Do you know what is common for all kinds of academic papers? Of course, it is a thesis statement. No matter whether you are writing a term paper or a Middle school research paper, you need to start with a thesis. Well, it is exactly what we will talk about in this article. It will help you to learn more about the essence of thesis statements, their function and you will find out how to develop them.

Thesis Statements: What Are They About?

A thesis statement is a sentence that:

* Tells the reader what to expect from a paper;
* Gives a direct answer to a research question;
* Presents the writer’s subjective opinion that others might dispute.

Where Should Thesis Statements Be Placed?

Sometimes you may place a thesis at the very beginning of your paper, sometimes thesis statements follow the main problem introduced. Mostly, it depends on the kind of academic paper you need to prepare.

If you need to interpret, analyze, or compare and contrast, you have to formulate a thesis clearly and support it persuasively.
How Should You Create Thesis Statements?

A thesis statement is the result of a certain thinking process. This process consists of several steps that you should take to formulate a thesis statement successfully:

1. Gather and arrange evidences;
2. Look for a possible interrelation between known facts;
3. Make a “working thesis” – the main idea or argument that is possible to support with the evidences gathered;
4. Write the first draft of your paper;
5. Come back to your thesis statement and think what could be changed.


Strong Thesis Statements: What Are They?

* Thesis statements should be specific.
* Thesis statements have to answer a research question directly.
* Thesis statements should be based on the position that others may oppose.

Now that you have an idea of what a thesis statement is, think whether you have ever came across a strong thesis statement.

This post originally appeared on http://blog.aplusa.org.uk/index.php/2009/01/08/all-about-thesis-statements/