preliminary essay meaning

Forming the Preliminary Topic Sentence or Thesis Statement

Stacy alleyne.

Writing a good thesis statement is a matter of knowing your opinion on an issue and stating it clearly and concisely. The thesis statement is the most important sentence in your essay because it is the guide of your paper and helps to keep you going in the right direction.

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You must assert your thesis statement authoritatively. It shouldn't be stated as an opinion or emotionally charged statement. For example, the statement, “Ice cream doesn’t taste good” is not a thesis statement; it is an opinion. However, “Ice cream is bad for your health” is a thesis statement because a person can defend or argue against it with evidence and facts. To write a good thesis you must state your position correctly.

2 Inclusive

Ideally, a thesis statement should include in one sentence everything you plan on covering in your essay. While this might seem implausible at first, it really is possible to fit your major points into one concise statement. For example, “Ice cream is bad for your health” is a thesis statement, but it is not enough to carry an entire essay. “Ice cream is bad for your health because it’s high in fat, sugar and carbohydrates” is a more effective thesis statement because it tells the reader exactly what your essay will cover.

Your thesis statement does not have to be the first sentence in your essay; in fact, it probably shouldn’t be. Thesis statements are usually at the end of the introductory paragraph. Don’t bury your thesis in the middle of your essay. Remember, the purpose of your thesis statement is to help your readers see and understand your position on a certain issue. If you wait too long to introduce them to your main points, they might lose interest or not understand what you are trying to say.

It’s important that your thesis statement is short and to the point. Your thesis shouldn't run on for a paragraph. A short one- or two-sentence statement will suffice. An overly lengthy thesis can be confusing for the reader and can throw the writer off track by sending him or her off in too many directions. Keep your thesis statement as concise and on point as possible.

• 1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Thesis Statements

About the Author

Stacy Alleyne is a certified English teacher with a BA in English and graduate work in English, education, journalism and law. She has written numerous articles and her own dining column for the "Gazette."

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Research guides, guide to research and writing for the academic study of religion.

• Topic Pyramids
• Research Assignment Parameters
• Thesis statement
• Identifying Interests
• Controversy
• Availability of Sources

Preliminary Research

• Developing Your Question and Thesis
• Research Question and Thesis Statement Examples
• Periodicals
• Primary Sources
• Reference Works - Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Biographies etc
• Journal Articles
• Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
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• Searching Basics Quiz
• Search Overview
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• General Criteria
• Quoting in text
• in Text Citations
• List of References
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Staying Organized
• Links to Writing Help
• Sources Used in Creating this Workbook

Developing a good research question is impossible without doing some preliminary research.  Preliminary research gives you background information on your topic, answering questions such as who, what, when and where.  This research will also help you determine controversies related to your topic and determine if there are enough sources available to cover the topic effectively.

 You will encounter and learn much more information than you will convey in your final paper. Background information will enrich your research paper but should not bog it down in trivia. For example, if you were doing a paper on Hildegaard of Bingen, you should know that she was born into a noble family in Germany in 1098 and entered a hermitage at the age of eight and became a Benedictine Abbess. This information will help you contextualize her work in your own mind but your research paper should not be a simple recitation of these facts. Your research question should take you beyond the common knowledge found in encyclopedias, but without that  common knowledge your research will lack a solid foundation.

What follows is a list of resources that you may find useful for doing preliminary research in the field of Religious Studies. Keep in mind the type of information that you will need based on your preliminary topic and where your topic falls in the topic pyramid. Remember that the pyramid is a continuum rather than a series of discrete stages, so your topic likely will draw on both columns for some resources.

Resources for Preliminary Research

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preliminary

Definition of preliminary

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of preliminary  (Entry 2 of 2)

• introductory
• preparative
• preparatory
• curtain-raiser
• prolog

Examples of preliminary in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preliminary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

French préliminaires , plural, from Medieval Latin praeliminaris , adjective, preliminary, from Latin prae- pre- + limin-, limen threshold

1657, in the meaning defined above

1656, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near preliminary

Cite this entry.

“Preliminary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preliminary. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of preliminary.

Kids Definition of preliminary  (Entry 2 of 2)

Legal Definition

Legal definition of preliminary, more from merriam-webster on preliminary.

Nglish: Translation of preliminary for Spanish Speakers

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How to write an undergraduate-level essay

Create a preliminary plan for the document, 1. think about your topic, 2. create a preliminary plan.

• 3. Draft your thesis statement
• 4a. Become familiar with information sources
• 4b. Select the appropriate search tool
• 4c. Develop effective searches
• 4d. Beyond keyword searching
• 4e. Find statistical information
• 4f. Evaluate the resources you find
• 4g. Read, absorb, and organize the information you find
• 5. Create the final version of your document plan
• 6. Double-check your research
• 7. Start writing the first draft
• 8. Overcome writer's block
• 9. Revise the draft
• 10. Edit the draft
• 11. Prepare the final version
• 12. Submit the assignment

A. It doesn't give you an opportunity to think about what you already know about the topic before you start filling your thoughts with other people's ideas;

B. It is easy to become totally overwhelmed and frustrated by how much research is available.

Since the point of an essay is for you to tell your reader your ideas on a topic, versus just repeating other people's ideas, it is important that you first decide what you think you might want to focus on before you start searching through the Library databases or the Internet. At this stage, it's normal that your ideas are quite broad, but you have to figure out what you already know from your readings, discussions, and your own experiences before you can identify what you don't know and need to research.

Image credit: Pexels from Pixabay

• What do you want to focus on in the paper? What is your major argument? With this information, you can create a preliminary thesis statement .
• What are the major ideas that you're going to write about? How will these ideas support your primary argument?
• What do you want to learn about in your research? What don't you understand about the topic?

By choosing directions for your research, you can keep your research contained to what is relevant and useful for your paper. Otherwise, it's easy to end up doing enough research to write a thesis when all you're trying to write is a five-page paper. It can be as challenging to manage too much information as it is to have too little information or not enough facts to prove your argument.

Your plan will change as you learn more about your topic, but having a starting direction for your process gives you a scope and a direction for your research and writing. See  Planning the Paper  for more information.

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Step 5: Develop a Preliminary Thesis Statement

Coming up with a strong thesis is a process that takes time. You don't really have a finished thesis until you reach the end of your research investigation and conclude your argument. Once you have reached a balanced, informed perspective on your material, or come to the conclusion of your argument, you will have your thesis or claim. In order to get to this thesis, however, you will have to create a "working thesis" or preliminary thesis statement. The preliminary thesis will provide you with a strong focus that you can use when writing the response to your assignment.

Develop a Preliminary Thesis

Use your research question to launch your thesis.

Your thesis should provide an answer to your research question . Without a thesis, you will write an informative paper about your question rather than an argumentative paper that provides an answer.

Your research question may prompt you to identify a problem and pose a solution.

Example from a Second-Year Political Science Paper

Canada's current electoral system is flawed, undemocratic and divisive [Problem] . Reforming Canada's electoral system to a mixed-member proportional system with a five-percent threshold would make it more democratic, promote national unity, and increase civic interest in democracy [Response/ Argument/ Thesis] .

Note that this thesis statement includes two sentences:

• a claim (the problem)
• support for the claim (the response, made up of two parts: a solution and three reasons why the solution will address the problem)

Do not simply give a statement of intent or what you will try to do in the paper (e.g. "In this paper, I will analyze the reasons that Canada's electoral system is flawed and consider a possible solution."). This statement of intent may be a good initial response to the research question, but your thesis needs to present your conclusion, not how you got there.

Make Your Thesis an Arguable Statement

Your thesis must be debatable and cannot be a conclusion that simply describes an event or phenomenon or restates a commonly known fact.

Although questions can be used to good rhetorical effect in your introduction (and throughout your paper), your thesis should not be a question, but a statement of claim.

Demonstrate Independent Thinking

The point of the thesis is to show your thoughts on a topic. Although it can be intimidating to make a strong claim in writing — a claim that will be judged, and that you may be expected to defend personally — but it is also a particular benefit of academia that you are allowed and even encouraged to make strong claims based on solid reasoning, and that you will be lauded for doing so.

Pass the "So What?" Test

The reader will shrug and say "so what?" to an uninteresting thesis, so be sure your thesis makes a strong and notable point. Evaluate your thesis by asking yourself what the implications of your thesis are, e.g., "So what if a proportional electoral system were implemented in Canada? Would it matter?" Look at the sample thesis above: does it pass the "so what?" test?

Provide Details rather than Vague Assertions

Be clear about the approach you are going to take to support your thesis.

Consider including a "blueprint" or a "roadmap" of the major points you will make in your paper. Academic writing conventions require you to provide your reader with an outline of the argument you intend to make before you make it.

Thesis Statements: Beyond the Basics

You will keep revising your thesis statement as you go, making it increasingly specific and argumentative. See Step 9 for an example.

Writing Centre | Credits and Acknowledgments | Your thoughts on the Laurier Assignment Planner

The Research Project Calculator is a project funded jointly by MINITEX and MnLINK to develop Cool Tools for Minnesota secondary school students and their teachers. It is based on the original Assignment Calculator from the University of Minnesota Libraries .

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Conducting Preliminary Research

Barry Mauer and John Venecek

We discuss the following topics on this page:

Introduction

Preliminary research strategies, finding scholars.

We also provide the following activities:

Conducting Preliminary Research [Refresher]

• Finding Scholars [Refresher]

Sometimes called “pre-research,” preliminary research is an inventive stage in which you investigate possible topics of interest. For example, once you fully understand your assignment, the next step might be to conduct some background research online, or talk to friends and classmates. However, while it’s a good idea to try out your ideas with non-experts, the real test is to try them out with experts. If your ideas are not fully formed yet, you can ask experts to help guide you in the right direction. Undergraduate students often overlook this strategy, but it can be incredibly effective and it can lead to good research topics and resources. Let’s take a closer look at some more preliminary research strategies.

Consider using some of the ideas below:

• Explore Literary Studies Journals: Scholars share their work through many venues, but the most important is peer-reviewed scholarly journals in their field. Princeton keeps a list of some of the most important literary studies journals . Imagine yourself as a future contributor to one of these journals!
• Work with a Mentor: A mentor is someone who can help and guide you as a scholar during the research process. Mentorship can take many forms; UCF offers many mentorship programs such as the Research And Mentoring Program (RAMP) , McNair Scholars Program , Honors Undergraduate Thesis (HUT) , and the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) . Many of these offer financial and logistical support to students.
• Delve into the Invention Stage: This can be a messy process, so keep a notebook to jot down ideas and questions as they occur to you. You’ll need to develop a research question, so those notes may come in handy later. Also, think about what types of sources you’ll need to complete your project. The assignment may specify certain types, such as scholarly monographs and journal articles, but what else might you need? What about media and other primary sources? Where would you find them? Should you explore digital archives or make an appointment with an archivist?
• Manage your Time : Think about time-management and set milestones. Even though pulling all-nighters is a rite of passage for college students, your stress will be greatly reduced (and  the quality of your research enhanced) if you’re not racing to finish everything at the last minute. Be sure to keep those milestones simple and achievable so you don’t get overwhelmed by unrealistic goals. We encourage you to use a planner!
• Investigate Professional Organizations : Many famous authors have organizations dedicated to their legacy. One of these is The William Faulkner Society , which assembles lists of scholarly journals, conferences and conventions, research centers and information sources, and interdisciplinary university institutes. Many such organizations also provide scholarships for students. Look through the contents of author societies’ websites, as well as recent journals and conference proceedings, to help you generate ideas for your own research.
• Talk to Experts : Finally, ask for help! You’re attending a large university where you’re surrounded by highly educated people. Don’t be afraid to schedule appointments and conduct interviews with them. Also, consider meeting with the subject librarian in your major to get an overview of key resources and tools available at the library.

Taking time to work through the preliminary research process will set the foundation for everything that comes after, and it will make your job easier.

A word about mentorship: having a mentor (whether faculty or peer) will vastly improve your experience as a researcher. Even many experienced researchers have their own mentors because they understand the value that comes with being a mentee. If you plan to work with a mentor, keep in mind a few points:

• If you are having difficulty with the research, put in some work on your own to address the problem before going to your mentor, The mentor’s job is to help you, not to do the work for you.
• Ask your mentor about their own research process so you can better understand the tasks and skills involved.
• Keep a positive attitude; even if you feel like you do not yet have the necessary knowledge or skills, tell yourself that you are in the learning stage and that you are doing your best.
• Recognize that a mentor is there to help but may not be able to meet all your needs. Take ownership of your own learning and research.
• It is okay to seek mentorship from more than one person.

Background Research [1 min 20 sec] [1]

For more advice on Conducting Preliminary Research, consider the following from WritingCommons.org: [2]

The goal of Preliminary Research is not necessarily to become an authority on a specific topic so much as to identify conversation chatter: across disciplines, what are experts talking about? And, ultimately, if given a choice, what interests you the most? Preliminary Research could involve

• discussions with friends about ideas.
• interviews with experts, bosses, clients, and teachers.
• scanning a wikipedia page or Google search
• skimming over documents to learn about the genres and research methods of particular discourse communities/community of practice.

Throughout these chapters we have been emphasizing the idea of scholarship as conversation. This notion extends beyond the written paper to the entire research process, and nowhere is it more important than during your literature review! Just to reiterate this point, here are a few ideas to consider:

• Talk To Your Instructor : Don’t be afraid to talk to your instructor at different stages of your research. This is a good way to stay on track, make sure the scope and purpose of your project are on target, and to make sure you’re finding the right types of sources. Your instructor may also know about important books or articles you haven’t discovered yet as well as key researchers or theorists who work in your area:
• Meet with a Librarian:  University and college libraries usually offer a research consultation service. It is recommended to schedule an appointment as early in the process as possible. Consultations generally focus on the same search strategies discussed throughout this course, but they will be tailored to your individual needs/project.
• Interview an Expert : Whether at your university or someone you’ve discovered during your literature review, consider setting up an informational interview. To get started, introduce yourself, briefly describe your research project, explain why you’re contacting them, and request an interview or assistance with a specific research problem. You might not get a response from everyone, but you’ll be surprised how willing established researchers are to talk to student scholars who show initiative.

The best way to find scholars to talk to about your work is to look through the scholarly literature and identify the authors of the work you like. You can also look through the citations in their works to identify other authors. Then you can look up those people online. Most researchers are affiliated with institutions like universities and they have email addresses you can find on their faculty webpage. You can write to them at their institution, share your interest in their work, and ask for a consultation.

  Finding Scholars [Refresher]

• List three things you have researched (they don’t have to be related to school projects). Discuss your experiences with any of the research you listed. Which parts did you enjoy the most? Where did you have the most difficulty? Did you find what you were looking for? How valuable was the information and the experience?

Feel free to use a grid format, as above, or just make a list of these items under each entry.

• Sometimes the  publication date  is tricky – a work might have remained unpublished for a long period of time. If so, note when it was written (approximately) and then published. Sometimes a work may have been revised and republished. If so, indicate the publication date of the version you read (its original publication date, and not the publication date of the anthology).
• Literary genre  refers to whether a work is a novel, short story, drama, poem, parable, allegory, non-fiction, essay, folk or fairy tale, sacred text, children’s literature, or memoir. Additionally,  literary themes  can be part of genres as in comedy, tragedy, lyric, epic, detective or crime stories, science fiction, supernatural, historical, etc. These are not strict categories and a work may combine more than one.
• Nation or region of author  can be tricky as well. For instance, an author may write in a country far from where they were born and/or raised. Or they may be born in a country that is divided by region. Note anything significant about the author’s place(s).
• The  brief description  is just a sentences or a few sentences to indicate what the literature is about. It does not need to include a plot summary or a complete list of characters and themes. For example, we could say that Homer’s  Odyssey  is the story of a hero and the obstacles he faces on his journey home from war.
• Initial thoughts  are just that: thoughts upon a first reading. These could be about things you notice, things you like or dislike, things that intrigue you, things that are confusing, things that are mysteries, things that are easy or difficult, elements of the texts such as style, voice, meter, diction, etc.
• Major theory or type of criticism  refers to the major literary theories (Marxist, feminist, post-colonial, formal, historical, linguistic, audience studies, structuralist, post-structuralist, etc.) or the themes or issues being addressed. These are not strict categories and a work may combine more than one.
• The  brief description  is just a sentences or a few sentences to indicate what the literary criticism or theory is about. It does not need to include a summary of the whole argument, but should include the major claim(s).
• Initial thoughts  are just that: thoughts upon a first reading. These could be about things you notice, things you like or dislike, things that intrigue you, things that are confusing, things that are mysteries, things that are easy or difficult, elements of the texts such as style, voice, diction, etc.
• If there are any elements of your assignment that need clarification, please list them.
• What was the most important lesson you learned from this page? What point was confusing or difficult to understand?
• NKU, Steely Library, director. Background Research . YouTube , YouTube, 13 Dec. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gXGMJAXSU4&t=74s . Accessed 1 Apr. 2022. ↵
• Writing Commons. “Preliminary Research.” Writing Commons , 11 Aug. 2020, https://writingcommons.org/section/invention/preliminary-research/ . ↵

Students often overlook the importance of managing and organizing their research as part of the literature review. There are many programs available online, such as Zotero. There is no one proper way to manage your research, but it’s important to have a system that works for you.

As you continue down your path to becoming a researcher, one of two things tends to happen.  A) you have a closet full of printed journal articles that you are saving “just in case”, but you have no idea what’s in there, or why it was important; or B) you are constantly trying to remember what that one article was that you read that one time, but it wasn’t relevant at the time, so you threw it away; or C) all of the above.

Luckily there are citation management programs to help you wrangle and organize your research. As a bonus, they will format your bibliography into the appropriate style at the click of a button.

There are many citation management options to choose from. The key is to find the one that works best with your research style.  The most popular freely available options are Mendeley and Zotero.

For more information about each option, check out the UCF library’s guides to citation management .

Looking for an easy way to compare the different citation management system features? See this chart created and maintained by Penn Libraries.

Strategies for Conducting Literary Research, 2e Copyright © 2021 by Barry Mauer and John Venecek is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Module 6: Research

Preliminary research strategies.

The first step towards writing a research paper is pretty obvious: find sources. Not everything that you find will be good, and those that are good are not always easily found.  Having an idea of what you’re looking for–what will most help you develop your essay and enforce your thesis–will help guide your process.

Example of a Research Process

A good research process should go through these steps:

• Decide on the topic.
• Narrow the topic in order to narrow search parameters.
• Create a question that your research will address.
• Generate sub-questions from your main question.
• Determine what kind of sources are best for your argument.
• Create a bibliography as you gather and reference sources.

Each of these is described in greater detail below.

The research process is messy! Do not start research haphazardly—come up with a plan first.

A research plan should begin after you can clearly identify the focus of your argument. First, inform yourself about the basics of your topic (Wikipedia and general online searches are great starting points). Be sure you’ve read all the assigned texts and carefully read the prompt as you gather preliminary information.  This stage is sometimes called pre-research .

A broad online search will yield thousands of sources, which no one could be expected to read through. To make it easier on yourself, the next step is to narrow your focus. Think about what kind of position or stance you can take on the topic. What about it strikes you as most interesting? Refer back to the prewriting stage of the writing process, which will come in handy here.

Preliminary Search Tips

• It is okay to start with Wikipedia as a reference, but do not use it as an official source. Look at the links and references at the bottom of the page for more ideas.
• Use “Ctrl+F” to find certain words within a webpage in order to jump to the sections of the article that interest you.
• Use quotation marks to narrow your search from just tanks in WWII to “Tanks in WWII” or “Tanks” in “WWII”.
• Find specific types of websites by adding “site:.gov” or “site:.edu” or “site:.org”. You can also search for specific file types like “filetype:.pdf”.
• Click on “Search Tools” under the search bar in Google and select “Any time” to see a list of options for time periods to help limit your search. You can find information just in the past month or year, or even for a custom range.

Use features already available through Google Search like Search Tools and Advanced Search to narrow and refine your results.

As you narrow your focus, create a list of questions that you’ll need to answer in order to write a good essay on the topic.  The research process will help you answer these questions.

Another part of your research plan should include the type of sources you want to gather. Keep track of these sources in a bibliography and jot down notes about the book, article, or document and how it will be useful to your essay. This will save you a lot of time later in the essay process–you’ll thank yourself!

• Revision and Adaptation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
• The Research Process graphic. Authored by : Kim Louie for Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Organizing Your Research Plan. Provided by : Boundless. Located at : https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/ . Project : Boundless Writing. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

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Welcome to the Research Planning Guide

Step 5: devise a preliminary outline.

• Step 1: Understand the Assignment
• Step 2: Choose your Topic
• Step 3: Gain Working Knowledge
• Step 4: Create the Research Question
• How to Search the Catalog
• Types of Searches
• Articles from our Databases
• Search Terms
• Step 9: Read and Take Notes
• Step 10: Get Organized / Finalize Outline
• Step 11: Write the First Draft
• Step 12: Revise, Rewrite, and Proofread
• Citation Help
• Step 14: Evaluate the Process & Yourself

The preliminary outline can serve as your road map for research.

How do you create a preliminary outline? First, realize that all research papers will start with an introduction and end with a conclusion.  In between, there are usually three to five points that must be covered in order to answer the question sufficiently.

Suppose this is your research question: "Will stronger gun-control legislation protect lives?"  Your preliminary outline might look something like this:

I.     Introduction  

II.    Evidence that gun-control laws protect citizens

III.   Evidence that gun-control laws have no effect on civic safety

IV.   Analysis of effectiveness of current gun-control laws

V.    Conclusion

As you search for books and articles on your topic, you can look for items that will support the various parts of your outline.  You can even organize your research results by grouping items according to their usefulness for supporting the different points in your outline. 

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• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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Table of contents

What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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What Is A Preliminary Literature Review

Embarking on a research journey requires careful planning and a solid foundation of knowledge about the existing body of work related to the chosen topic. One crucial step in this process is the preliminary literature review, a comprehensive examination of previously published research that lays the groundwork for a successful study. 

Table of Contents

This blog will help you understand what is a preliminary literature review, its purpose, and how to write one. 

What Is A Preliminary Literature Review – Definition

A preliminary literature review is a comprehensive survey of existing scholarly works, articles, books, and other sources that are relevant to a particular research topic or question. This type of literature review is conducted at the beginning of a research project to gain an understanding of the existing knowledge in the field and to identify gaps, trends, and key concepts that will inform the researcher’s own study.

Purpose Of A Preliminary Literature Review

The purpose of a preliminary literature review is to:

Establish A Foundation

It helps researchers familiarize themselves with the existing literature related to their research topic and thesis statement . This foundation is crucial for understanding the context and background of the subject.

Identify Gaps And Trends

By reviewing existing literature, researchers can identify gaps in current knowledge or areas where further research is needed. They can also identify trends, controversies, and debates within the field.

Refine Research Questions And Objectives

The information gathered from the literature review in a thesis or a dissertation helps researchers refine their research questions and objectives. It allows them to tailor their study to contribute meaningfully to the existing body of knowledge.

Avoid Duplication

Researchers can ensure they are not duplicating efforts by conducting a preliminary literature review. This step helps them understand what has already been studied and published.

Build A Theoretical Framework

The literature review aids in constructing a theoretical framework for the study by highlighting relevant theories and concepts that will guide the research.

Support Methodological Choices

It provides insights into the methodologies used in previous studies, helping researchers make informed decisions about their own research methods.

Structure Of A Preliminary Literature Review

The structure of a preliminary literature review generally follows a systematic and organized approach. While specific requirements may vary based on academic disciplines or the nature of the research paper , here is a general structure that can be adapted:

Introduction

• Introduce the research topic or question.
• Provide context for the importance of the topic.
• State the purpose of the literature review.

Scope And Objectives

• Define the scope of the literature review (e.g., specific time frame, geographic area, key concepts).
• Clearly state the objectives of the literature review.

Search Strategy

• Describe the methods used to search for relevant literature (databases, keywords, inclusion/exclusion criteria).
• Explain the rationale for the chosen search strategy.

Selection Criteria

Specify the criteria used to select the literature for review (e.g., peer-reviewed journals, recent publications, relevance to research questions).

Organization Of The Review

• Group literature by themes, concepts, or methodologies.
• Provide a rationale for the chosen organizational structure.

Synthesis Of Key Findings

• Summarize the main findings from each selected source to further strengthen your hypothesis .
• Highlight key concepts, theories, methodologies, and gaps in the literature.

Critical Evaluation

• Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of each source.
• Consider the credibility, reliability, and validity of the research presented.

Identification Of Gaps And Trends

• Identify gaps or limitations in the existing meta synthesis literature .
• Highlight trends, patterns, or recurring themes across different studies.

Theoretical Framework

• Integrate relevant theories and frameworks that emerge from the literature.
• Discuss how existing theories inform the research question.

Methodological Insights

• Summarize the methodologies employed in previous studies.
• Discuss the implications of these methodologies for the current research.

Implications For Research

• Discuss how the literature review findings inform the current research’s design and objectives.
• Highlight potential contributions to the field.
• Summarize the key points of the literature review.
• Emphasize the significance of the literature review in guiding the current research paper format .

The literature review we write have:

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Tips For Effectively Writing A Preliminary Literature Review

Now that you are familiar with what is a preliminary literature review and its structure, here are some tips to help you write a literature review that is informative, well-organized, and contributes to the overall success of your research:

Tip 1: Define Clear Objectives

Clearly articulate the objectives of your literature review. What are you trying to achieve? What questions do you want to answer? Defining clear objectives will guide your literature search and organization.

Tip 2: Create A Well-Defined Scope

Clearly define the scope of your literature review. Consider factors such as the time frame, geographic focus, and specific concepts or variables you are interested in. A well-defined scope helps you manage the breadth of your review.

Tip 3: Organize Your Review Logically

Organize the literature logically by themes, concepts, or methodologies. Consider whether a chronological, thematic, or methodological organization best suits your research objectives.

Tip 4: Use A Systematic Search Strategy

Develop a systematic search strategy to find relevant literature. Use appropriate databases, keywords, and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Document your search process to enhance transparency and reproducibility.

Tip 5: Keep Detailed Records

Keep detailed records of the sources you consult. Include bibliographic information, summaries of key findings, and notes on the methodology. This will save time and help you keep track of your sources.

Tip 6: Critically Evaluate Each Source

Provide a critical evaluation of each source. Assess the credibility, reliability, and validity of the research presented. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each study.

Tip 7: Synthesize Key Findings

Synthesize key findings from each source. Summarize the main concepts, theories, and methodologies. Identify common themes and patterns across different studies.

Tip 8: Highlight Gaps And Trends

Clearly identify gaps or limitations in the existing literature. Highlight trends, patterns, or recurring themes. Discuss how these gaps and trends inform your research objectives.

Tip 9: Connect Sources And Concepts

Show how different sources and concepts connect to each other. Demonstrate the relationships between studies and how they contribute to the overall understanding of the research topic.

Tip 10: Build A Theoretical Framework

Integrate relevant theories and frameworks that emerge from the literature. Discuss how existing theories inform your research questions and objectives.

Tip 11: Maintain Cohesiveness

Ensure that your literature review maintains a cohesive and logical flow. Each section should contribute to an understanding of the existing knowledge related to your research topic.

Tip 12: Use Clear And Concise Language

Write in clear and concise language. Avoid unnecessary jargon and ensure that your writing is accessible to a broad audience. Clearly communicate your ideas and findings.

Tip 13: Revise And Edit

Review, revise, and edit your literature review. Check for clarity, coherence, and consistency. Ensure that your review meets the requirements of your academic or research context.

Tip 14: Seek Feedback

Seek feedback from peers, mentors, or colleagues. Getting input from others can help you identify areas for improvement and ensure the quality of your literature review.

What Is A Preliminary Literature Review Example

Title: The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: A Preliminary Literature Review

Social media has become an integral part of daily life, transforming the way individuals communicate, share information, and connect with others. As this digital landscape continues to evolve, there is a growing concern about its potential impact on mental health. This literature review aims to explore existing research on the relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes.

Social Media Use and Mental Health

Several studies have highlighted a positive correlation between excessive social media use and increased levels of anxiety and depression (Smith, 2018; Jones et al., 2019). The constant exposure to curated content and social comparisons on platforms like Instagram and Facebook may contribute to heightened feelings of inadequacy and stress.

Research indicates a strong association between cyberbullying on social media and adverse psychological outcomes in both adolescents and adults (Williams & Johnson, 2020; Wang et al., 2017). The anonymity and widespread reach of social media platforms amplify the negative impact of online harassment.

Social Media Addiction and Mental Health

The concept of social media addiction has gained attention in recent years, with studies suggesting a link between excessive social media use and addictive behaviours (Kuss & Griffiths, 2017; Andreassen et al., 2019). The constant need for validation and engagement may contribute to a cycle of dependency, adversely affecting mental well-being.

Positive Aspects and Moderators

Contrary to the negative associations, some studies emphasize the positive role of social media in fostering social support and connection (Primack et al., 2020; Ellison et al., 2014). Platforms like Twitter and online support groups may enhance social ties and provide emotional support, thereby positively influencing mental health.

Research suggests that the way individuals use social media may be a crucial factor in determining its impact on mental health (Verduyn et al., 2017; Twenge & Campbell, 2018). Passive consumption and excessive scrolling may contribute to negative outcomes, while active engagement and meaningful interactions could have a protective effect.

While existing literature presents a nuanced picture of the relationship between social media use and mental health, it is clear that further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and potential moderating factors. This preliminary review highlights the need for a comprehensive examination of both the positive and negative aspects of social media in shaping mental health outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a preliminary literature review.

A preliminary literature review is an initial survey of existing academic sources on a specific topic to identify key themes, gaps, and debates. It provides a foundation for further research and helps researchers understand the current state of knowledge on the subject.

How to write a preliminary literature review?

To write a preliminary literature review, define your research topic, search for relevant academic sources, summarize key findings, and identify patterns or gaps. Organize the information coherently, highlighting existing debates and areas requiring further exploration.

How to write a preliminary literature review example?

When writing a preliminary literature review, begin by introducing the research topic. Summarize key findings from relevant sources, highlighting themes and gaps. Conclude with a brief assessment of the existing knowledge, paving the way for future research.

What is the meaning of preliminary literature review?

A preliminary literature review is an early-stage examination of existing academic works on a specific topic. It helps researchers understand current scholarship, identify gaps or trends, and lay the groundwork for a more comprehensive review in the later stages of the research process.

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Alphanumeric Outlines

This is the most common type of outline and usually instantly recognizable to most people. The formatting follows these characters, in this order:

• Roman Numerals
• Capitalized Letters
• Arabic Numerals
• Lowercase Letters

If the outline needs to subdivide beyond these divisions, use Arabic numerals inside parentheses and then lowercase letters inside parentheses. Select the "Sample Outlines" PDF in the Media Box above to download the sample of this outline.

The sample PDF in the Media Box above is an example of an outline that a student might create before writing an essay. In order to organize her thoughts and make sure that she has not forgotten any key points that she wants to address, she creates the outline as a framework for her essay.

What is the assignment?

Your instructor asks the class to write an expository (explanatory) essay on the typical steps a high school student would follow in order to apply to college.

What is the purpose of this essay?

To explain the process for applying to college

Who is the intended audience for this essay?

High school students intending to apply to college and their parents

What is the essay's thesis statement?

When applying to college, a student follows a certain process which includes choosing the right schools and preparing the application materials.

Full Sentence Outlines

The full sentence outline format is essentially the same as the Alphanumeric outline. The main difference (as the title suggests) is that full sentences are required at each level of the outline. This outline is most often used when preparing a traditional essay. Select the "Sample Outlines" PDF in the Media Box above to download the sample of this outline.

Decimal Outlines

The decimal outline is similar in format to the alphanumeric outline. The added benefit is a system of decimal notation that clearly shows how every level of the outline relates to the larger whole. Select the "Sample Outlines" PDF in the Media Box above to download the sample of this outline.

Encyclopedia

Writing with artificial intelligence, preliminary research.

Preliminary Research is

to early invention efforts people engage in to identify topics of interest.

Writers engage in Preliminary Research during the early stages of composing in order to identify the scope of their investigation.

Preliminary Research could involve

• discussions with friends about ideas.
• interviews with experts, bosses, clients, and teachers.
• scanning a wikipedia page or Google search
• skimming over documents to learn about the genres and research methods of particular discourse communities/community of practice.

When engaging in Preliminary Research as opposed to the sort of deep reading practices and critical relationship to evidence recommended by ACRL’s i, researchers are reading superficially.

Good writers are readers. They are collaborators. Creativity is informed by sustained thought on a topic and that thought is enriched by reading and talking about topics with knowledgeable experts.

Preliminary Research is deeply imbricated with Information Literacy , particularly Searching as a Strategic Exploration , Scholarship as a Conversation, and Research as Inquiry

If the aim of a writing project is personal reflection, then diving immediately into Drafting can make sense. Journal writing and autobiography can be a powerful way to sustain reflection and insights and set goals.

That said, if you are writing or talking about something beyond your immediate experience, you are likely to benefit from learning what other writers have thought or said about a topic.

• Deep reading on a topic, as discussed in Scholarship as a Conversation, can empower you to identify the current thinking about a topic.
• Deep reading can help you identify how research and scholarship on that topic have changed over time and who the thought leaders are on a topic.
• Deep reading is crucial to distinguishing fake news from real news, valid reasoning and evidence from propaganda and salesmanship (see Authority is Constructed and Contextual ).

Yet early during Invention, you may benefit broadly rather than deeply. Shallow reading has its place as an Invention strategy. There are advantages to skimming across titles, abstracts, and articles.

The goal of Preliminary Research is not necessarily to become an authority on a specific topic so much as to identify conversation chatter: across disciplines, what are experts talking about? What are the issues facing a knowledge domain (e.g., nuclear energy, global warming, space exploration)? And, ultimately, if given a choice, what interests you the most?

Brevity - Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence - How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow - How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity - Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style - The DNA of Powerful Writing

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Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community

Structured Revision – How to Revise Your Work

Professional Writing – How to Write for the Professional World

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preliminary

[ pri- lim - uh -ner-ee ]

preliminary examinations.

Synonyms: prefatory

He passed the preliminary and went on to the finals.

A preliminary was fought at 8:00.

• a preliminary examination, as of a candidate for an academic degree.
• preliminaries, Printing. front matter .

/ prɪˈlɪmɪnərɪ /

• usually prenominal occurring before or in preparation; introductory
• a preliminary event or occurrence
• an eliminating contest held before the main competition

Derived Forms

• preˈliminarily , adverb

Other Words From

• pre·limi·nari·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of preliminary 1

Synonym Study

Example sentences.

Also, preliminary data show such immunity may not protect against the new variant in South Africa at all.

Search-and-rescue operations were conducted Monday evening and Tuesday, then suspended because of the danger of further avalanches, according to a preliminary report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The technology is useful for preliminary screenings and triaging, but it’s no substitute for professionals who are trained to develop a rapport and counsel those in distress.

A preliminary investigation suggests the cluster of cases is linked to off-campus gatherings that were hosted over the weekend, officials said.

Strikingly, however, the preliminary efficiency is quite a bit higher than those vaccines are showing, and it's not clear how the Sputnik-specific features could account for the difference.

I testified merely eight feet from this monster at a preliminary hearing.

So I begin polishing, Boyle begins to make preliminary drawings, and things are buzzing.

Hitchcock has a few preliminary ideas for camera moves, and I make a few proposals about characterization and dialogue.

Preliminary results performed by Italian authorities “have not detected any manufacturing defect,” she added.

These preliminary results give us hope that the project will succeed in the coming years.

Different lots of Wright's fluid vary, and a few preliminary stains should be made with each lot to learn its peculiarities.

The risk usually begins with the date of the policy, unless it is effected by a preliminary contract.

As he closed in on the V-shaped opening in the ridge, he slowed down, to make a preliminary survey of the country ahead.

I am to teach the theory of music, and yesterday I held the preliminary examination.

After a preliminary defeat he was elected deputy at the time when Sallenauve sent in his resignation, in 1841.

Related Words

• exploratory
• preparatory

Supreme Court Leaves Biden’s Title IX Rule Fully Blocked in 26 States

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday denied a request by the Biden administration to partially curb injunctions that are blocking its new Title IX regulation in 26 states and at least some schools in every other state.

In an unsigned opinion, the court said that the administration had failed to show that the bulk of the new regulation could be separated from three challenged provisions that newly define sex discrimination to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.

“On this limited record and in its emergency applications, the government has not provided this court a sufficient basis to disturb the lower courts’ interim conclusions that the three provisions found likely to be unlawful are intertwined with and affect other provisions of the rule,” the court said in its short opinion in Department of Education v. Louisiana and Cardona v. Tennessee .

All nine members of the court agreed that the states and other challengers of the regulation were at least procedurally entitled to preliminary injunctions blocking the three key provisions, which include a definition of sex discrimination that includes gender identity.

However, four members of the court dissented over blocking the entire rule.

“Those injunctions are overbroad,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the partial dissent, joined by Justices Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. “By blocking the government from enforcing scores of regulations that [states and others] never challenged and that bear no apparent relationship to [challengers’] alleged injuries, the lower courts went beyond their authority to remedy the discrete harms alleged here.”

New Title IX rules are blocked in 26 states and at individual schools in all others

The Supreme Court mulled the emergency requests for almost four weeks, and well beyond the Aug. 1 effective date of the new regulation interpreting Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in federally funded educational programs.

The court’s Aug. 16 action still leaves a confusing and disjointed map where the regulation—which for the first time explicitly protects LGBTQ+ students from discrimination—is in effect.

The emergency requests covered injunctions by two courts that completely blocked the new rule from taking effect in 10 states. Other courts have issued similar injunctions blocking the entire rule in an additional 16 states, and the Supreme Court’s decision will presumably keep those other injunctions in place.

One such injunction that wasn’t specifically before the high court, issued by a federal judge in Kansas, blocks the regulation in four states but is also in force at any school across the nation attended by the members of three groups that joined the challenge—Moms for Liberty, Young America’s Foundation, and Female Athletes United. Those lists include schools in all 24 states not covered by a statewide injunction.

That injunction significantly expands the geographic scope of where the new Title IX regulation is blocked. And the list of schools subject to that injunction is growing and includes at least a few schools in every state plus the District of Columbia. The Kansas judge has allowed those groups to recruit new members and add their children’s schools to the list.

There was no immediate reaction from the Biden administration, but U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Aug. 1 told stakeholders in a webinar that he “loudly and unapologetically” rejects the “politicization” of the regulation.

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar in July asked the high court to allow most of the Title IX rule to take effect on Aug. 1, even as the Biden administration went along with pausing some challenged provisions that touch on gender-identity discrimination.

The Education Department regulation clarifies for the first time that Title IX protects students based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also expands protections for pregnant and postpartum students, offers stronger language about retaliation, and sets out new grievance and due process procedures.

“Most of the rule does not address gender identity,” Prelogar said , citing the other provisions.

The solicitor general told the court the administration was OK, for now, with allowing the injunctions to block two provisions that deal with gender identity while it continues to fight them in appeals courts. One of those deals with restrooms, locker rooms, and other sex-separated spaces in education, making clear that transgender students may use restrooms, for example, that align with their gender identity. The other provision Prelogar was fine with leaving blocked clarifies that “hostile-environment harassment” in schools would cover gender identity.

But Prelogar did seek to halt the injunctions with respect to the broad new definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity.

Supreme Court notes lower courts are moving ahead on merits of Title IX lawsuits

The states and others challenging the new regulation argued that the new definition pervades the entire new regulation and provisions could not be easily separated into what could take effect and what could not.

“The states challenged the whole rule” and “are injured by the whole rule,” the state of Tennessee said in a Supreme Court filing .

On those points, the Supreme Court majority appeared to agree.

“The government [has not] adequately identified which particular provisions, if any, are sufficiently independent of the enjoined definitional provision and thus might be able to remain in effect,” the majority said in its unsigned opinion.

The majority noted that the 6th Circuit has expedited its consideration of the merits arguments in the Tennessee-led case and has scheduled oral arguments for October.

“The court expects that the Courts of Appeals will render their decisions with appropriate dispatch,” the Supreme Court opinion states.

In her nine-page dissent, Sotomayor outlined the significance of some of the provisions the solicitor general sought to make effective now, including the pregnancy and retaliation provisions and language that bars schools from “from making a preemployment inquiry as to an applicant’s marital status and limits the circumstances under which a school may make a preemployment inquiry as to an applicant’s sex.”

“At this juncture,” Sotomayor said, “enjoining the application of any other part of the rule needlessly impairs the government from enforcing Title IX and deprives potential claimants of protections against forms of sex discrimination not at issue in [the challengers’] suit.”

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Middle East Crisis Gaza Cease-Fire Negotiators Meet Amid Threat of Wider Conflict

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• A funeral on Wednesday in Harouf, Lebanon, for a Hezbollah fighter killed in an Israeli strike on Wednesday. Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images
• A Palestinian preparing a grave in Khan Younis. Gaza's death toll has surpassed 40,000, according to the Gazan health ministry. Mohammed Salem/Reuters
• Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza at a demonstration in Tel Aviv. Amir Levy/Getty Images
• Palestinian women and children receiving food aid in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, on Wednesday. Omar Al-Qattaa/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• An Israeli tank near the border with Gaza. Amir Cohen/Reuters
• A flare fired by the Israeli army over Lebanon village, seen from northern Israel. Atef Safadi/EPA, via Shutterstock

No breakthrough emerges, but the talks are expected to continue on Friday.

Mediators and Israeli negotiators met into the night on Thursday in Qatar, trying to find a formula for a cease-fire in Gaza even as the Middle East braced for an anticipated retaliation against Israel by Iran and its allies that could ignite a broader armed conflict.

The Biden administration and its allies had called for the meeting last week, seeing a Gaza cease-fire agreement as the best hope to avert or curb the expected Iranian-led reprisals for the recent assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh , the political leader of Hamas, and Fuad Shukr , a top Hezbollah military commander.

Officials from the United States, Qatar and Egypt met with an Israeli delegation in hopes of finding a way to bridge the significant differences between the two sides remaining after months of on-again-off-again talks. Hamas leaders, accusing the Israeli government of negotiating in bad faith, had said they would not participate, though Qatari officials were expected to bring them any new proposals from the Israeli side.

There was no immediate breakthrough on Thursday, but no breakdown in the talks either. An Israeli official briefed on the negotiations said that the Israeli delegation would remain overnight in Doha, Qatar’s capital, and that the talks were expected to continue on Friday in an attempt to bring the sides closer.

A White House national security spokesman, John F. Kirby, called the talks a “promising start” and said the United States also expected them to go on for a second day.

A Hamas political official, Hussam Badran, put out a statement restating the group’s long-held positions that any agreement must include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent cease-fire.

International pressure has been rising for months for some kind of deal to end the suffering in Gaza and allow for the release of hostages. The Gazan Health Ministry reported on Thursday that the Palestinian death toll in the war had surpassed 40,000. The ministry’s figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said on Thursday that Israeli forces had killed more than 17,000 combatants.

But prospects for a breakthrough still appear remote, leaving the Middle East facing a precarious moment. The United States has sent stealth fighter jets, a carrier group and a guided-missile submarine to the region in anticipation of an Iranian-led attack.

The issues still unresolved include who will control the Gazan side of the enclave’s border with Egypt and how Israel can prevent armed Hamas fighters from returning to northern Gaza, which has been largely depopulated during the war.

Hamas officials have said Mr. Netanyahu’s government is not genuinely interested in reaching a cease-fire, pointing to the assassination of Mr. Haniyeh in Tehran and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s toughened stands on several points . “Hamas believes the Israeli occupation is trying to buy time with more negotiations,” said Ibrahim al-Madhoun, an Istanbul-based analyst close to Hamas.

In Israel, Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition allies continue to insist that Israel rule Gaza indefinitely and have already denounced the latest Israeli proposal as tantamount to surrender. If Mr. Netanyahu moves ahead with the deal, his governing coalition could splinter, potentially ending his political career .

Mr. Netanyahu himself has equivocated, saying he supports the three-stage proposal even as he promises the Israeli public an “absolute victory” over Hamas. Relatives of hostages held in Gaza have argued that the prime minister has prioritized his hold on power over signing a deal to free their loved ones.

Yaron Blum, a former Israeli security official who previously led the country’s effort to bring home hostages, said that even if the current talks were successful, they would be just the start of a protracted process of hashing out the details of a deal. But if the talks go poorly, the region could descend into a wider confrontation, he said.

“If everyone doesn’t work in the coming days until white smoke comes out, I don’t see it coming together going forward,” said Mr. Blum. “But there’s still a chance now, because every side realizes that they need to advance.”

Mr. Kirby said the American delegation was led by the C.I.A. director, William J. Burns, and President Biden’s Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk. Israel’s delegation is being led by the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea. The other principals in the talks are the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, and Qatari prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.

The stakes at the talks are particularly high for the families of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. Over 40 of the 115 hostages are now presumed dead, according to the Israeli authorities.

“Every second there are hostages held in captivity is a severe risk to their lives,” said Jon Polin, the father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, one of eight Israeli-American hostages. Three of them have been declared dead by the Israeli authorities.

In Gaza, most of the enclave’s more than two million people have been displaced, many repeatedly, and are living in tents or temporary lodgings. Finding enough food and safe drinking water is often a daily struggle, and swaths of the coastal enclave have been reduced to rubble.

Anas al-Tayeb, who lives in Jabaliya, just outside of Gaza City, said many there rejoiced in July, the last time mediators said cease-fire talks were progressing. But just a few days later, the Israeli military again stormed neighborhoods in Gaza City.

Mr. al-Tayeb said Israel and Hamas were both responsible for the failure to reach a deal. He wondered why Hamas had declined to accept any of the previous Israeli cease-fire proposals, which have broadly adhered to the three-stage framework.

“Those same conditions were offered before in previous rounds of negotiations,” said Mr. al-Tayeb. “So why didn’t they take it then?”

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh’s mother, said she believed it was time for everyone to agree to a “true compromise.”

“Not everyone is going to agree,” she said. “But everyone has interests and everyone gets a little bit of the interests they’re looking for. Let’s make that happen and move forward.”

— Aaron Boxerman and Adam Rasgon reporting from Jerusalem

Key Developments

Abbas tells Turkey’s Parliament that he intends to visit Gaza, and other news.

The Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas pledged to visit the Gaza Strip “even if it costs my life,” using a speech to Turkey’s Parliament on Thursday to renew criticism of Israel. It was not immediately clear whether such a visit was feasible, and Mr. Abbas, who leads the Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has not been to the enclave since Hamas seized power there in 2007. Israeli officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Mr. Abbas, who was wrapping up a two-day visit to Turkey , received a standing ovation from lawmakers. Both he and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, a harsh critic of Israel’s approach to the war in Gaza, entered the chamber wearing scarves bearing the Palestinian and Turkish flags.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, including women and children, the Gazan Health Ministry said on Thursday. The ministry’s figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Asked about the reported toll, Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman, told reporters that any number of civilian deaths “above zero” was troubling and reiterated a U.S. call for restraint. Also Thursday, Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said that the Israeli military had killed more than 17,000 combatants in the enclave since the war’s start, but he did not say how the military had arrived at that number, or how it had distinguished combatants from civilians.

Marking 100 days since the Israeli closure of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the Gaza government press office said at a news conference on Thursday that the closure had severely hurt Gaza’s health care system. The closure is preventing the entry of medical supplies and aid, and blocking critically ill patients from receiving necessary treatment abroad, a spokesman for the office said. The office estimated that more than 1,000 people had died because they could not leave through the crossing in southern Gaza. The Israeli military seized the crossing when it moved into the city of Rafah in May, calling it an important step in reducing Hamas’s control over the territory.

The United States imposed new sanctions on Thursday intended to cut off financing to Iranian-backed militias. The measures targeted several companies, individuals and vessels involved in shipping Iranian commodities to finance its proxy groups, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, the U.S. Treasury said .

Israeli settlers storm a West Bank village, drawing rare rebukes from Israeli officials.

Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians have surged in the West Bank, but a riot on Thursday in the village of Jit stood out for drawing rapid and unusual rebukes from Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose coalition government includes West Bank settlers in top positions.

The Israeli military condemned the attack, and said that dozens of Israeli civilians, including some wearing masks, had set fire to vehicles and hurled rocks and firebombs. It said that its forces, along with Israeli Border Police, were dispatched to the scene and dispersed the rioters by firing shots into the air and “removing the Israeli civilians from the town.”

The Palestinian Authority said that one Palestinian had been shot dead during the attack and that another was critically injured. The Israeli military said it was looking into reports of a fatality and that it had opened an investigation with other security agencies. One rioter was arrested and transferred to the police for questioning.

The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Mr. Netanyahu took the riots seriously and pledged to find and prosecute those responsible for “any criminal act.”

The attack also drew condemnation from the United States and the European Union on Friday. Jack Lew, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said he was “appalled” by the violence. “These attacks must stop and the criminals be held to account,” he said in a post on social media.

As the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has stretched into its 11th month, Israel has increased its military activity against what it terms suspected terrorism in the occupied West Bank, and violent settler attacks have surged at the same time.

Far-right ministers in Mr. Netanyahu’s government — particularly Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister of national security, who are both West Bank settlers — have espoused divisive rhetoric and advanced policies to expand Israel’s hold on the territory.

The West Bank is home to about 2.7 million Palestinians and more than 500,000 settlers. Israel seized control of the territory from Jordan in 1967 during a war with three Arab states, and Israelis have since settled there with both tacit and explicit government approval. The international community largely considers settlements illegal, and many outposts also violate Israeli laws.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which tracks violent incidents in the West Bank, said in its latest update on Wednesday that Israeli settlers had carried out 25 attacks against Palestinians in the previous week. Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that set off the war in Gaza, the agency has recorded around 1,250 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property.

“There has been an uptick in vigilante attacks by a minority of settlers,” David Makovsky, director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel relations at the Washington Institute, said in an interview. “The West Bank is a tinderbox.”

Few attacks, however, have generated the kind of immediate reprobation from Israeli officials that followed the storming of Jit.

In July, a departing Israeli general issued a harsh rebuke of the government’s policies in the West Bank and condemned rising “nationalist crime” by Jewish settlers. Retired Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuks, the former chief of Israel’s Central Command, said in a speech that the actions of a violent minority threatened Israel’s security, undermined Israel’s reputation internationally and sowed fear among Palestinians.

Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, expressed a similar sentiment on Thursday in response to the riot in Jit. “This is not our way and certainly not the way of Torah and Judaism,” Mr. Herzog said in a post on social media . He accused an “extremist minority” of settlers of harming Israel’s standing in the international community during an “especially sensitive and difficult time.”

Aaron Boxerman and Johnatan Reiss contributed reporting.

— Ephrat Livni

Here is a timeline of Gaza cease-fire talks.

Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip has lasted more than 10 months, with only one weeklong pause in fighting, in late November. That temporary cease-fire led to the return of 50 Israeli hostages captured during the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners — and raised hopes among mediators and the international community that another deal would follow.

Those hopes were dashed repeatedly over many months of unsuccessful efforts by mediators. In the interim, tensions in the Middle East have risen, particularly in recent weeks after the assassinations of a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and a Hamas leader in Iran, prompting vows from Iran and Hezbollah to retaliate against Israel.

World leaders eager to avert a wider full-scale war believe that an agreement between Israel and Hamas could prevent an escalation. Still, even the most vocal champions of a cease-fire admit that closing a deal will be tough. President Biden on Tuesday told reporters he was “not giving up” on an agreement but that it was “getting harder” to remain optimistic.

On Thursday, negotiators are meeting in Doha, Qatar, to try to reach an agreement. Here’s a timeline of recent talks:

May: President Biden calls for an end to the war.

Declaring Hamas no longer capable of carrying out a major terrorist attack on Israel, Mr. Biden on May 31 pressed for hostilities in Gaza to end and endorsed a new cease-fire plan that he said Israel had offered to win the release of hostages.

“It’s time for this war to end, for the day after to begin,” Mr. Biden said that day. Calling it “a decisive moment,” Mr. Biden put the onus on Hamas to reach an agreement, saying, “Israel has made their proposal. Hamas says it wants a cease-fire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it.”

June: U.N. Security Council passes a cease-fire resolution.

The United Nations Security Council on June 10 adopted a cease-fire plan backed by the United States, with 14 nations in favor and Russia abstaining. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the American ambassador to the United Nations, said that the United States would work to make sure that Israel agreed to the deal and that Qatar and Egypt would work to bring Hamas to the negotiating table.

The resolution followed the same framework that Mr. Biden had endorsed, outlining a three-phase plan that would begin with an immediate cease-fire, the release of all living hostages in exchange for Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons, the return of displaced Gazans to their homes and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The second phase called for a permanent cease-fire with the agreement of both parties, and the third phase consisted of a multiyear reconstruction plan for Gaza and the return of the remains of deceased hostages.

July: Talks in Cairo, Doha and Rome.

When American negotiators met in Doha for talks with Egyptian, Qatari and Israeli officials in early July, some American officials were hopeful that progress was being made. Their optimism persisted when talks continued July 12 in Cairo.

The discussions included two contentious issues: whether Israel would agree to end the war, withdraw from Gaza and respect a permanent cease-fire; and whether Hamas would agree to give up control of the enclave. Both Israel and Hamas were wary about whether the other side was ready to make concessions.

On July 28, negotiators reconvened in Rome . The meeting came as Israel fired on southern Lebanon, responding to a rocket strike from Hezbollah the previous day that killed 12 children in the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

Even as fears intensified that a regional war could escalate, negotiators remained stuck over a few key issues, particularly the extent to which Israeli forces would remain in Gaza during a truce and the length of any halt to the fighting. Hamas wanted a permanent truce, while Israel sought the option to resume fighting.

As the month ended, the crisis in the Middle East deepened. Hezbollah confirmed that one of its senior commanders, Fuad Shukr, was killed in an Israeli strike on a suburb of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, and Hamas accused Israel of killing its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, while he was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president. Iranian officials and Hamas would say later that Israel was responsible for the assassination, an assessment also reached by several U.S. officials, but Israel has not acknowledged involvement.

John F. Kirby, a White House spokesman, said on July 31 that it was “too soon to know” what impact the developments might have on negotiations but noted that the United States was still in contact with Egypt and Qatar.

August: A ‘final’ proposal.

President Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar on Aug. 8 said that they were prepared to present a “final” cease-fire proposal and called on Israel and Hamas to return to the negotiating table. In a joint statement , they declared that “the time has come” and insisted that the negotiators meet again on Thursday.

“There is no further time to waste nor excuses from any party for further delay,” they said, adding, “As mediators, if necessary, we are prepared to present a final bridging proposal that resolves the remaining implementation issues in a manner that meets the expectations of all parties.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel agreed to the meeting, though it was not clear if he would agree to a deal.

According to documents reviewed by The New York Times , Israel relayed a list of new stipulations in late July to American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Mr. Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday rejected that characterization , saying he sought only to clarify ambiguities. His office accused Hamas of demanding numerous changes .

Hamas’s willingness to compromise is unclear. The group requested its own extensive revisions throughout negotiations and ceded some smaller points in July. On Tuesday a Hamas official said the group would not participate in the new round of negotiations.

Hamas’s absence does not signal that the talks will be fruitless . Its leaders have not met directly with Israeli officials during the war, relying instead on Qatar and Egypt to relay proposals. Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman, told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday that Qatar had assured the United States that Hamas would be represented at the meetings.

The talks are likely to include top intelligence officials from Egypt, Israel and the United States, as well as the Qatari prime minister. Mr. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Wednesday that he had approved the departure of the Israeli delegation to Doha and its mandate to negotiate.

A new Israeli settlement in the West Bank will encroach on a World Heritage Site, activists say.

A new Israeli settlement planned for construction in the occupied West Bank will encroach on Palestinian land recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, Israeli peace activists say.

Much of the international community views Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal, and many were established illegally under Israeli law, but tolerated by the government.

Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right finance minister and a settler himself, gave preliminary approval to the new settlement, Nahal Heletz, in June, and the country’s planning authorities signed off on it on Wednesday.

But the area designated for the settlement was much bigger than what was shown in a plan the government published in July, according to an Israeli advocacy group, Peace Now, which closely tracks settlements. The new plan claims over 150 acres rather than the 30 acres announced previously, and all of it is on UNESCO-designated territory, the group said.

Mr. Smotrich, who is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, has pushed for measures that would expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank in exchange for the release of funds withheld from the Palestinian Authority, which partly administers the territory.

Peace Now accused Mr. Smotrich of disregarding the UNESCO Convention in a statement on Wednesday. Israel is a party to the World Heritage Convention, though it left UNESCO in 2019, accusing the multilateral organization of trying to minimize Jewish ties to the land of Israel. It also objected to the organization’s acceptance of Palestine as a member state in 2011.

Peace Now said that the Israeli authorities were accelerating new claims over West Bank land in an effort to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Tor Wennesland, the United Nations’ special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said in June that signs of expedited settlement expansion — and the retroactive legalization of West Bank outposts initially established in violation of Israeli law — undermine prospects for a two-state solution.

That is one of Mr. Smotrich’s stated goals. In a post on social media on Wednesday about the newly approved settlement, he said he would continue to fight what he called “the dangerous idea” of establishing a Palestinian state.

The territory being claimed for the Nahal Heletz settlement is adjacent to the West Bank village of Battir and encroaches on its surrounding area, which UNESCO has designated a World Heritage site because of its terraced farming, irrigation system and architecture, according to the agency’s website.

The World Heritage Convention is the most widely accepted international conservation treaty. There are nine World Heritage sites in Israel.

“UNESCO is closely following the state of conservation of the World Heritage property,” the UNESCO World Heritage Center said in a statement in response to a query about the planned new settlement.

Last month, the governing body of the organization took note “with concern of the reports of ongoing illegal constructions, settlements and other developments within the property and its buffer zone” and asked “all parties to avoid any action that would cause damage to the property.”

Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman, responding to a question about the new West Bank settlement plans at a news briefing on Thursday, said the United States “certainly” opposed the advancement of settlements in the West Bank. “The Israeli government’s settlement program — we find that to be inconsistent with international law,” he said.

In July, the International Court of Justice issued a nonbinding opinion declaring that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and its settlements there, violated international law. The court called for Israel’s presence in the territories to end “as rapidly as possible” and said that Israel was obligated to provide full reparations for the damage it had caused. Mr. Netanyahu dismissed the opinion as “ absurd ” in posts on social media , saying: “The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land.

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