Writing a Thesis

Claim A thesis statement, or claim, is a statement of opinion that forecasts the essay' s subject and lets the reader know the author's exact opinion. Professional writers do not always have a direct thesis statement, but they usually do have a "stance," or opinion. In academic writing, a direct thesis statement is necessary and expected.

A thesis is not:

The thesis statement is followed by an essay map (a.k.a. "blueprint") and appears at the end of the introductory paragraph (keep in mind that introductory paragraphs can be more than one paragraph, especially in longer essays). 

The essay map details three reasons that support your thesis. The next few pages present an equation to help you write thesis statements and essay maps. It is not the only way to write an effective thesis, but it works every single time. Keep in mind, that just like a math equation, this thesis equation can be manipulated as long as all its parts are present.

The image to the right, from educause.org, demonstrates scientific reasoning. The essay follows logical thought and is rooted in science; therefore, this what we're looking for in an essay. I encourage you to read the explanation and watch the video lecture from MIT's Kerry Emmanuel.

The following pages break down the thesis statement into its basic parts.