1. Literature Reviews
Are critical evaluations of material that has already been published. By organizing, integrating, and evaluating previously published material, authors of literature reviews consider the progress of research toward clarifying a problem.

2. Literature Reviews Do:
In a literature review an author (YOU):
Define and clarify the problem
Summarize previous investigations to inform the reader of the state of research
Identify relations, contradictions, gaps and inconsistencies in the literature
Suggest the next step or steps in solving the problem
Literature Reviews Do:

3. The answer to your research question is your thesis statement
How does immigration affect social, political, and economic factors in the United States?
Is homework beneficial? Under what circumstances?
Is gene therapy ethical or economically feasible
Does mental illness or IQ override constitutional rights?
The Research Question

4. WRITING AFTER THE RESEARCH QUESTION
The answer to your research question should be your thesis statement.
Keep in mind that you will most likely continue to refine your thesis statement as you conduct and write about your research.
A good research question, however, puts you well on your way to writing a strong research paper.
WRITING AFTER THE RESEARCH QUESTION

5. EVALUATING THE RESEARCH QUESTION
Ask the following 8 questions to evaluate the quality of your research question and the ease with which you should be able to answer it:
Does the question deal with a topic or issue that interests me enough to spark my own thoughts and opinions?
Is the question easily and fully researchable?
What type of information do I need to answer the research question?
Is the scope of this information reasonable (e.g., can I really research 30 online writing programs developed over a span of 10 years?)
Given the type and scope of the information that I need, is my question too broad, too narrow, or okay?
What sources will have the type of information that I need to answer the research question (journals, books, Internet resources, government documents, people)?
Can I access these sources?
Given my answers to the above questions, do I have a good quality research question that I actually will be able to answer by doing research?
EVALUATING THE RESEARCH QUESTION

6. Now that we have a question. . . What do we do with it?
Write a thesis statement!
Now that we have a question. . . What do we do with it?

7. What makes a good thesis statement?

8. What is a thesis statement?
The thesis statement is the sentence that states the main idea of a writing assignment and helps control the ideas within the paper.
It is not merely a topic. It often reflects an opinion or judgment that a writer has made about a reading or personal experience.
What is a thesis statement?

9. tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
makes a claim that others might dispute.
A Thesis statement:

10. What makes a strong thesis statement?
A strong thesis statement gives direction to the paper and limits what you need to write about.
It also functions to inform your readers of what you will discuss in the body of the paper.
All paragraphs of the essay should explain, support, or argue with your thesis.
What makes a strong thesis statement?

11. Good thesis is supported by evidence!
A strong thesis statement requires proof; it is not merely a statement of fact.
You should support your thesis statement with detailed supporting evidence will interest your readers and motivate them to continue reading the paper.
Good thesis is supported by evidence!

12. Your thesis can be a helpful organizational tool!
Sometimes it is useful to mention your supporting points in your thesis.
 In the body of your paper, you could write a paragraph or two about each supporting idea.
If you write a thesis statement like this it will often help you to keep control of your ideas.
Your thesis can be a helpful organizational tool!

13. Where does the thesis statement go?
A good practice is to put the thesis statement at the end of your introduction so you can use it to lead into the body of your paper.
This allows you, as the writer, to lead up to the thesis statement instead of diving directly into the topic. (contextualizing)
If you place the thesis statement at the beginning, your reader may forget or be confused about the main idea by the time he/she reaches the end of the introduction.
Remember, a good introduction conceptualizes and anticipates the thesis statement.
Where does the thesis statement go?

14. Tips for writing/drafting a thesis statement:
Brainstorm. If you are having trouble beginning your paper or writing your thesis, take a piece of paper and write down everything that comes to mind about your topic. Did you discover any new ideas or connections? Can you separate any of the things you jotted down into categories? Do you notice any themes? Think about using ideas generated during this process to shape your thesis statement and your paper.
This is where our lens map comes into play! Using your lens map you can find different perspectives to use for your thesis statement.
Tips for writing/drafting a thesis statement:

15. Tips for Writing/Drafting Thesis Statements:
Know the topic. The topic should be something you know or can learn about. It is difficult to write a thesis statement, let alone a paper, on a topic that you know nothing about.
This is where our preliminary research comes into play! Use that research to help you write the thesis statement
Tips for Writing/Drafting Thesis Statements:

16. Tips for Writing/Drafting Thesis Statements
Limit your topic. Based on what you know and the required length of your final paper, limit your topic to a specific area. A broad scope will generally require a longer paper, while a narrow scope will be sufficiently proven by a shorter paper.
This is where our research question comes into play. We have already limited it down to “JUST RIGHT!”
Tips for Writing/Drafting Thesis Statements

17. Thesis examples-the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Topic: Compare and contrast the reasons why the North and South fought the Civil War.
The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different.
This weak thesis restates the question without providing any additional information. It does not tell the reader where you are heading.
Thesis examples-the good, the bad, and the ugly!

18. Thesis Examples – The good, the bad, and the ugly!
Topic: Compare and contrast the reasons why the North and South fought the Civil War.
While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions.
Now you have a working thesis! Included in this working thesis is a reason for the war and some idea of how the two sides disagreed over this reason. As you write the essay, you will probably begin to characterize these differences more precisely, and your working thesis may start to seem too vague. Maybe you decide that both sides fought for moral reasons, and that they just focused on different moral issues.
Thesis Examples – The good, the bad, and the ugly!

19. Thesis Examples – The good, the bad, and the ugly!
Topic: Compare and contrast the reasons why the North and South fought the Civil War.
While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government.
Compare this to the original weak thesis. This final thesis presents a way of interpreting evidence that illuminates the significance of the question. Keep in mind that this is one of many possible interpretations of the Civil War—it is not the one and only right answer to the question. There isn’t one right answer; there are only strong and weak thesis statements and strong and weak uses of evidence.
Thesis Examples – The good, the bad, and the ugly!