, third time? The other problem with causation is controlling for rival causal factors. There may be many factors - variables - that affect SES; in fact, there are! Saying that there is a relationship between race and ethnicity and SES is one thing; to say that race and ethnicity cause someone's SES is quite another (you should be thinking of all the exceptions - like a Black president, Hispanic CEOs, etc.).

Your textbook also discusses the "null" hypothesis (p. 140). This is simply stating your hypothesis for the purpose of refuting it: There is no relationship between race/ethnicity and SES. This project will not require the inclusion of the null hypothesis (you will often see the hypothesis followed by the null hypothesis in this section of the paper). Most statistical tests of significance are designed to test the null hypothesis. However, in the end, it really doesn't make much practical difference: our goal is to understand the relationship between race/ethnicity and SES. We really don't care whether there is a relationship or not: we just want the answer. We have no vested interest in the outcome - we are searching for truth, so it doesn't matter whether our hypothesis is supported or not: we will still collect and analyze the same data, and reach conclusions based on those data.

Hypothesis is the singular form; hypotheses is plural. As a general rule, your project should not try to test more than about five hypotheses. One is ok; three to five is typical.

Excerpt From Essay:

Title: Wartime Embedded Journalists

Total Pages: 4 Words: 1361 Works Cited: 0 Citation Style: MLA Document Type: Research Paper

Essay Instructions: Thesis statement, Antithesis statement. 10 paragraphs {Intro thesis (4 sent), concl thesis (4 sent), the rest of the parapgraphs are 6-8 sentences, 4 quoted paragraphs (1-2 quotes from sources, 1 paraphrase from source, 3 other paragraphs}, works cited,

The point of the paper is to point out that embedded journalists are a danger and in the way for the military, but at least 1 sentence in the non thesis paragraphs need one defense sentence for the media's side. Maybe include ethics and laws for both. Not a controversial paper and first non thesis paragraph about "not having them there". If it helps I am doing a 13 page power point with pictures. Thank you.

Excerpt From Essay:

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