Writing a Thesis Statement

A thesis is a short passage -- usually only a single sentence -- summarizing the fundamental argument of an essay or report. Typically the thesis statement will appear near the end of your introductory paragraph.

          http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/thstatmt.html Date visited: 1/18/11

A thesis statement:

- Is an assertion, not a statement of fact or observation.

         Example:
         Fact or observation:  A lot people are scared of flying.
         Thesis:  A lot of people are scared of flying due to fear of the plane crashing.

- Takes a stand rather than announcing a subject.  

 -Is a road map for the paper

- A thesis is the main idea, not the title. It must be a complete sentence that explains in some detail what you expect to write about.

         Example:
         Title: The popularity of tennis.
         Thesis: Tennis has been gaining popularity in the past few years due to courts being built in more towns by grants.

-A thesis statement has one main point rather than several main points. More than one point may be too difficult for the reader to understand and the writer to support.


         http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html Date visited: 1/18/11

Tips for writing a thesis statement
1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing.
2. Should be specific
3. Your topic may change as you write

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/ Date visited: 1/25/11