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Access Date: March 15, 2023

Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc.

City: Thousand Oaks

Online ISBN: 9781412961288

© 2012 SAGE Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A purpose statement is a declarative statement that summarizes a research project’s main goal or goals. A

purpose statement provides some guidance in establishing a research question and serves as an introduction

to the resultant paper or dissertation chapter.

Developing the Purpose Statement

At the beginning of a research project, it is helpful for the researcher to use a declarative sentence to state

the main goal or goals of the project in specific terms. Statements that begin with the phrase “I wish to learn

…” or “I plan to examine …” can be helpful insofar as they can move the topic’s abstract notions to a con-

crete research question, which is the springboard for the resultant research design. Furthermore, a purpose

statement can ground the researcher, providing a point of reference to which the researcher may return, par-

ticularly as the study increases in complexity. However, this does not imply that the purpose statement is final,

because the researcher may revise the statement as needed. If external factors such as unavailability of rel-

evant data force the researcher to make substantial changes to his or her research design, he or she may

want to update the purpose statement to reflect those changes.

Using the Purpose Statement

In addition to serving as a catalyst for the underlying research project, a purpose statement can be worked

into subsequent papers or dissertation chapters derived from the project. Always near the end of the introduc-

tion, a purpose statement states the paper’s intent, scope, and direction. Specifically, it provides for an abbre-

viated preview of the paper’s main topic, while avoiding a discussion of the author’s specific conclusions.

In research papers, purpose statements often start with phrases such as “This paper examines …,” “The main

purpose of this study is to …” or “The aim of this article is to Purpose statements should be specific and pre-

cise, and should avoid vague, ambiguous, or confusing language. This ensures that there is no doubt in the

reader’s mind as to the research project’s intended direction.

Introductions: Purpose Statements versus Thesis Statements

A purpose statement also serves as the foundation for a thesis statement, which provides assertions about

the topic at hand and summarizes the author’s conclusions. Unlike a purpose statement, a thesis statement

provides a cursory answer to the question and is developed after the researcher has gathered evidence,

which is presented in the body of the research paper.

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© 2010 by SAGE Publications, Inc.

Sage Research Methods

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The decision to use a thesis statement in the introduction is determined by the underlying norms of the spe-

cific discipline, as well as the author’s preferences. In some cases, the author may simply state the paper’s

intended purpose at the outset, delaying the discussion of any results until the end of the paper. At the very

least, a research paper introduction should provide a discussion of the research question and some informa-

tion about how the author intends to explore the question, even if the answers are not presented until the

conclusion.

Examples of Thesis and Purpose Statements

Ineffective purpose statement #1: “This paper examines the impact of elites upon elections.” It is unclear

about what types of elites, what types of elections, or even which potential electoral effects the researcher

intends to examine.

Effective purpose statement #1: This paper examines the extent to which public endorsements by political

elites shape electoral participation, particularly in proposition elections where the traditional information short-

cut of partisanship is absent.”

Thesis statement #1: Elite cues help increase electoral participation because they provide information short-

cuts to potential voters who may not be fully informed about the details of a given electoral contest.”

Ineffective purpose statement #2: “This paper examines changes to election laws.” In addition to being non-

specific as to what types of election laws are being examined, it is unclear as to whether the author is exam-

ining the sources of those changes, or the potential impact of those changes.

Effective purpose statement #2: This paper examines the potential impact of the straight-ticket voting option

upon electoral down-ballot outcomes.”

Thesis statement #2: Although Illinois Republicans appeared to eliminate the straight-ticket option in 1997

for partisan reasons, evidence suggests that Democrats might have actually benefitted from this ballot format

change.”

Michael A.Lewkowicz

See also

Dissertation

Research

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© 2010 by SAGE Publications, Inc.

Sage Research Methods

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Research Question

Further Readings

Popper, K.(1959).The logic of scientific discovery.New York: Basic Books.

https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412961288

SAGE

© 2010 by SAGE Publications, Inc.

Sage Research Methods

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