Essay Revision Series #3: How to make a broad thesis more specific

A thesis can sound important and still be too broad to defend in a short essay.

Consider this statement:

“Online learning is bad for students.”

It leaves several questions unanswered: Which students? What kind of online learning? What does “bad” mean?

Before rewriting, narrow three things:

• The group or setting: Who or what are you examining?
• The specific issue: Which outcome or problem matters?
• The conditions: When, where, or under what circumstances might the claim apply?

You could turn the broad statement into a more focused research question:

“How does limited real-time interaction affect access to feedback in online undergraduate seminars?”

That is a question to investigate—not a conclusion you can assume is true. Your thesis should then give an answer that your evidence can support.

Today’s revision task: Highlight your main claim. Underline any sweeping words, such as “everyone,” “always,” or “all.” Check whether your sources justify that scope. If they do not, narrow the claim rather than making it sound more confident.

This follows the previous tip about explaining evidence: a focused claim makes it easier to show exactly what your evidence supports.

These posts share revision methods for your own writing. Follow your course’s rules on outside assistance.

What do you find harder: narrowing your topic or turning it into a clear argument?