Step+Four


 * DEVELOP THESIS:**

__**THESIS**__ –noun, plural -theses
 * 1. a proposition stated or put forward for consideration, esp. one to be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections: He vigorously defended his thesis on the causes of war.
 * 2. a subject for a composition or essay.
 * 3. A proposition that is maintained by argument.
 * 4. The central idea in a piece of writing, sometimes contained in a topic sentence.
 * 5.. A position or proposition which a person advances and offers to maintain, or which is actually maintained by argument.

After you have read what various experts say about your topic, decide at least three statements you want to support. (See Section 1: Select Topic).
 * You can always CHANGE your thesis as you go. Sometimes you have a better understanding of what your thesis actually is AFTER you FINISH writing the paper!!** In which case, you will change your thesis to reflect what you have written.

Think of it this way: You should be able to say "I believe that _ ___." and fill in the blank with your thesis statement.__ However, your statement will NOT include the words "I believe that" or "I think."

__Examples:__
 * __Lung cancer is a debilitating disease which affects older adults, whose symptoms are easy to recognize, and which is difficult to cure.__
 * __Honey bees are losing their desire to colonize which is endangering the process of pollenizing plants and possibly leading to a famine.__
 * __Tornadoes occur mostly in the southern latitudes of the United States and cause many deaths yearly although scientists are trying to determine ways to predict tornadoes' locations before they actually form.__

**GO TO THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES TO GET HELP WRITING YOUR THESIS STATEMENT:**
[|NMU Writing Center] Read the information and scroll down to "Expository Thesis" for this research paper.

[|The Expository Thesis Statement] This is a short-but-sweet, clear explanation of what you are trying to do with your thesis statement.

__This site is FOR JUNIOR PERSUASIVE RESEARCH PAPERS ONLY__: __http://www.tommarch.com/electraguide/__ This site lets you "fill in the blanks".