explicit thesis vs implicit

Research Writing Process (Book)

Find the following links to be useful in learning about the research writing process., writing a thesis statement, open thesis vs. closed thesis.

Open Thesis vs. Closed Thesis

Implicit Thesis vs. Explicit Thesis

The thesis is a declarative sentence. It is a clear, specific statement, which states the main point of a the paper, thereby limiting the topic and indicating the researcher’s approach to the topic. For this research paper we will be discussing the difference between the open (implicit) thesis approach, and the closed (explicit) thesis. Open (implicit) thesis: Let’s say you are writing a paper on the relationship between the United States criminal court system and the media. You have read on article related to this topic, but you have not yet begun your research. Still, it is possible for you to arrive at a very basic and general opinion without going into detail, secondary topics, or supporting reasons for your assertion. Broad Topic:  The United States criminal court system and the media. Example of an open (implicit) thesis statement: The media plays too influential a role in criminal court trials. To assist you in formulating your preliminary thesis, ask basic “W” questions that are related to your topic: who, what, when, where, and why? This will help you determine your particular interests and a possible starting point for your research. Based on the topic above, the following list demonstrates the different kinds of questions that can be generated. *Why is the media involved in court cases? *When did the media start reporting court cases? *What is the media’s role in criminal court cases? *What aspects of the media am I going to write about? *What kind of criminal case is it? *When did the case take place? *Where did the case take place? *Who were the people involved in the case? If you are writing a research paper and you have come up with a long list of random questions, select three or four questions that hold the most interest for you. These questions will narrow your focus and help you to plan your research strategy.

Closed (Explicit) Thesis: If you make an assertion and include the reason or reasons which support your assertion, and it is broad enough in scope, yet specific enough to be unified and to perform as a substantial generalization of your essay, you have written a closed thesis statement. The evidence can take many forms: facts, opinions, anecdotes, statistics, analogies, etc., but the essential relationship between the thesis and the major points of support is one of conclusion to reason:   This is believed to be true because… (reasons). Broad Topic:  The United States criminal court system and the media. Example of a closed (explicit) thesis: The media plays a very influential role in criminal court trials because of their access to the people, their bias, and because of the special privileges. Based on the topic that YOU have chosen, ask yourself basic “W” questions that are related to YOUR topic to help you plan your research strategy and form a thesis. (Written by Lisa Tolhurst for the Hunter College Reading/Writing Center, 1998) WHY – WHEN – WHAT – WHERE – WHO – HOW – KEEP GOING!.....

Explicit vs implicit?

Explicit and implicit are adjectives with opposite meanings. If something is explicit , it’s clearly understood. If something is suggested or not clearly defined, it’s implicit.

Your writing, at its best

Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant

What is the difference between explicit and implicit ?

The words explicit and implicit may appear similar, but they actually have opposite meanings. As phrased by Merriam-Webster , the general definition of implicit is ‘ to understand without words ’ or ‘ to possess no doubt ‘ regarding inherent truths. 

In contrast, the word explicit is an adjective that describes something as ‘ so clear ’ that it ‘ leaves no doubt to the meaning .’ 

Understanding explicit vs implicit concepts

If you make a promise to someone, there’s an “ implicit trust” or an “ implicit code ” that you’ll keep your word. However, it’s also possible there’s an “ implicit distrust ” instead. From this example, we can see how implicit understandings are more subjective because they require individual interpretation. 

You see, implicit concepts are hidden or muted from surface-level communication, much like a parable’s underlying moral lesson or even a facial expression. For example, the explicit impression of a smile is “happiness,” right? But in a new context, such as a confrontation, the smile can implicitly convey nervousness or anger. 

Anything that is informative and objective is explicit . No matter the audience, there should be no other interpretation of explicit information. For instance, a user manual provides ‘explicit instructions ’ for use, while road signs provide explicit information on speed limits and geographic locations.

The word explicit diverges from its initial meaning when it references the quality of being graphic or openly viewable. A typical example includes the ‘ explicit content ’ warnings for movies or music that contain curse words ( i.e., “expletives” ), violence, or sexually graphic material. 

Math terms: explicit vs implicit

There is one other occurrence when the definitions of explicit vs. implicit are confusing: mathematics. When describing mathematical functions, keep the following definitions on hand:

• Implicit expressions contain dependent and independent variables on the same side of an equation. 
• Explicit expressions only contain independent variables.  

Sentence example: 

“… implicit multiplication is given higher priority than explicit multiplication or explicit division, in which those operations are written explicitly with symbols like × * / or ÷.” –– The New York Times

How to remember explicit vs implicit ?

Mnemonics are an easy way to remember the differences between terms like explicit and implicit . Since “explicit” information is outwardly apparent, try associating the letter “e” with “exterior.” Meanwhile, “implicit” information conveys inner meanings, so we can associate the letter “i” with “interior.” 

“ Explicit ” = E = “ Exterior ”

“ Implicit ” = I = “ Interior ”

What does explicit mean?

The word explicit is an adjective that describes an explanation or understanding as clear, developed, forthright, and/or unreserved. When something is “ explicit ,” it provides a transparent meaning in a way that is ‘fully revealed,’ and without an implied, vague, or suggested connotation. For example, 

“A house is an explicit example of a home.” “One hour is an explicit amount of time.” “There are explicit methods for baking because the recipes are precise.”  

Related terms of explicit include the adverb “ explicitly ” ( for ‘in an explicit manner’ ) or the noun “ explicitness ” ( the state of being explicit ). Sentence examples include, 

“She explicitly stated that she’s from New York.”  “I understand his explicitness as brutal honesty.” 

Lastly, we can define the adjective explicit as ‘openly observable’ or detailing sexually graphic content. For example, 

“The principal banned the novel because it contained explicit language.” 

Avowed, certain, completed, declared, definite, definitive, exact, literal, specific, unambiguous, unequivocal, univocal, unmistakeable. 

Ambiguous, circuitous, cryptic, enigmatic, equivocal, implicit, implied, indefinite, inexplicit, inferred, obscure, unintelligible, unspecific, vague. 

Etymology of explicit

According to The American Heritage Dictionary , the word explicit derives from Latin explicitus , the past participle of explicāre (‘ to unfold ’). In Modern English, we understand this term as the verb “ explicate ,” which means ‘ develop in detail ’ or ‘ to explain the meaning .’

What does implicit mean?

The word implicit is an adjective that describes a concept or explanation as implied, indirect, or nontransparent. When people describe something as “ implicit ,” they often reference an underlying or hidden meaning of something understood. For example,

“If someone yells ‘fire!’ the implicit meaning is to ‘get back’ or ‘stay away.’”  “There are several implicit methods for dating.”  “Literary texts often contain implicit information about an author’s life.” 

Similarly to “ explicit ,” we can use implicit for the adverb “ implicitly ” ( ‘in an implicit manner’ ) or the noun “ implicitness ” ( the state of being implicit ). Sentence examples include, 

“By noting the floor, she implicitly passed judgment on our cleanliness.”   “The implicitness of your tone sounds passive-aggressive.” 

Alternative meanings of implicit

The adjective implicit contains a few similar but alternative meanings. For instance, we can use implicit in describing how something is possible, but not a fact. For example, 

“All drivers face the implicit risk of car accidents.”

In other contexts, we use the adjective implicit to describe something as unquestioning or without reservations. For example,

“Family members possess an implicit love for one another.”  “All people share an implicit need for human connection.” 

Adj. [1]: Construed, hinted, implied, inferred, insinuated, interpreted, presumed, suggested, unsaid, unspoken.

Adj. [2]: Conceivable, hypothetical, imaginable, likely, plausible, possible, potential, thinkable. 

Adj. [3]: Assured, certain, clear, confident, decisive, resolute, sanguine, unwavering. 

Adj. [1]: Apparent, blatant, explicit, evident, expressed, stated, straightforward, unmistakable. 

Adj. [2]: Authenticated, confirmed, demonstrated, established, existent, factual, proven, substantiated. 

Adj. [3]: Doubtful, dubious, hesitant, indecisive, unassuming, vacillating. 

Etymology of implicit

The adjective implicit stems from Latin implicit or implicātus , the latter being the past participle of implicāre (‘ to entangle ’). The verb “ implicate ” shares etymological origins with implicit , as it describes the act of incriminating or entangling oneself or others in a situation. 

How to use explicit vs implicit in a sentence?

Since the words explicit and implicit are adjectives , they modify, identify, or describe other nouns . For example, 

“What is implicit bias?”  “ Explicit jokes may occur.” 

Outside of their grammatical function, the main trick to using explicit or implicit involves using the correct context. As a reminder:

• Use “implicit” to describe something as unspoken, indirect, or subtle. 
• Use “explicit” to describe something as forthright, clear, and/or graphic. 

“ Implicit ” sentence examples:

“Private pay systems embody an implicit tax that is more progressive than the federal government’s.” –– The New York Times  “Often it is subtle and implicit , not overt.” –– Boston Globe  “There are implicit crosswalks at most road intersections.” –– The Oregonian “Ocasio-Cortez delivered an implicit rebuke aimed at former Vice President…” –– AP News

“ Explicit ” sentence examples:

“The Louvre has withdrawn a large installation by a Dutch art and design collective for being sexually explicit… “ –– The New York Times  “ Explicit art was not scarce in the Roman Empire.” –– The Los Angeles Times “The United States has an explicit right under [UN] Security Council resolution 2231.” –– The Washington Post “An Italian rescue ship with 46 migrants on board has docked in the Italian port of Lampedusa against explicit ban.” –– AP News

Related reading: explicit vs implicit

The Word Counter regularly examines confusing words like explicit vs implicit . If you’re interested in learning more opposing terms, check out our recent posts on: 

• Affect vs effect?
• Concave vs convex?
• Fiancé vs. fiancée?

Test Yourself!

Test how well you understand the difference between explicit and implicit with the following multiple-choice questions. 

• True or false: Explicit is the opposite of implicit? a. True b. False
• Choose the correct word: “Wordpress ____________ denies responsibility for copyright infringements.”  a. Implicit  b. Explicitly c. Explicit d. Implicitly 
• Choose the correct word: “The accusation ____________ ties the senator to previous crimes.”  a. Implicit  b. Implies c. Implicate d. Implicitly 
• What is not an example of explicit information?  a. Tax rates b. Instruction manuals c. Road signs  d. Song lyrics
• What is not an example of implicit information?  a. Facial expressions b. Moral lesson c. Book title d. Parable
• “ Explicate .” Lexico , Oxford University Press, 2020.
• “ Explicit .” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language , 5th ed., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2020. 
• “ Explicit .” The Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster Inc., 2020.
• “ Implicate .” Lexico , Oxford University Press, 2020.
• “ Implicit .” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language , 5th ed., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2020. 
• “ Implicit .” The Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster Inc., 2020.
• Strogatz, S. “ That Vexing Math Equation? Here’s an Addition .” The New York Time s, 5 Aug 2019.

Alanna Madden

Alanna Madden is a freelance writer and editor from Portland, Oregon. Alanna specializes in data and news reporting and enjoys writing about art, culture, and STEM-related topics. I can be found on Linkedin .

Recent Posts

Allude vs. Elude?

Bad vs. badly?

Labor vs. labour?

Adaptor vs. adapter?

An Explication on the Use of 'Explicit' and 'Implicit'

What to Know Explicit describes something that is very clear and without vagueness or ambiguity. Implicit often functions as the opposite, referring to something that is understood, but not described clearly or directly, and often using implication or assumption. To help remember, ex plicit things are ex plained, im plicit things are im plied.

Both words share the same Latin root, 'plicare,' meaning "to fold."

Explicit and implicit are distinct adjectives having explicitly different meanings that are occasionally confused with each other, as shown in these examples:

Truitt was sent home from the hospital on March 19 without knowing her test results. She had implicit instructions to stay at home for 14 days, regardless of the test results. — The Valley Times-News (Lanett, Alabama) , 31 Mar. 2020 I asked a few friends if they had ever watched the film, or if they had heard about the claims that the film made. Most of their immediate reactions were something along the lines of, "You're watching a vegan propaganda film and taking to heart the facts given without further research?" My response was no. First and foremost, that is an explicit assumption, and second, the reason I was even asking around was to get a broader perspective. — Upbeat (Lamar University) , 6 Dec. 2017 For founders like Neumann, the new money offered an opportunity—or an imperative—to double down on unproven and money-losing business models on the theory they would suddenly turn profitable once all competitors had been forced by their own losses to throw in the towel. "The explicit assumption is if you get enough growth, it doesn't matter how much you lose," [Roger] McNamee says. "That clearly was the way both WeWork and Uber have been run." — The Los Angeles Times , 25 Sept. 2019

'Explicit' Meaning

To be explicitly clear, explicit and implicit are different words and, in some contexts, they are truly true antonyms . Explicit denotes being very clear and complete without vagueness, implication, or ambiguity. When something is said to be explicit, there is no question as to what is being expressed or conveyed—nothing is implied or assumed.

The students were given explicit instructions on how to record their test answers. Changes to the property cannot be done without the landlord's explicit consent. The law is very explicit about how these measures should be enacted.

'Implicit' Meaning

Implicit , on the other hand, denotes that something is understood although not clearly or directly expressed or conveyed—there is implication, assumption, or question. It often precedes a preposition, usually in and less frequently from , with , or within .

The genre of the restaurant cookbook is both large and varied, but the common denominator that underlies the majority of its titles is the implicit promise that you, too, can reproduce a chef's work in the confines of your home kitchen. Most of the time, this promise is patently false. But there are a number of notable exceptions, signature dishes that really can be made by home cooks with a command of basic kitchen techniques, as well as access to both adequate time and fairly common pantry staples. — Rebecca Flint Marx, Eater , 18 June 2020 An idea that's implicit in “Taste the Nation” is that the more we know about the cultural history of our food, the more that leads to cultural openness. — Padma Lakshmi, quoted in The New York Times , 3 Aug. 2020 Implicit within the call for compassion is the need for collaboration—the recognition that the problems we face are too big to be solved alone. — Anne Kingston, Maclean's , 19 June 2019

Other Meanings of 'Explicit' and 'Implicit'

Explicit and implicit also have distinct meanings unconnected to their antonymy. Explicit is used to describe such things as writing, lyrics, photography, or film that express or depict openly offensive or vulgar nudity, violence, or sexuality, or it can indicate an act or behavior that is queasily graphic or leaves nothing to implication or the imagination (e.g., "scenes of explicit violence and drug use"). Another sense of implicit is "not affected by doubt," a meaning shared by words like absolute and complete , as in "implicit confidence," and, in a sense, explicit (which connotes clarity and openness).

Basketball officiating requires an explicit trust that the men or women in the striped shirts will make the right call every time. — Anthony Salamone, The Express-Times (Easton, Pennsylvania) , 3 Jan. 2019 "There is an implicit trust that each of my teammates share as we navigate a season during this pandemic, and I broke that trust. In Chicago, I made the mistake of violating the protocols but the biggest mistake of all was not immediately coming clean to my teammates. I owe them better. I now realize that by even exposing myself to just one person more than necessary, I am putting myself, my teammates, the guys I compete against, the umpires, the staff, the Indians organization as well as the Game that I love at risk." — Mike Clevinger, quoted in Sports Illustrated , 11 Aug. 2020

Implicit can also describe something that is inherent or inextricably connected with another but not immediately manifest—for example, bugs are "implicit" in new computer applications.

The implicit source of confusion with explicit and implicit is their shared Latin root, plicare , meaning "to fold," which gives them the same anglicized ending "-plicit." But one simply needs to look to their beginnings, their prefixes—respectively, ex- , meaning "out," and im- , "in, within"—to decipher their distinct meanings. Explicit can be interpreted as "to unfold" or "to lay out" (in other words, "to explain") and implicit can be translated as "to fold in," implying covering or containing (meaning) within.

True, the words have the same root and syllable count and are applied in similar contexts, but they are explicitly different in spelling and meaning. When in doubt, look to the prefixes: if you are describing something that is clearly ex plained or ex pressed, the word to use is explicit ; if you are describing something that is im plied, implicit is the word.

Word of the Day

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Games & Quizzes

Commonly Confused

'canceled' or 'cancelled', 'virus' vs. 'bacteria', your vs. you're: how to use them correctly, is it 'jail' or 'prison', 'deduction' vs. 'induction' vs. 'abduction', grammar & usage, primary and caucus: what is the difference, words commonly mispronounced, merriam-webster’s great big list of words you love to hate, more commonly misspelled words, every letter is silent, sometimes: a-z list of examples, 12 words for signs of spring, 12 more bird names that sound like insults (and sometimes are), 13 unusually long english words, the words of the week - may 10, a great big list of bread words.

• school Campus Bookshelves
• menu_book Bookshelves
• perm_media Learning Objects
• login Login
• how_to_reg Request Instructor Account
• hub Instructor Commons

Margin Size

• Download Page (PDF)
• Download Full Book (PDF)
• Periodic Table
• Physics Constants
• Scientific Calculator
• Reference & Cite
• Tools expand_more
• Readability

selected template will load here

This action is not available.

1.8: Main Ideas and Supporting Details

• Last updated
• Save as PDF
• Page ID 111524

• Athena Kashyap & Erika Dyquisto
• City College of San Francisco via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)

\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)

\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)

\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}}      % arrow\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}}      % arrow\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)

Analyze Thesis or Main Ideas of Texts

Being able to identify the purpose and thesis of a text, while you’re reading it, takes practice. Questioning the text you’re reading is a good place to start. When trying to isolate the thesis, or main idea, of your reading material, consider these questions:

• What is the primary subject of this text?
• Is the author trying to inform me, or persuade me?
• What does the author think I need to know about this subject?
• Why does the author think I need to know about this subject?

Sometimes the answer to these questions will be very clearly stated in the text itself. Sometimes it is less obvious, and in those cases, the techniques on the following page will be useful.

Implicit vs. Explicit Main Idea/ Thesis Statements

According to author Pavel Zemliansky,

Arguments then, can be explicit and implicit, or implied. Explicit arguments contain noticeable and definable thesis statements and lots of specific proofs. Implicit arguments, on the other hand, work by weaving together facts and narratives, logic and emotion, personal experiences and statistics. Unlike explicit arguments, implicit ones do not have a one-sentence thesis statement. Instead, authors of implicit arguments use evidence of many different kinds in effective and creative ways to build and convey their point of view to their audience. Research is essential for creative effective arguments of both kinds.

Even if what you’re reading is an informative text, rather than an argumentative one, it might still rely on an implicit thesis statement. It might ask you to piece together the overall purpose of the text based on a series of content along the way.

The following video defines the key terms explicit and implicit, as they relate to thesis statements and other ideas present in what you read. It also introduces the excellent idea of the reading voice and the thinking voice that strong readers use as they work through a text.

To help keep you on your toes, the author of this video challenges you to find her spelling mistake in one of her cards along the way!

Explicit v. implicit . Authored by: Michele Armentrout. All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube license.

Take the quiz about implicit and explicit thesis statements to see how well you have understood the information.

Thesis and Topic Sentences

You’ll remember that the first step of the reading process, previewing, allows you to get a big-picture view of the document you’re reading. This way, you can begin to understand the structure of the overall text. A later step in the reading process, summarizing , allows you to encapsulate what a paragraph, section, or the whole document is about. When summarizing individual paragraphs, it’s likely that your summary ends up looking like a paraphrase of that paragraph’s topic sentence .

A paragraph is composed of multiple sentences focused on a single, clearly-defined topic. There should be exactly one main idea per paragraph, so whenever an author moves on to a new idea, he or she will start a new paragraph. For example, this paragraph defines what a paragraph is, and now we will start a new paragraph to deal with a new idea: how a paragraph is structured.

Paragraphs are actually organized much like persuasive papers are. Just like a paper has a thesis statement followed by a body of supportive evidence, paragraphs have a topic sentence followed by several sentences of support or explanation. If you look at this paragraph, for example, you will see that it starts with a clear topic sentence letting you know that paragraphs follow a structure similar to that of papers. The next sentence explains how a paragraph is like a paper, and then two more sentences show how this paragraph follows that structure. All of these sentences are clearly connected to the main idea.

The topic sentence of a paragraph serves two purposes: first, it lets readers know what the paragraph is going to be about; second, it highlights the connection between the present paragraph and the one that came before. The topic sentence of this paragraph explains to a reader what a topic sentence does, fulfilling the first function. It also tells you that this paragraph is going to talk about one particular aspect of the previous paragraph’s main idea: we are now moving from the general structure of the paragraph to the particular role of the topic sentence.

After the topic sentence introduces the main idea, the remainder of the sentences in a paragraph should support or explain this topic. These additional sentences might detail the author’s position on the topic. They might also provide examples, statistics, or other evidence to support that position. At the end of the paragraph, the author may include some sort of conclusion or a transition that sets up the next idea he or she will be discussing (for example, you can see this clearly in the last sentence of the third paragraph).

The Three Parts of a Paragraph

The topic is the subject of the paragraph. It can be:

• A few words long
• These words (or words related to the topic) are typically repeated throughout the paragraph
• Answers the question: What is this paragraph about?

2) Main Idea

This is the writer’s overall point. It can be:

• If stated in the paragraph, it’s called a “topic sentence”
• If unstated in the paragraph, the reader must figure it out (infer it) from details
• General enough to cover the more specific supporting details
• Usually (but not always!) near the beginning of the paragraph
• Answers the question: What is the overall point being made about the topic?”

3) Supporting Details

These are the details in the paragraph that support the main idea. They can be either major or minor supporting details.

Tips for Identifying Main Ideas

Although you are learning to put the main idea first in your own paragraphs, professional writers often don’t. Sometimes the first sentence of a paragraph provides background information, poses a question, or serves as a bridge from a previous paragraph. Don’t assume it is the main idea. Use these tips instead:

• Look for a general statement that appears to “cover” the other information.
• Figure out the general topic of the paragraph first. Then ask yourself, “What point is the writer trying to make about this topic?”
• Look for clue words. Main ideas sometimes have words such as “some” or plural nouns like “ways” or “differences” that signal a list of details to come.
• Is this statement supported by most of the other information?
• If I turn this statement into a question, does the other information answer it?

SPECIAL NOTE: Sometimes a main idea covers more than one paragraph. This may happen in newspaper articles or when the writer has a lot to say about one topic.

Difference Between the Topic and Main Idea

To understand the difference between a main idea and the topic, imagine that you are listening to your friends talk about their pets. The TV is on, so all you can make out are the name of their pets. If someone asked you what the topic was, you would say “pets.” But because you couldn’t hear the whole thing, you didn’t understand the “main idea” was whose pet was the best. The topic is very broad – the main idea is more specific. The sentences that follow in the paragraph exercise offer examples or descriptions to illustrate or explain the main idea. Note the reading-writing connection--while we are finding the main idea as readers, we will be using the main ideas to write topic sentences in paragraphs.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Read the following paragraph and then decide what the main idea is.

One myth about exercise is that if a woman lifts weights, she will develop muscles as large as a man’s. Without male hormones, however, a woman cannot increase her muscle bulk as much as a man’s. Another misconception about exercise is that it increases the appetite. Actually, regular exercise stabilizes the blood-sugar level and prevents hunger pangs. Some people also think that a few minutes of exercise a day or one session a week is enough, but at least three solid workouts a week are needed for muscular and cardiovascular fitness.

Choose the Main Idea:

a) Women who lift weights cannot become as muscular as men.

b) There are several myths about exercise.

c) Exercise is beneficial to everyone.

d) People use many different excuses to avoid exercising.

Explain why you did or did not choose each possible answer above.

a) ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

b) ________________________________________________________________________

c) ________________________________________________________________________

d) ________________________________________________________________________

Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\)

“To Sherlock Holmes she is always THE woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself in a false position. He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They were admirable things for the observer--excellent for drawing the veil from men's motives and actions. But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental results.“

The main idea of this paragraph is the first sentence. The first sentence identifies the two characters that the rest of the paragraph is going to describe, and suggests at their relationship. Each sentence that follows either describes the woman, Sherlock Holmes, or how he felt about her or her effect on him.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{3}\)

Here is another example from the same story, see if you can find the main idea:

One night--it was on the twentieth of March, 1888--I was returning from a journey to a patient (for I had now returned to civil practice), when my way led me through Baker Street. As I passed the well-remembered door, which must always be associated in my mind with my wooing, and with the dark incidents of the Study in Scarlet, I was seized with a keen desire to see Holmes again, and to know how he was employing his extraordinary powers. His rooms were brilliantly lit, and, even as I looked up, I saw his tall, spare figure pass twice in a dark silhouette against the blind. He was pacing the room swiftly, eagerly, with his head sunk upon his chest and his hands clasped behind him. To me, who knew his every mood and habit, his attitude and manner told their own story. He was at work again.

a. One night--it was on the twentieth of March, 1888--I was returning from a journey to a patient (for I had now returned to civil practice), when my way led me through Baker Street.

b. As I passed the well-remembered door, which must always be associated in my mind with my wooing, and with the dark incidents of the Study in Scarlet, I was seized with a keen desire to see Holmes again, and to know how he was employing his extraordinary powers

c. His rooms were brilliantly lit, and, even as I looked up, I saw his tall, spare figure pass twice in a dark silhouette against the blind.

d. He was pacing the room swiftly, eagerly, with his head sunk upon his chest and his hands clasped behind him.

The correct answer is a. The first sentence gives you the point-of-view, or who is the person explaining what is happening, and it lets you know that this person is going into a particular place. Each of the other sentences describes the place where he, Dr. Watson, entered, what it looked like, and who was in there.

B is not as strong a choice as a, because it refers to Study in Scarlet and Holmes’ powers, which are not described in the rest of the paragraph. Choice B is too specific to be the main idea of this paragraph. Choices c and d are not correct because they are describing Holmes’ actions, and his walking is not what the whole paragraph is about.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{4}\)

Let’s try one more. Read the following and select which one is the main idea from the list below:

“At three o'clock precisely I was at Baker Street, but Holmes had not yet returned. The landlady informed me that he had left the house shortly after eight o'clock in the morning. I sat down beside the fire, however, with the intention of awaiting him, however long he might be. I was already deeply interested in his inquiry, for, though it was surrounded by none of the grim and strange features which were associated with the two crimes which I have already recorded, still, the nature of the case and the exalted station of his client gave it a character of its own. Indeed, apart from the nature of the investigation which my friend had on hand, there was something in his masterly grasp of a situation, and his keen, incisive reasoning, which made it a pleasure to me to study his system of work, and to follow the quick, subtle methods by which he disentangled the most inextricable mysteries. So accustomed was I to his invariable success that the very possibility of his failing had ceased to enter into my head.”

a. At three o'clock precisely I was at Baker Street, but Holmes had not yet returned.

b. The landlady informed me that he had left the house shortly after eight o'clock in the morning.

c. I sat down beside the fire, however, with the intention of awaiting him, however long he might be

d. I was already deeply interested in his inquiry, for, though it was surrounded by none of the grim and strange features which were associated with the two crimes which I have already recorded, still, the nature of the case and the exalted station of his client gave it a character of its own.

The way to figure out that the answer, this time, is d, is to look at each sentence that follows and ask, does this refer back to the location, Baker Street? Do they refer back to the landlady? Do they refer back to Dr. Watson’s waiting? Or, do they refer back to the case? They both refer back to the current investigation, by talking about Holmes’ way of untangling mysteries, and that Watson’s belief that the investigation would be a success.

The introduction to this paragraph may have thrown you off so be careful to read through the entire paragraph each time, and look at each sentence and its role within the paragraph. Mostly the main idea comes right up front – but not always!

Reading-Writing Connection: Thesis Statements

Exercise \(\PageIndex{5}\)

I. Develop a paragraph. Your paragraph must include the following:

• Between 7-9 sentences
• A main idea sentence
• Each sentence must be developed, and checked for correct spelling and grammar
• Have at least three of the four different types of sentences (simple, complex, compound, compound-complex)
• Attach your pre-writing practice after the paragraph, to identify which sentences are major and minor detail sentence

Supporting Details

Earlier we covered what a main idea sentence was: a sentence that names the topic, and allows the reader to understand the focus of the paragraph to follow. It is logical then that the rest of the sentences in the paragraph support the main idea sentence. Support means that they either explain something about the topic, or they offer an example.

We’ve examined the relationship between a text’s thesis statement and its overall organization through the idea of topic sentences in body paragraphs. But of course body paragraphs have a lot more “stuff” in them than just topic sentences. This section will examine in more detail what that “stuff” is made of.

First, watch this video that details the relationship between a topic sentence and supporting details, using the metaphor of a house. The video establishes the difference between major and minor details, which will be useful to apply in coming discussions. (The video has instrumental guitar for audio, but no spoken words, so it can be watched without sound if desired.)

Video: Supporting Details . Authored by: Mastering the Fundamentals of College Reading and Writing. All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube license.

The following image shows the visual relationship between the overall thesis, topic sentences, and supporting ideas:

This next image shows where a topic sentence might reside in the paragraph, in relation to the rest of the supporting details:

In #5 of the sequence above, the topic sentence is rephrased between the opening and closing of the paragraph, to reinforce the concept more strongly.

Point, Illustration, Explanation (P.I.E.)

Many authors use the PIE format to structure their essays. PIE = point, illustration, explanation to structure their body paragraph and support their thesis. The point furthers a thesis or claim and is the same as the main idea, the illustration provides support for the point, and the explanation tells the audience why the evidence provided furthers the point and/or the thesis.

For example, in his argument against the +/- grading system at Radford, student-writer Tareq Hajj makes the Point that “Without the A+, students with high grades in the class would be less motivated to work even harder in order to increase their grades.”

He Illustrates with a quote from a professor who argues, “‘(students) have less incentive to try’” (Fesheraki, 2013).

Hajj then Explains that “not providing [the most motivated students] with additional motivation of a higher grade … is inequitable.”

Through his explanation, Hajj links back to his claim that “A plus-minus grading scale … should not be used at Radford University” because, as he explains, it is “inequitable.” The PIE structure of his paragraph has served to support his thesis.

All Claims Need Evidence

Ever heard the phrase “everyone is entitled to his opinion”? It is indeed true that people are free to believe whatever they wish. However, the mere fact that a person believes something is not an argument in support of a position. If a text’s goal is to communicate effectively, it must provide valid explanations and sufficient and relevant evidence to convince its audience to accept that position. In other words, “every author is entitled to his opinion, but no author is entitled to have his opinion go unchallenged.”

What are the types of evidence?

Any text should provide illustrations for each of its points, but it is especially important to provide reliable evidence in an academic argument. This evidence can be based on primary source material or data (the author’s own experience and/or interviews, surveys, polls, experiments, that she may have created and administered). Evidence can also stem from secondary source material or data (books, journals, newspapers, magazines, websites or surveys, experiments, statistics, polls, and other data collected by others).

Let’s say, for example, that you are reading an argument that college instructors should let students use cell phones in class. Primary source material might include a survey the author administered that asks students if policies forbidding cell phone usage actually stop them from using their phones in class. Secondary sources might include articles about the issue from Faculty Focus or The Chronicle of Higher Education .

Logos, Ethos, Pathos

Writers are generally most successful with their audiences when they can skillfully and appropriately balance the three core types of appeals. These appeals are referred to by their Greek names: logos (the appeal to logic), pathos (the appeal to emotion), and ethos (the appeal to authority). All of these are used in one way or another in your body paragraphs, particularly as it relates to the support or information in the paragraph.

Logical Appeals

Authors using logic to support their claims will include a combination of different types of evidence. These include the following:

• established facts
• case studies
• experiments
• analogies and logical reasoning
• citation of recognized experts on the issue

Authoritative Appeals

Authors using authority to support their claims can also draw from a variety of techniques. These include the following:

• personal anecdotes
• illustration of deep knowledge on the issue
• testimony of those involved first-hand on the issue

Emotional Appeals

Authors using emotion to support their claims again have a deep well of options to do so. These include the following:

• impact studies

As you can see, there is some overlap on these lists. One technique might work simultaneously on multiple levels.

Most texts rely on one of the three as the primary method of support, but may also draw upon one or two others at the same time.

Check your understanding of supporting details by doing this quiz.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{6}\)

Read the paragraph below and find the main idea and supporting details.

My parents were very strict when I was growing up. My mother in particular was always correcting my behavior. One day when I forgot to look both ways when I was crossing the street, my mother made me go back home; she said that I could not go out at all if I could not be safe. My father was more concerned with my grades. Every night he would make me go to my room before I could watch television.

Let’s examine the pattern for this paragraph. The first sentence (1) presents the main idea, that my parents were strict. The second sentence (2) explains what I mean by “strict,” by saying that my mother was strict in correcting my behavior. The third sentence (3) offers an example of how she would correct my behavior. The fourth sentence (4) explains further, that my father was strict when it came to schoolwork, and then the fifth sentence (5) offers an example of how he was strict.

If we were going to diagram the paragraph above, it would look like this:

EXPLAIN (2)-___________________EXPLAIN (4)

EXAMPLE (3) EXAMPLE (5)

Major and Minor Supporting Details

One way to talk about whether a sentence directly supports the main idea (the second level), or indirectly supports the main idea (the third level) is to call them MAJOR detail sentences or MINOR detail sentences. Major details directly explain something about the topic, while minor details offer examples for the Major detail that came right before.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{7}\)

Read the paragraphs, and then identify each sentence as either a main idea, a major detail, or a minor detail sentence.

Single parents have to overcome many obstacles to return to school. If the child is very young, finding quality babysitting can be difficult. Many babysitters are unreliable and that can mean that the parent has to miss many classes, which can hurt their grades. It is also hard to find enough time to study. Children require a lot of attention and are also noisy, and that can interfere with a parent's ability to complete their homework. Finally, raising children is expensive. Many single parents discover that they can’t meet the costs of both raising children and paying for tuition, books, and fees.

Sentence #1: Sentence #2: Sentence #3: Sentence #4: Sentence #5: Sentence #6: Sentence #7:

My grandmother turned 70 last year and celebrated by going skydiving. She said she always wanted to try and figured it was now or never. Many people think that when you get older you can no longer do fun things, but this is not true. The senior center in town offers dance lessons and also takes groups to the art museum. The classes are always full because so many people want to try new things. Towns are even developing senior living communities around activities such as golf and tennis. Those communities are very popular because people like to live with others who share their interests.

Sentence #1: Sentence #2: Sentence #3: Sentence #4: Sentence #5: Sentence #6: Sentence #7

Exercise \(\PageIndex{8}\)

Below you will find several main idea sentences. Provide appropriate supporting sentences following the pattern of Major-Minor-Major- Minor.

1. It is not a good idea to watch a lot of television. Major: Minor: Major: Minor:

2. Coaches have good reasons to be firm with the players on their team. Major: Minor: Major: Minor:

3. Many people believe it is a bad idea to spank children. Major: Minor: Major: Minor:

4. There are several steps I can take to be successful in college.

Major: Minor: Major: Minor:

Reading-Writing Connection: Supporting Details

Exercise \(\PageIndex{9}\)

Return to the Thesis exercise you did previously. As part of that exercise, you identified two topic sentences from your selected reading. Now, look more closely at the paragraphs where those two topic sentences came from.

• Write a paragraph that identifies the type of support that each paragraph from the reading uses to reinforce each of those two topic sentences. Are they narrative or personal examples? Are they facts or statistics? Are they quotes or paraphrases from research materials?
• Write another paragraph that compares the effectiveness of the supporting claims of one of the selected paragraphs against the other one. Which seems more successful in its goal? Why do you feel that way?

Contributors

• Adapted from English 9Y Pre-College English . Provided by: Open Course Library. CC BY 3.0
• Adapted from Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences . Provided by: Lumen Learning. CC-BY-NC-SA
• Adapted from Methods of Discovery: A Guide to Research Writing . Authored by: Pavel Zemliansky. Provided by: Libretexts. CC BY: Attribution

This page last updated June 6, 2020.

“Explicit” vs. “Implicit”: What’s The Difference?

• Difference Between Explicit Vs. Implicit
• Implicit Vs. Explicit Memory
• Implicit Vs. Explicit Costs

The words explicit and implicit can be easily confused. They sound similar, have the same ending, and are both abstract. Adding on to that, both words have multiple meanings—sometimes they’re opposites, and sometimes they simply mean different things.

In this article, we’ll explain the different ways these two words are used, including which one means “implied” and which one means “expressed directly.” Don’t worry, we’ll be explicit in our explanation.

⚡ Quick summary

The main senses of explicit and implicit are opposites. Explicit describes something as being expressed directly without anything being implied. Implicit describes things in which a meaning is implied or hinted at rather than being expressed directly. Explicit and implicit also have other specific meanings that are not necessarily opposites.

What is the difference between explicit vs. implicit ?

The adjective explicit describes something that has been expressed directly. For example, saying We gave them explicit instructions means that the instructions were stated in detail. Something that’s described as explicit doesn’t leave anything up to interpretation.

In contrast, the adjective implicit describes something that has been implied —meaning it has been suggested or hinted at but not actually directly stated or expressed. For example, saying We had an implicit agreement means that the agreement was implied but never actually stated or written down.

These senses of explicit and implicit are direct opposites. Consider the difference between these two statements:

• Don’t press that button—it will give you an electric shock.
• I wouldn’t press that button if I were you.

Statement 1 is an explicit warning. The speaker is clearly and directly telling you not to press the button and what will happen if you do. Statement 2 is an implicit warning. The speaker isn’t outright telling you not to press the button, nor do they say what exactly will happen if you. Rather, they are insinuating —implying, hinting—that something bad will happen if you press the button.

Directly related to explicit is the verb explicate , which means the same thing as explain. On the other hand, implicit is related to the verb imply , meaning “to suggest something without saying it.”

How to tell the difference between similes and metaphors.

To remember the difference, remember that the ex- in explicit comes from the prefix meaning “out,” and the im- in implicit comes from the prefix meaning “in.” If something’s explicit , a person comes right out and says it; if something’s implicit , the true meaning is in someone’s head.

The words explicit and implicit also have other senses that are used in particular contexts. For example, the word explicit can mean that something has sexual or inappropriate content, as in explicit lyrics or This interview features explicit language .

The word implicit can also mean “unquestioning or unreserved,” which is how it’s used in phrases like implicit trust and implicit obedience . Sometimes, it means “inherent.” This is how it’s used in the phrase implicit bias , which refers to a prejudice that someone has without knowing it.

It can be easy to confuse implicit and explicit because they are often used in the same contexts, or even alongside each other. Let’s look at a few specific situations to see the difference.

Go Behind The Words!

• By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy policies.
• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

implicit vs. explicit memory

In psychology and the study of memory, the words implicit and explicit are used to describe two different kinds of memory. Explicit memory refers to information that takes effort to remember—the kind we need to think hard about to dig out of our memory bank. Implicit memory , on the other hand, refers to information we can recall very easily or even unconsciously.

For most people, things considered part of implicit memory include knowing how to tie your shoes, knowing how to read, or knowing where you live. Typically, you can remember these things without even having to think about them.

In contrast, examples of explicit memory include dates of historical events, times for scheduled appointments, and passwords. Most of the time, you need to actively think about these things (at least a little bit) in order to correctly recall them.

implicit vs. explicit costs

In finance and economics, implicit and explicit are used in the terms implicit costs and explicit costs .

Of the two, explicit costs are easier to understand. These are costs expressly documented as such by a company. Explicit costs include things like employee salaries, repairs, utility bills, debt payments, land purchases, and so on.

Implicit costs are less direct. These are the undocumented costs that a business experiences as the result of something happening. For example, a company might close a store for a day in order to clean it. While this closure may not cost the company money as it is recorded on a balance sheet, it does have an implicit cost : lost sales. As another example, a business may have a manager train a new employee. The company of course pays the explicit cost of the manager’s salary, but there is also the unrecorded implicit cost of time, productivity, and profit considered to be lost during the time taken away from the manager’s main job.

What do you know about the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?

Commonly Confused

Trending Words

• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Why Log In?

• All collections

You are here

Exploring the Effects of Vicarious Exposure to Police Violence on Implicit and Explicit Perceptions of the Police

• Description

Stults, Madeleine Elizabeth (author)

text bachelor thesis

Negative police-civilian interactions are at the forefront of public discourse, fueled in part by increased media coverage of police violence. Perhaps consequentially, recent research indicates that individuals tend to associate the police with threats to the self, leading to defensive behaviors. Yet it remains unclear what mechanisms facilitate the learning of police-threat associations and what are the downstream psychological and behavioral implications – aside from defensive behaviors – of police-threat associations. This proposal will address these questions by (1) examining whether police-threat associations can result from exposure to videos of negative civilian-police interactions, and (2) exploring a range of downstream consequences for trust in police and behavioral intentions toward the police. In the following sections, I describe a working model by which individuals can learn to associate police with threat through the means of vicarious exposure to police violence, expand on possible psychological implications resulting from the development of such an association, and detail a study to test this idea. People can learn to associate objects or others with physical harm through threat conditioning. Threat conditioning results when an object or person (i.e., the conditioned stimulus; CS) becomes associated with physical threat via the direct pairing of that stimulus with a threat-inducing object (i.e., the unconditioned stimulus, US; e.g., image of a gun). The result is an increased threat association and response upon re-exposure to the now CS. Threat responses in humans include, for example, skin conductance responses, startle eyeblinks, reduced postural sway (i.e., freezing), and sometimes increased self-reported fear. People can also learn threat associations towards certain stimuli absent direct exposure to CS-US pairings (e.g., viewing images of snake [CS] while being shocked [US]) but instead by watching other people who are exposed to those pairings (e.g., viewing a snake [CS] attacking [US] another person). That is, people can learn that stimuli are sources of threat by witnessing them inflicting harm upon other humans. For example, participants in a recent study watched a video where a demonstrator received an electric shock while looking at pictures of snakes or spiders. When participants subsequently underwent the same conditioning paradigm—being shocked while viewing the images themselves—they displayed a stronger threat response towards the object (snakes or spiders) of which the demonstrator was conditioned. This reveals that participants learned an enhanced threat response vicariously through witnessing the pairing of snakes (i.e., the CS) with shock (i.e., the US) occur to the demonstrator. Traditionally, laboratory research on human threat conditioning utilizes novel and arbitrary symbols as conditioned stimuli, offering researchers a controlled environment free from existing associations. Yet recently, several studies have explored threat conditioning using social groups as CS’s. These studies find that pairing a threat US with both in- and out-group faces can produce a threat conditioned response. Specifically, one study used electric shock as the threat US and faces varying in race and emotion as the CS. However, threat conditioned responses also demonstrate a greater resistance to extinction (i.e., unlearning following the unpairing of a CS+ with a US) in CS-US pairings involving out-group versus in-group faces. Resistance to extinction is also common in stimuli the individual sees as detrimental to survival, including out-group faces. This effect has been found when using as CS’s Black American (vs. White), Central African and Middle-Eastern (vs. North European), and minimal outgroup faces. Biased fear extinction to out- versus in-group faces suggests that out (vs. in) group faces are at least partially biologically prepared fear stimuli. That is, people readily learn that certain groups are sources of danger and have a more difficult time unlearning these associations. In light of these findings, I suggest that threat conditioning may also contribute to shaping attitudes towards law enforcement officers. First, to civilians, police officers are a distinct outgroup coalition and thus potentially a prepared threat. Moreover, because exposure to police often co-occurs within the context of violence and physical aggression, civilians may passively learn to associate police with danger via vicarious threat conditioning. Merely witnessing a violent interaction between an officer and a civilian, then, may lead to vicariously fear-conditioned police-threat association. Vicarious conditioned police-threat associations may develop, for example, from something as simple as witnessing footage of police violence shared on social media or in the news or from watching a violent arrest unfold in real-time. In this scenario, police function as the CS and the presence of physical aggression functions as the US. The repeated pairing of police with a threat-provoking stimulus or context may strengthen such an association between police and threat, so that when encountering police in the future, the conditioned threat response may become active. Supporting this idea, bystanders of police brutality develop persistent threat responses linked to the event. Specifically, individuals who experience repeated vicarious exposure to police violence describe long-lasting aversion towards police. It is also likely that these negative experiences with police violence are more vital to the shaping of a threat association with police, as an individual’s past negative police-civilian interactions have a greater influence than positive police-civilian interactions on their self-reported perceptions of police as responsive to community concerns and effective. The goal of the current work is to test whether vicarious exposure to police violence affects a police-threat association and to examine possible consequences of this association for behavioral intentions. Specifically, I expose participants to vicarious police violence to test the effect on police-threat associations and explore the degree to which such associations affect important social outcomes and beliefs, including trust, perceived procedural fairness and justice, and legitimacy and effectiveness of the police. Additionally, this study will explore the consequences of a police-threat association for behavioral intentions like willingness to call the police when in danger, perceived obligation to obey, and overall expectations about police encounters. I expect that vicarious exposure to police-violence and aggression will affect a police-threat association that leads to general mistrust and aversion towards police as psychological consequences

psychology, police, violence, threat, social, video, social media, police violence, threat, fear, danger

https://doi.org/10.33009/FSU_7872612f-ea99-4426-a4c3-ab4c37e11e6f

honors_thesis_submission-7872612f-ea99-4426-a4c3-ab4c37e11e6f 10.33009/FSU_7872612f-ea99-4426-a4c3-ab4c37e11e6f

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In Collections

• Undergraduate Honors Theses

Video: Explicit Versus Implicit Thesis Statements

The following video defines the key terms explicit and implicit, as they relate to thesis statements and other ideas present in what you read.  It also introduces the excellent idea of the reading voice and the thinking voice that strong readers use as they work through a text.

To help keep you on your toes, the author of this video challenges you to find her spelling mistake in one of her cards along the way!

According to author Pavel Zemliansky,

Arguments then, can be explicit and implicit, or implied. Explicit arguments contain noticeable and definable thesis statements and lots of specific proofs. Implicit arguments, on the other hand, work by weaving together facts and narratives, logic and emotion, personal experiences and statistics. Unlike explicit arguments, implicit ones do not have a one-sentence thesis statement. Instead, authors of implicit arguments use evidence of many different kinds in effective and creative ways to build and convey their point of view to their audience. Research is essential for creative effective arguments of both kinds.

Even if what you’re reading is an informative text, rather than an argumentative one, it might still rely on an implicit thesis statement.  It might ask you to piece together the overall purpose of the text based on a series of content along the way.

• Video: Explicit Versus Implicit Thesis Statements. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Research Writing and Argument. Authored by : Pavel Zemliansky. Provided by : https://learn.saylor.org/mod/page/view.php?id=7163. Project : Methods of Discovery: A Guide to Research Writing. License : CC BY: Attribution
• explicit v implicit. Authored by : Michele Armentrout. Located at : https://youtu.be/eHjRogrFZ28 . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License