The precise wording of a text -- be it a poem, novel, official government statement or international treaty -- provides a deep intellectual well from which a thesis student can draw. Taking a small chunk of text and dissecting it for nuances and idiosyncrasies can help a student draw new insight and form a unique argument about the nature of the text. Examples of this kind of a argument include analyzing an author's use of imagery as evidence of certain recurring themes in a work or picking out ambiguities in a government document and interpreting them in the context of the current political climate.
Choosing to evaluate texts from two different time periods or two distant countries often provides unique opportunities for a student. Works from different time periods allow the student to detect the influence of one time period on another, to examine how human thinking changed and evolved over time or, conversely, how universal themes and arguments are seen throughout time. Examining disparate works from a cultural or national perspective offers similar thesis prospects, such as the increasing influence of one culture on another, the way political conflict or propaganda influenced a text and the concepts or story lines that transcend national boundaries.
Thesis papers related to the social sciences or education are particularly conducive to research based on questionnaire data collected from a range of individuals. Devising a survey, administering it to a different groups and analyzing the results in terms of how different qualities (such as age, economic status or profession) affect responses can lead to unique and intriguing conclusions. Examples include an economics thesis on the spending or risk-taking habits of a certain group, a linguistics thesis on the way different groups of people pronounce or define certain words or a sociology thesis on how a particular ethnic group is viewed in an area. To support or qualify this data, existing research from reputable journals should be used, as a single survey is unlikely to be large enough to support a major generalization on human behaviors and opinions.
Students completing a thesis in disciplines like biology, chemistry and physics will have different approach to selecting and pursuing a thesis topic. Because these types of thesis papers are usually the result of some physical experimentation in a laboratory setting, students often seek out a preexisting research project under the direction of a professor and then generate their own thesis as an offshoot or subset of this larger, long-term project. Taking advantage of the intellectual and financial resources at a university will help a student find guidance and direction while developing a thesis.