Statements of Controlling Purpose

The Controlling Purpose sets the direction and limits the focus of your research. It states the purpose of your research (to describe, explain, compare, etc.) and the narrowed topic.

A controlling purpose can be to . . .

Support (or to argue against) a policy:
The purpose of this paper is to persuade people that foreign language instruction should begin in elementary school.

Establish (or to prove false) one or more statements of fact:
The purpose of this paper is to prove that tobacco is a harmful and addictive drug.

Determine the relative value of two or more things:
The purpose of this paper is to compare solar, wind, and wave energy to determine which is the most reliable, practical, and cost-effective alternative energy source.

Analyze something into its parts and to show how those parts relate to one another:
The purpose of this paper is to describe the stages in the television production process and to explain how those stages interrelate.

Define something:
The purpose of this paper is to define the phrase freedom of the press by explaining the nature of limits on press freedom under the law.

Explain cause-effect relationship:
The purpose of this paper is to explain the various causes of the destruction of Brazil's rain forests.

Explain a cause or effect relationship:
The purpose of this paper is to present the scientific evidence that suggests that cigarette smoking causes cancer.

Describe the development of something over time:
The purpose of this paper is to describe how rock-and-roll developed from roots in blues, gospel, and country and western music.

Identify and describe a general trend:
The purpose of this paper is to show that a major extinction of South American plant and animal species is now occurring.

Classify individual items into groups or categories:
The purpose of this paper is to classify African myths into several distinct categoreis (creation stories, lineage stories, etc.)

Relate a part to a whole:
The purpose of this paper is to examine the place of the worm in the ecosystem of a forest.

Compare and/or contrast two subjects to determine their degree of similarity or difference:
The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the views of nature in the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost.

Examine a technique:
The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of the technique of allegory in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Explain a general concept by means of specific examples:
The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of paradox through examples from math, language, and art.

Explain the main idea or main idea or message of something:
The purpose of this paper is to explain the political message of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

The list of possible controlling purposes given above is far from complete. So do not worry if the controlling purpose that you come up with does not fall into one of the categories on the list. Do bear in mind that your controlling purpose should be one that is significant to you and, potentially, to your readers.

Bear in mind, as well, that your controlling purpose may change as you do your research. When you begin writing your research paper, you will replace your controlling purpose with a thesis statement, a statement of your own idea. The thesis statement will not contain the phrase "the purpose of this paper is."

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