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Guide to Writing Thesis Statements

Your thesis statement is the central argument of your essay. It must be concise and well-written.

Your thesis goes in the introductory paragraph. Don't hide it; make it clearly asserted at the beginning of your paper.

Your thesis must make an argument. It is the road map to the argument you will subsequently develop in your paper.

The key difference between an opinion statement and thesis statement is that a thesis conveys to the reader that the claim being offered has been thoroughly explored and is defendable by evidence. It answers the "what" question (what is the argument?) and it gives the reader a clue as to the "why" question (why is this argument the most persuasive?).