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English 101: English Composition I: Creating a Thesis Statement

English Composition I

The second step to writing an essay or a research paper is to create a thesis statement, or the main idea.

What is a thesis statement?

According to Dictionary.com, thesis statement is defined as a short statement, usually one sentence, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence.

Website(s) about Thesis Statements

Steps to Writing a Thesis Statement

Stuck on Your Thesis Statement? - Research leap

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Tips to Writing a Strong Thesis Statement

  1. Determine the type of paper you are trying to write.
Essay Type Description
Exposition an essay that attempts to inform the reader about something important or explain something to him/her (a process, a set of rules, the benefits of an activity, etc.).  Common expository writings:  business or technical writing, process writing, compare and/or contrast essays, reaction essays, response essays, and often research-based essays.
Narration writing that tells the reader about a particular event(s) that took place. Common narration writings:  personal essays, short stories, novels, poetry.
Description writing that uses vivid language to describe a person, place, or event so that the reader can picture the topic clearly in his/her mind. Fiction and poetry often use large amounts of descriptive writing, and sometimes only attempt to serve this descriptive purpose.
Argumentative (Persuasion) writing that takes a stand on a principle (oftentimes a controversial issue) and attempts to persuade the reader to adopt a similar mindset.  At the collegiate level, persuasive writing assignments are quite common. The most common persuasive essay is the argument paper. The reason for this is because writing an argument essay involves incorporating critical thinking and often the use of outside sources. Many papers written in disciplines other than English are a variation of the argument paper and should be treated in a similar fashion (ex-an analysis essay for literature that defends a particular form of literary criticism for the literary work).
  1. A thesis statement should be specific.
  2. A thesis statement usually is located at the end of your introduction (first) paragraph.
  3. Your thesis statement may change as you write, revise as needed.