1. A thesis is a specific opinion that can be supported.
2. A thesis is not a statement or question.
3. Place your thesis in the introduction.
4. Don't use generic terms or superlatives.
5. Revise your thesis as you write your paper.

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• by Darcy Logan

• Your thesis is the most important sentence or sentences in your essay.The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing: The Beginning Without a good thesis, your paper can seem unfocused and weak.Dartmouth Writing Program: Developing Your Thesis A good thesis will also make your paper easier to write, because it helps focus your paper.The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing: The Beginning Most professors will assume that your paper will include a thesis, even if they don't directly state this or give you instruction on how to write one.The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Thesis Statements

• Writing a thesis for your research paper is not hard once you understand what a thesis is and what a thesis is not. Although it is often referred to as a thesis statement, it is not. A thesis is an argument or assertion.The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing: The Beginning Literacy Education Online: Thesis Statement

• If someone asked "What is this paper about?" your thesis would be able to answer that question. However, a thesis is not a statement of fact or an observation.Literacy Education Online: Thesis Statement Nor is your thesis the same as the title, which tells the topic of the paper.Literacy Education Online: Thesis Statement Two papers can be on the same topic but have very different theses.The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing: The Beginning

• A good thesis should also:

1. State your point of view to the reader.The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Thesis Statements
2. Summarize the argument you are going to make in your paper.The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Thesis Statements
3. Provide focus for the essay.The Guide to Grammar and Writing: The Thesis Statement
4. Take a stand about the topic.Literacy Education Online: Thesis Statement
5. Try to convince its reader of something.Harvard University: Developing a Thesis

• Your paper will then provide support for your thesis.Writing at University of Toronto: Using Thesis Statements

• A thesis is usually located at the end of the first paragraph.The OWL at Purdue: Creating a Thesis Statement However, if the paper is less than two pages long, it may be the first sentence.Dennis G. Jerz: Thesis Statements: How to Write Them The thesis can go anywhere in the introduction, including the second paragraph if the paper is longer and has a lengthy introduction.Writing at University of Toronto: Using Thesis Statements

• Although you need a good thesis before you can really start working on your paper, your thesis does not need to be perfect. Be prepared to modify your thesis as you work on your paper.Vanderbilt University: How Do I Write a Thesis Statement? Consider this first thesis that you write a "working thesis," one that will be revised and polished as you work on your paper.

• One of the easiest ways to construct a thesis is to start with a question. You can then revise the question into a statement and support it.UW-Madison Writing Center: Developing a Thesis Statement - Compose a Draft Thesis Statement Decide what your opinion is about your topic. Then, ask yourself why you have that opinion or how you came to that conclusion.University of Richmond: The Thesis Statement

• Another way to compose a thesis is to state an opinion about your topic.Harvard University: Developing a Thesis Then, give reasons why that opinion is true.Dennis G. Jerz: Thesis Statements: How to Write Them Your thesis may then fit into one of the following formats:
  1. (Topic) (opinion) because (reasons).Dennis G. Jerz: Thesis Statements: How to Write Them
  2. Because (reasons), (topic) (opinion).Dennis G. Jerz: Thesis Statements: How to Write Them

• You may also want to consider any counter-arguments and include them into your thesis.Harvard University: Developing a Thesis Some examples of how to construct this type of thesis include:
  1. Although (opponents) have argued (counterargument), closer examination shows (opinion).UW-Madison Writing Center: Developing a Thesis Statement - Compose a Draft Thesis Statement
  2. Although (counterargument), (reasons) show (topic) (opinion).Dennis G. Jerz: Thesis Statements: How to Write Them

• A common problem that students find when writing a thesis is that they make it too broad to cover adequately within the confines of their paper. Avoid this problem by making your thesis specific instead of vague and generic.Literacy Education Online: Thesis Statement You can tell that your thesis is specific if it does the following:

1. It has one main point.Literacy Education Online: Thesis Statement
2. It does not use general terms and abstractions.Harvard University: Developing a Thesis
3. It mentions only what will be discussed in the paper.The OWL at Purdue: Creating a Thesis Statement
4. It is narrow enough that it can be fully supported.Literacy Education Online: Thesis Statement
5. You will be able to prove your thesis by the end of the paper.Cambridge Language Consultants: Developing a Thesis Statement

• After you have completed your working thesis, you will want to check to make sure you've avoided some of the following as they will weaken your thesis:

1. Do not use superlatives like "the best" or "most."Harvard University: Developing a Thesis Instead, state what makes it the best or most. Don't say "Mahalo is the best search engine." Instead, say "Mahalo provides computer users with more accurate search result pages."
2. A thesis should never be in the form of a question.Harvard University: Developing a Thesis Your thesis should answer the question.
3. A thesis should not be a list.Harvard University: Developing a Thesis Although it might list your reasons, it should not be something like "Mahalo offers spam-free, human-powered and organized search result pages."
4. Don't start your thesis with "This paper" or "My paper."Dartmouth Writing Program: Developing Your Thesis
5. Avoid all first person pronouns (I, me, we, etc.) in your thesis (and your paper).University of Richmond: The Thesis Statement Don't say "I will..." or similar statements.
6. Do not be combative or confrontational.Harvard University: Developing a Thesis When you do this, you are probably stating your feelings about the topic rather then presenting an argument.Dartmouth Writing Program: Developing Your Thesis
7. Don't state an opinion that can not be supported by factual evidence.Vanderbilt University: How Do I Write a Thesis Statement?
8. Your thesis should provide your readers with a road map to the rest of your paper.Vanderbilt University: How Do I Write a Thesis Statement? In other words, your ideas should be in the same order as they will appear in your paper.University of Richmond: The Thesis Statement
9. You should be able to support your thesis with your material.Vanderbilt University: How Do I Write a Thesis Statement? If you find out you can't then you will need to revise your thesis.

• Although your thesis is one of the first things you will write, it should also be one of the last things you revise.The Guide to Grammar and Writing: The Thesis Statement Until your paper is finished, your thesis should be flexible since it may change as you research your topic.Writing at University of Toronto: Using Thesis Statements As you work on your paper, you will want to constantly compare your writing with your thesis. If the two are not compatible, you can then either revise your thesis or refocus your writing.The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing: The Beginning

• While it may be time-consuming at first, learning how to write a good thesis will help you down the road. A good thesis is one of the foundations of a well-written paper. Most times when students find it difficult to write their paper, it is because they lack focus and direction. The thesis helps avoid this problem. Once you have your thesis written, you should check out Mahalo's How to Improve Your Writing and How to Write an Essay.