[教你如何写出完美的论文--系列教程(10.DVD)].06.How.to.Be.Persuasive.pdf


Part 1: Developing a Thesis
The inal thesis for your research paper is your answer to the central question you are investigating. It
may be the same as your working thesis, or it might be quite different. If your research showed that your
original thesis was quite incorrect, your inal thesis could end up stating almost the opposite of the work-
ing thesis. More often, your thesis will be a modiication of the working thesis—that is, a version of that
original thesis that has been modiied, deepened, clariied, and enhanced by all the new facts and ideas
you’ve learned through your research.
A good inal thesis:
* must be supported by your research (in that it articulates an idea, opinion, interpretation,
or theory that is backed up by the evidence your reading has uncovered);
* is a positive, non-obvious statement (that is, not a truism);
* must not be a tautology (a statement that must be true or cannot be disproved because it
includes an unnecessary and excessive repetition of the same idea in different words); and
* must be worth arguing, and, preferably, original and interesting.
Write your inal thesis here, stated in a single clear sentence:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information, call 1-800-238-1512 or visit us online at videoaidedinstruction.com.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
3
Part 2: Supporting Your Thesis with Evidence
Go through your notes and pick out the facts and ideas that are most relevant to your thesis. Look for
items that:
* help to explain the thesis;
* help to show that it’s true;
* may call it into question or weaken it; or
* sharpen, focus, clarify, or modify it.
Some of the kinds of evidence most commonly utilized in research papers are:
* Deinitions of terms
* Accounts of events that suggest a cause-and-effect relationship
* Statistics or other numerical data
* Individual examples that suggest a broader pattern (e.g., anecdotes)
* Facts or ideas from primary sources
* Facts or ideas from secondary sources
* Evidence related to alternative theses (especially evidence that seems to weaken them)
As you review your notes, be on the lookout for any examples of these kinds of evidence!