A thesis statement declares
what you believe and what you intend to prove. It is a sentence that
states what you want your paper to show, what you want to convince your readers
after having read your thesis.
A good thesis statement makes the
difference between a thoughtful research project and a simple retelling of facts.
The thesis statement is typically located at the end of your opening paragraph.
(The opening paragraph serves to set the context for the thesis.) A good thesis
statement is the one which has meet the following four criteria:
Assertive: Your thesis statement
must state exactly what you intend to prove with the paper.
Singular: The thesis
statement, in most cases, should contain only one idea, keeping the paper
focused.
Specificity: The thesis
statement should be as specific as possible, whilst making your stance
clear. One sentence is enough for shorter papers.
Position: It should be in
the introduction, in most cases at the very end.
