Scranton Writes

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The Process of Crafting a Thesis

October 20, 2022 / / 0 Comments

 

Writing a thesis is a process. You start with a topic, it evolves into an idea, and then you refine it as you analyze your evidence until it’s an interesting claim. You don’t have a real thesis statement until you have crafted it to be as focused and as intriguing as possible.

 

Students with weak or underdeveloped thesis statements often stopped working on them halfway through the writing process, or they did not allow themselves enough time to hone their argument. Here’s what the thesis writing process generally looks like.

Here’s an example of a prompt:

The original fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are frequently portrayed in pop culture today. We see these adaptations in our favorite TV shows, video games, and movies. The audience knows the major elements of the fairy tale, yet they still enjoy embarking on the familiar journey. Why is that? Why are they enjoyable when the ending is well-known?  Pick a fairy tale and explain why it is still relevant.

 

1.) Exploring the Topic

What do I want to write about? I always liked the fairy tale called “Hansel and Gretel”.

Why do I want to write about it? I love the idea of a candy house. I love candy. Who doesn’t? First, I’m going to actively read the original story here.

What does the candy house mean? Well, the candy house is actually a trap made by a witch who wants to eat the children. Both the children and the witch are hungry. Maybe that’s significant? Maybe all of the characters are hungry?  Is there a better word for hungry?

 

 

2.) Not a Thesis:

Thesis: Hansel and Gretel eat the candy house because they are starving during a famine.

This is not a thesis because it is not debatable. It’s a specific fact from the story. How can we make it debate? Well, let’s focus on a theme rather than one detail.

 

3.) An Off-Topic Thesis:

Thesis: Television series Once Upon a Time adapts “Hansel and Gretel” to depict how children could get lost in grief after experiencing the death of a loved one.

This is a claim, but it’s off topic. Return to the prompt. This instructor is not looking for an example of a fairy tale adaptation in pop culture. Rather, they are seeking a close reading of the text and an argument as to why the story is still meaningful. Return to the original prompt throughout your writing process so you stay focused on the right topic.

 

4.) The Weak Thesis

What am I showing my reader?  The fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” is about hunger.

How will I show it? There’s examples of overeating throughout the story.

Thesis: The fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” is about hunger because there’s examples of overeating throughout the story.

We have an idea, and we have the evidence that lead to the idea, but this thesis is weak because the “examples of overeating . . .” is a vague statement. Who is over eating? What about hunger? Is there a more specific word that relates to hunger and over-eating?  The verb “is” can also be strengthened by using an action verb.

 

5.) The Slightly Stronger High-School-Thesis-Statement

What am I showing my reader?  All of the major characters in “Hansel and Gretel” struggle with gluttony.

How will I show it? I’ll show it through three groups of characters. The parents abandon their children because they are starving and don’t want to share the remaining food. The children overindulge when eating the candy house so they are sleepy. The witch wants to eat the children but not before she fattens them up.

Thesis: The well-known fairy tale, “Hansel and Gretel” is about gluttony because the parents, the children, and the witch are gluttonous.

Yes, gluttony is the right word, and that makes it a little stronger, but the 3-reasons-thesis will not serve you well in college. The general high school thesis format looks like this:

__________________ is true because  of_____________, ___________, and ____________.

It’s not wrong; in fact, it’s a good step in the right direction, but this format is a barrier to more complex ideas, and remember, your paper is only as good as your idea. This format limits you to three major reasons, and it doesn’t leave room for the actual relevance of the idea.  One way to make this stronger would be to look at the evidence we present. Can we put it into one major group or use one term to describe it all? The parents, the witch, and the children are all characters. Maybe that’s the term. When we use a term to group our evidence together, we make room for a more complex idea.

 

6.) A Stronger College-Level Thesis

Thesis: The well-known fairy tale, “Hansel and Gretel” portrays gluttony by featuring characters who all fail to manage their intense hunger.  

This thesis is more specific so it is by far stronger. Now we have room to make an interesting and complex thesis statement, and we do this by asking ourselves this: why is this theme still relevant? Why should our reader care about some fairy tale about gluttony? Often at this stage you may need to return to the story to draw out more evidence or think about other common themes. Remember, our prompt wants to know why this story is relevant. Why is gluttony relevant?

7.) The Strongest Thesis

What am I showing my reader?  All of the major characters in “Hansel and Gretel” struggle with gluttony so the reader can grapple with gluttony alongside of each character.

How will I show it? I will show that every character is gluttonous, and I will look at how little description exists for each character.

Why does it matter? Well, when I think of society today, I think of excess. We over-consume  not only food, but resources, and televisions shows through “binging” etc. Is this a form of gluttony?

Thesis: The well-known fairy tale, “Hansel and Gretel” allows the reader to vicariously grapple with gluttony by showing how each character in the tale fails to manage their hunger, making the story ever-relevant in a society that is defined by over-consumption.


This is the strongest thesis because it indicates what will be argued, how it will be argued, and why it’s significant. It is specific, it is interesting, and it is debatable. It uses strong verbs and focused words.

A strong thesis like this is also thought provoking. It puts a new spin on something familiar to your reader so you have plenty of options for a conclusion, too. For example, once you prove that Hansel and Gretel is about gluttony, you can ask all sort of questions. Does liking “Hansel and Gretel” mean you struggle with gluttony? Is “Hansel and Gretel” constantly adapted because our culture hasn’t overcome gluttony? Is it still about gluttony in adaptations or are those essential details amended? If so, why?  What does the ending mean since the children return home to the parents that abandoned them for food? Is it all a cycle where they will be abandoning by their parents again during the next famine?  There’s so much here to explore and there’s a variety of directions for your conclusion.

 

When forming a thesis ask yourself these questions: 

  • What is my idea? 
  • How will I show it? 
  • Why does it matter?
  • Is my idea responding to the prompt? 

A Thesis = An Idea, A Paper= A Thought Process

October 20, 2022 / / 0 Comments

I feel like academics unintentionally over-complicate the meaning of thesis statements. Here’s what they are in their absolute simplest form:

 

 

A thesis statement consists of two parts:

Here’s my idea, and here’s the thought process behind it

OR

  Here’s my stance, and here’s how I’ll prove it

Now, it typically does not include personal pronouns (like “I”), and it’s better to use action verbs opposed to “is” statements, but these examples articulate the concept of a thesis in its simplest form.

If it’s that simple, why do instructors say things like  “Make sure you have a strong thesis!” Why is the thesis so important? Often, if you have a poor thesis, you have a poor paper. Why is that?

The thesis statement is an idea and the reasoning that leads you to that idea. If you have a trite, over-used idea, then you have a weak paper. An academic paper is a refined thought process, and if you are not leading your reader to an original thought or an interesting idea, then what’s the point? They won’t want to see your reasoning if they aren’t invested in the actual idea, so the idea needs to be good for the paper to be good.  For example, “Smoking Cigarettes is bad for your health” or “Global warming has negative impacts on the environment” are terrible thesis statements, because the ideas are common knowledge to most readers.

The thesis statement also indicates the genre to your reader. Is this an informative paper? Is it an argumentative paper? Is it an analysis of a short story? Is it a literacy narrative? Or a rhetorical analysis? The focus and presentation of the thesis should indicate not only your idea, but the type of paper you will present. This usually occurs naturally by indicating the idea you’ll present and how you’ll present it. Is the idea an argument? Then it’s an argument paper.  Is the idea a quality gained through a personal experience? Then maybe it’s a narrative.  Do you have an idea about how someone wrote a particular essay? That sounds like a rhetorical analysis.

A thesis statement indicates the organization of your reasoning. For example, are you setting up a cause and effect argument? Are you looking at the current literature in a field and then indicating a gap? Are you presenting specific evidence to show a theme in a short story? Generally, a thesis indicates the nature of your evidence and the general presentation method, without directly listing each major point.

 

Qualities of Strong Thesis Statements:

It needs to be short. If you can’t express it in a sentence or two, you are most likely writing a novel or dissertation rather than an academic paper.

It needs to be focused.  The thesis statement defines what you will show/prove within the essay. The more specific it is, the better, because you will have less to show/prove as the writer. Avoid all broad, sweeping statements. Make it as specific as you possibly can.

It needs to be a claim. A thesis statement should not be a specific fact, because there’s no way to debate it.

It needs to be interesting. A unique thesis statement sets you up for success because it engages your audience. Choose something unusual or interesting or choose a topic and then find a way to make it relatable to a general audience. Always try to make your idea relevant to your audience.

 

General Tips :

  1. Be familiar with your topic and gather as much research as you can. You can’t create a strong idea if you are not familiar with the general topic.  The information you have, the more complex and interesting your idea will be.
  2. Always ask yourself how your idea is relevant to your audience
  3. Thesis writing is a process. Never settle for the first version of the statement you write; instead,  let it evolve with your paper.  Check out our blog on that demonstrates the  thesis writing process
  4. Complex Sentence Structures  are preferred since they allow for more “complicated” ideas and they show direct relationships.  Look at these examples:

Although experts claim ________________________, evidence indicates ________________________________.

Because of _______________________,  ______________________ is now _____________________________________.

Check out more thesis templates that use complex sentences here:

https://sites.google.com/ncps-k12.org/writingcenter/writing/litthesis/thesis

 

 

Here’s some resources on creating strong thesis statements: 

If you are struggling to form a complex idea, consider using a model if it works with your idea.

Another strategy is to start with a weak thesis and make it stronger through the revision process.

 

Talking out an Essay

October 18, 2022 / / 0 Comments

by Mary-Kate Coniku

Whenever someone comes to me for help with flow, sentence structure, grammar, wording, or “making sure it sounds good”, I usually say the same two things. First, I say “just write the way you speak”. I have found that many of the people who come to me with concerns such as those above, are usually very eloquent speakers, they just struggle with putting things on paper. If you write the way you speak, more often than not your point will get across more clearly than if you are actively trying to sound like something they are not. When you have your ideas on paper, then consultants can help add some punctuation here and there to make it formal. The second thing I say is “read it aloud to yourself”. When you read your own writing in your head it will always make sense to you. No one knows what you are trying to say better than you. That is why consultants often read papers aloud, so that we can both hear when something may not sound quite right or be unclear, and to get another reader’s perspective.

 

Since it’s often easier to articulate your ideas verbally, it may be beneficial for you to use the “Dictate” feature in Microsoft Word.  It’s available in my.scranton when you access Office 365. It will even let you insert punctuation by saying the specific name of the punctuation mark. This is a great option for pre-writing and drafting, and it can help eliminate some of your writing anxiety, since you can dictate your ideas while taking a walk or exercising at the gym or while doing any other activity you enjoy. If you’re a slow typer, this resource can also save you a significant amount of time. Check it out!

 

 

Here’s a video on how to use it. 

 

 

eTutoring: How to Upload your Files and Download Your Feedback

October 15, 2022 / / 0 Comments

eTutoring is conducted through the WCOnline exclusively. This means that there is no outreach over email or through other platforms.

  1. Here’s a video on how to schedule an eTutoring appointment. The video shows you how to attach your draft to your appointment so that the writing consultant can view your paper. 
  2. Once the writing consultant has provided their feedback within the document, they will upload the file and attach it to the appointment in the WCOnline. Here is a video on how to download their feedback. 

The Proof is in the Writing

October 14, 2022 / / 0 Comments

By Danielle DePasquale

After finally finishing a written assignment, one may be quick to submit their work immediately. Not having to look at that assignment ever again brings about a sense of great relief. However, receiving that assignment back covered in commentary about minute spelling and grammar errors dampens that sense of accomplishment. Even though writing the final sentence of a concluding paragraph may seem to signify the end of the writing process, proofreading your work is just as essential. Reviewing your work ensures that you’re submitting an assignment that is logically sound and addresses the task at hand. Hence, I highly recommend reading written assignments aloud, which allows you to actually hear what your writing sounds like. We are all human and mistakes happen when typing up assignments. This way, you can make any edits or adjustments needed to express your ideas clearly and concisely. If you find reading your own writing aloud tedious or don’t want to disturb your roommates, you can plug in some headphones and access the “Immersive Reader” function available in Microsoft Word; this tool has the computer read your paper back to you. It’s a great tool to check for typos, grammar errors, redundancy, and verbose phrasing.  This is how you access it.

Check out this video demo here: Immersive Reader Video Demo.mp4

 

 

And proofreading your paper doesn’t have to happen right away. In fact, stepping away from your writing and revisiting with a clear head will enhance your ability to conduct a comprehensive and meaningful review of your work. In the future, I implore you to try either strategy before you submit your next assignment.

 

 

Do you have “alot” of spelling errors or “a lot” of spelling errors?

October 13, 2022 / / 0 Comments

“A lot” is the correct spelling, but there are several words and phrases that are frequently confused in the English language. For example,   is the family going to the pumpkin patch “All together” or the adverb form “Altogether”?  Is it “already” or “all ready” five o’clock  on a Friday?  Did you find the movie “Climactic” or “climatic”?  Was there an “allusion” or “Illusion” to the Bible  in short story you just read? Are you attending “college” or “collage”?  Is it difficult to “chose” or “choose” the correct word? If this reflects some of  “your” or “you’re” spelling woes, this is a fantastic resource for you.

The website below has brief glossary of the most common spelling errors and word confusions in the English language. It’s organized alphabetically in a massive three-column table so you can scroll quickly to find what you are searching for or you can click on the letters at the top to jump to specific part of the page. The explanations are very concise with just a sentence or  two to dedicated to each item. It also links out to other webpages within the site for further explanation for grammatical rules, like pronouns or tense.  Understanding the difference between the confused words can prevent you from confusing them in the future. Likewise, looking up the spelling of certain words by using this site can be a good reminder that “alot” isn’t a real word but “a lot” is and “with in” should always be “within.”

It’s fast. It’s accurate. It’s user-friendly.  It’s great resource to double-check commonly confused or misspelled words as you begin to revise your essays.

 

Click on the link below, and then select “Go to List of Errors”

Common Errors in English Usage

 

The Ending is Just as Important as the Beginning

October 11, 2022 / / 0 Comments

by Stephanie Vasquez

Picture this. You have a big research paper that you’ve been working on. You researched, you outlined, you planned, and you wrote the most amazing paper ever…..and then you got to your conclusion. You’re staring at your screen, and you’re blanking. You don’t know what to write, and you don’t even know if your brain can even write anymore. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever been in this position, do not fear: you are not alone.

You’ve probably heard quotes like “starting is the hardest part of the journey” or “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step”. While those are true, sometimes people forget to mention that ending the journey is also hard, and this applies to ending a writing journey as well. It is hard to start a paper, but once you get going and you have your paper written, the biggest struggle comes in ending it. So how do we do that?

This tip I’m going to give you is corny but bear with me. Imagine that you’re on stage during a rap battle. Your paper is the bars that you’re “freestyling’. Now, if you get to end your “freestyle” and you feel that you can’t drop the mic, then that means that your conclusion isn’t strong enough. Nothing kills a paper instantly than when you have a super super super strong paper….and then it flatlines at the end. Your conclusion is the very last thing people read. An introduction is memorable, but people are going to remember what you left them with even more.

Now this leads to another question, which is, how do you make your paper memorable? There is nothing I hate more than the words “in conclusion”, “as previously stated”, “as I mentioned before”, etc. We get it. We literally just read your paper! The audience should be able to tell that they reached the conclusion without you having to tell them. You don’t want to leave them wanting more, but you shouldn’t also have them wondering when you are ever get to the end. Tie up your ideas in your paper in a nice, short, and simple way. You don’t want to restate your ideas–you want to reinforce them. You want to synthesize them. You want to explain what the bigger implication is–why should your reader care that you proved your idea? Why does that idea matter? What’s the greater significance?

So now it’s my turn to end this, and how do I end this post? By metaphorically dropping the mic.

Here’s a guide to help you write strong conclusions. 

 

 

A Quick Resource for Writing in Specific Contexts

October 7, 2022 / / 0 Comments

A Resource for Writing in Specific Contexts

The way that we write—the tone, the style, the formatting, and the organization—depends on the context. It’s likely that the five-paragraph-essay from high school will simply not work in most situations that require writing, especially when you need to write strictly-structured pieces, like an abstract, a cover letter, or lab report. There are so many types of assignments that you’ll need to create during your college career, like annotated bibliographies, literature reviews, and poetry explications. Your instructors will rarely include sample papers or detailed formatting guides, so it can be overwhelming. On top of that, each discipline has their own conventions, style, and citation format. The use of personal pronouns might be recommended in for your philosophy essay, but those same pronouns will probably cost you points in an essay for your upper level nursing course.

Knowing how to respond to different writing situations comes with experience and exposure to each field.  However, this resource is a great guide to get you started in understanding special formats and discipline specific standards: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/

Benefits of this resource: It walks you through specific writing assignments, step by step.

Drawbacks of this resource: You’ll notice it has other topics about writing, citations, and sentence-level concerns. While all this information is useful, I’m not sure it’s the best resource for citations or for revising sentences.

However, I would say it’s one of the most user-friendly resources  with quick guides in discipline-specific writing and  examples of specific writing formats.

Online Graphic Organizers & Prewriting

October 3, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Let’s be honest: most college students don’t prewrite. Maybe they talk about their ideas with a close friend. Maybe they mull things over as they sip some coffee. Maybe they jot down a quick skeleton with their main points, but they rarely do the full-brown detailed A-B-C outline or draw a gigantic idea web or use the traditional methods of prewriting. There’s a population of college students who don’t even prewrite, because when you procrastinate, there’s no time for that.

However, time spent prewriting before your first draft can save you double that amount of time. It may even eliminate entire drafts in the revising process.  Yet, students want to jump face-first onto the page, spit out their thoughts, and fill up the white space as they type. Maybe now that we have moved out of an age of handwritten notes and into an age of digital files, we need pre-writing tools that reflect that. After all, our word processors allow us to add and delete text with no consequences, but notebook paper rips and stains; it’s just not as forgiving.

Personally, I’ve found that digital graphic organizers are great way to prewrite. It’s a fun, colorful way to ease into your formal black-and-white paper.  The great thing about using online organizers is that you can easily manipulate the elements, tweak the colors and fonts, change the content, or copy them for future use.  Some websites have even made genre specific essay templates, which can help you approach a specific type of paper.

Why should you use a graphic organizer?

  •     It will help eliminate ideas that are irrelevant
  •    It will help you explore how you feel about your topic before researching it
  •   It can help you move from “topic” to “thesis” as you compile your research
  •   It will help you order those ideas and group together closely related ideas.
  •   It will show you where you need to transition between those ideas
  •   If you include your points of support, you can easily see if one of your ideas needs more  evidence
  •   It will show you if you should move points of support to other areas
  • A really good graphic organizer can work like an outline, so you can focus on language in the revision phase rather than organizing.  In this way, it can ensure each of your sentences will be serving a specific purpose.

Here’s some Free Online Graphic Organizers through Google Docs:

Here’s some more genre specific organizers through Canva:

Canva is my personal favorite when it comes to making graphic organizers. Because it’s a graphic design site, the options are endless. Just be careful you don’t spend too much time on the design and not enough time on writing. Here’s some genre specific pre-made templates:

 

 

General Prewriting Idea Webs

 

To modify any of these Canva templates, click “Edit Design.” Make a Canva account if you don’t already have one, and then go to File—Make a Copy. From there you can save your work as an open project or you could download it to a PDF under “Share.”

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