Restating the Thesis – A Detailed Guide with Tips and Examples

Knowing how to restate your thesis is a daunting task. No matter if you are writing a dissertation, or a thesis, knowing how to restate the thesis, in conclusion, isn’t easy. Many students craft the introduction or the main body paragraphs easily, only to struggle with the conclusion. But the trick lies in simplicity. When you restate the thesis statement, you are summarising everything you wrote till now in simple words so that it remains with the readers even after completing it. Seems like too many things to remember? Don’t worry! We will tell you how to restate a thesis statement in a conclusion and the strategies you should know.

What Does Thesis Restatement Mean and Why is it Important?

Restating the thesis means expressing your ideas differently once again, in a more transparent or convincing way. While restating a thesis, students reframe their hypothesis succinctly using synonyms. A restated thesis is nothing but a summarised form of the paper’s conclusion.
However, it doesn’t mean repeating the same idea. Ideally, the writers mention the thesis statement in the introduction while writing research papers. But restating the thesis helps the readers recap the thesis statement again in a brief yet concise manner.
Thesis papers are long pieces of literary work. So, when they complete reading it, they usually forget about the thesis idea. Moreover, they become mentally exhausted. So, restating the thesis, in conclusion, helps them to jog their memory once again and to draw their attention. Not to mention, restating the thesis makes the paper look more refined.

Simple Steps to Restate a Thesis Accurately

• Read the original thesis multiple times thoroughly
• Identify the point of view in which it is written. Remember to write in the same style while rewriting.
• Consider all the keywords to understand the key points. Include all these in the restated thesis. You can also apply synonyms or words that are closely associated. The idea is to rephrase the sentence while keeping the central idea intact.
• You should expand your thesis by contributing new ideas of your own. However, be careful not to alter the original meaning of the thesis.
• Alter the words of the thesis using a suitable strategy.

If you are wondering how I restate my thesis in conclusion, here area few strategies you can follow –

• Ask the “So What” Question

Good thesis statements must explain why your argument is significant. It should highlight why the readers should invest time in reading the paper. So, if you are unsure how to restate your thesis in the conclusion, you should look for a solution with a “So What” question.

A restated thesis example is, if you are writing an essay on substance use in educational institutions, you can cover the answer to the “So What” question with a summary paragraph. Include a statement stating what that act implies. You can also expand the statement by restating that using the substance is bad irrespective of age. So, even if the students are of legitimate age, they should be educated about the ill effects of substance use and how using them in educational institutions can lead to problems on a social scale.

• Never Apologise

You already have added your arguments within the body of the paper. So, if you apologize now, that will only weaken your standpoint. So, while restating the thesis, never use phrases like, “It seems like” or “It is possible that”. These kinds of statements assert that you are not confident in your arguments. Thus it dilutes the impact of the thesis statement.

You can only use such an approach if there is scope to discuss the possibility as a part of the thesis statement. Else, it would be unwise to do that. Your confidence must seep from the thesis restatement. Also, ensure that you acknowledge the counter-arguments with logic and not absolute statements.

• Don’t use Clichés

Using clichéd phrases like “As this paper explains” or “in conclusion” while restating the thesis is not a great idea. Your readers already know what the paper was all about once they reach the conclusive statements. So, repeating the same thing again will make the thesis redundant. The readers will also feel that you lack creativity.

So, add fresh and unique perspectives to your thesis and rephrase the statement in a way that looks transparent and appealing.

How to Reword a Thesis

You have a brief idea of how to restate your thesis, but you cannot change every word while doing so. The idea is to make the restated conclusion look captivating. So, you should know how to reword a thesis. You can follow these simple steps –

• Change the Structure

While writing a restated thesis statement, the first thing to remember is to make it different from the primary thesis statement. So, you can resort to altering the word structures, choice of words, clauses, and parts of speech. If there is a subject in the original thesis statement, start the restated statement with a prepositional phase.

• Use synonyms

When you rewrite the thesis word by word, the main aspect you should be careful of is that you cannot change the meaning or repeat what you have already said. So, look for synonyms or different words that imply the same meaning. Referring to thesaurus is a good option to improve your vocabulary in such situations.

• Split the Points

You can also alter the sentence structure while restating the thesis. If the original thesis statement has longer sentences, split it into two or three lines. Splitting long sentences helps them become meaningful and concise, and the readers find it easier to comprehend.

• Alter the Tenses

Another good strategy to restate the thesis statement is by changing the tenses. Do not feel shy to juggle between the past and present tenses. For example, if you have used the past tense in the original thesis statement, you can restate it in the present tense, and vice versa.

• Check the Length of the Statement

There are a few rules for writing a thesis paper. Introductory paragraphs cannot be more than 5-7% of the entire paper. Similarly, the conclusion should also be short and must now exceed 5-7% of the word count. So, check the total word count of the paper, and decide the number of words you can assign for the restated thesis statement.

If you have a clear idea of the word difference between the body and conclusion, it will be easier for you to restate the thesis. However, if you are not confident about it, forget the word count and focus on creating a quality restatement.

Figure Out How to Restate a Thesis with Easy Examples

Can’t restate a thesis no matter how much you try? Perhaps the breakthrough you’re looking for is hidden behind these samples. See how professionals go about this task and replicate their techniques to make things easier for yourself.

Example of How to Restate Thesis

The English language is full of synonyms. So you won’t find trouble finding an alternate word while restating. However, you must also consider checking the meanings don’t get altered while restating thesis statements in the conclusion. Here are a few restated thesis examples to check out –

Example: The original thesis statement being –

“Coloured people staying in the US have achieved huge success in their fight for equality and civil rights in the last century.”

You can restate it by saying –

“The racial equality situation has improved by leaps and bounds in the last 100 years. This gives the racial minorities residing in the US a stronger voice.”

“The civil rights movement that started in the 20^th century gave a voice to the US minorities regarding equality and freedom.”

Let us understand it with another example –

The original thesis statement is –

“Diabetes is a problem growing rapidly in the USA, affecting more than a hundred million people.”

The restated thesis can be,

“With more than a hundred million people already affected by diabetes, one cannot deny that it is the most pressing public health concern in the US.”

Most Frequently Asked Questions By Students

Q1. Can I restate my thesis statement?

Ans. Yes, you can restate your thesis statement if needed. Restating the thesis is nothing but conveying the same idea in a different way. Many students restate their thesis statements while writing the conclusion part of their thesis papers.

Q2. How do you rephrase a thesis statement?

Ans. There are many ways to restate the thesis statement. You can try either one of these options –

• Changing the word structure
• Splitting the points
• Using synonyms
• Changing the tenses
• Altering the length of the statement

Q3. How do you start a restated sentence?

Ans. Restating a sentence means using different sentence structures. So, the best way to restate a sentence is by avoiding the phrasing used in the original sentence. In fact, don’t look at the original phrase at all. Think of an original idea to present your thoughts in a completely different way.

Q4. What is an example of restating a thesis?

Ans. An example of restating the thesis statement is as follows –Original statement – “Assigned seating in the canteens can help to solve the bullying problems in the school.”

Restated statement – “Bullying practices in the schools regarding seating arrangements can only be solved if every student is assigned to a specific seat in the canteen.”

Q5. What Is a Restated Thesis?

Ans. The restated thesis is just an altered version of the original thesis statement. This is used to recap the readers about your study in a short and concise way.

Q6. How to Restate a Thesis Step by Step

Ans. The five steps of restating a thesis statement are as follows –

• Choosing a topic
• Setting objective
• Encapsulating the main points
• Checking for spelling and grammar
• Revising the thesis

Q4. How to Restate Your Thesis by Changing the Tense

Ans. Follow these steps to restate the thesis by changing the tense –

• Make the readers understand why your argument is valid
• Avoid clichés
• Restate the argument using different word structures
• Alter the tense
• Restate it confidently

Q5. How to Reframe a Reworded Thesis?

Ans. You can reframe a reworded thesis by following these steps –

• Reword the original statement and mention it at the beginning of the conclusion
• Mention the claims you have focused on
• Dwell on the broader significance of the problems after restating the thesis.