Umbrella and Thesis Statements

Depending on the type of report you are writing or on your reader’s needs, your main message can take different forms. For the most part, however, your main message should show that you have taken a position on the subject about which you are writing. When a sentence reveals the writer’s position, it is called a thesis statement. On the other hand, sometimes your main message will be more neutral in tone, especially in cases where you are presenting new information that has yet to be analyzed more thoroughly. These types of statements are called umbrella statements and they more closely resemble statements of fact.

Take a look at the following three statements on the subject of crop outputs. Each statement represents a different level of the writer's position. Read through each one and see how they differ.

Umbrella statement

Crop outputs in the Kano area have increased by slightly less than 5 percent overall in the past three years, as compared with targeted increases of 10 percent per year.

Thesis statement

The Kano project has achieved only a small fraction of the increase in crop output anticipated at the outset, and there is some doubt as to whether even that small increase is being produced economically.

Stronger thesis statement

Although crop outputs on the Kano project have increased slightly, flaws in both design and implementation have kept the project from meeting its objectives.