Note that I said temporarythesis. It may not wind up being your final
thesis. Because you haven’t completed all your research yet, you can
only come up with a “best guess” thesis at this point.
If a temporary thesis doesn’t spring easily to mind— and it probably
won’t—sit back and do some more brainstorming. Ask yourself
questions like:
■ What’s special or unusual about ______? (Fill in the
blank with your topic.)
■ How is ______ related to events in the past?
■ What impact has ______ made on society?
■ What do I want the world to know about ______?
■ What questions do I have about ______?You may discover during this preliminary research phase that your
temporary thesis just won’t fly. You may have to revise it, perhaps
even settling on a thesis that’s the exact opposite of your original!
In fact, you may have to revise your thesis several times during the
course of your research.
Step 4: Create a Temporary Outline
Once you have developed your temporary thesis, think about how
you might approach the subject in your paper. Jot down the various
issues you plan to investigate. Then come up with a brief, temporary
outline of your paper, showing the order in which you might discuss
those issues.
Chapter 7 ■How to Write Terrific Papers 143