Dr. Ellen Joiner Developing a thesis statement Ask a central
question regarding your topic, and turn that question in to a
statement. Is it something that can be proven, argued,
documented? If so, it might be a workable thesis statement.
Gather your sources (1). Identify a few relevant primary sources
and select the best from among those. Newspaper sources
(archives, NY Times Historical, Historic American Newspapers
(http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/), even Google News Archives
- Autobiographical sources (library catalog) - Digital archives
(infomine.ucr.edu as search tool) - Gather your sources (2).
Identify suitable secondary sources. Are they relevant and
reliable? - Is the material presented in the source relevant to
the subject? - Are the facts presented in the secondary source
in agreement with their mention in the primary document? - Do
other secondary sources agree or differ with the source under
examination? - Do critiques and reviews of the source generally
support it? If there is a dissenting opin