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Introduction to Academic Reading and Writing: Thesis Statements

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Use your research question to create a thesis statement that is focused and contains a debatable claim.

Thesis Statements

  • After narrowing your topic with your research question, craft an answer that states a position regarding that question. 

  • Use words such as “should” or “ought to” indicating a claim is being made. 

  • Keep your thesis as concise as possible. 

  • Conduct further research to determine the best points of support to include in your thesis statement, if required. 

  • If you include points of support as part of your thesis statement, make sure that they maintain parallel grammatical structure. 

  • If a reader’s first response to your thesis statement could be “How?” or “Why?” your thesis statement may not be sufficiently narrow or specific.