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How to write a thesis statement, what is a thesis statement.

Almost all of us—even if we don’t do it consciously—look early in an essay for a one- or two-sentence condensation of the argument or analysis that is to follow. We refer to that condensation as a thesis statement.

Why Should Your Essay Contain a Thesis Statement?

to test your ideas by distilling them into a sentence or two
to better organize and develop your argument
to provide your reader with a “guide” to your argument

In general, your thesis statement will accomplish these goals if you think of the thesis as the answer to the question your paper explores.

How Can You Write a Good Thesis Statement?

Here are some helpful hints to get you started. You can either scroll down or select a link to a specific topic.

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Assigned How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is not Assigned How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Assigned

Almost all assignments, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single question. Your first step, then, is to distill the assignment into a specific question. For example, if your assignment is, “Write a report to the local school board explaining the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class,” turn the request into a question like, “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?” After you’ve chosen the question your essay will answer, compose one or two complete sentences answering that question.

Q: “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?” A: “The potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class are . . .”

A: “Using computers in a fourth-grade class promises to improve . . .”

The answer to the question is the thesis statement for the essay.

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How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is not Assigned

Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis statement still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to explore. In this situation, your job is to figure out what question you’d like to write about.

A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes:

take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree
deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment
express one main idea
assert your conclusions about a subject

Let’s see how to generate a thesis statement for a social policy paper.

Brainstorm the topic . Let’s say that your class focuses upon the problems posed by changes in the dietary habits of Americans. You find that you are interested in the amount of sugar Americans consume.

You start out with a thesis statement like this:

Sugar consumption.

This fragment isn’t a thesis statement. Instead, it simply indicates a general subject. Furthermore, your reader doesn’t know what you want to say about sugar consumption.

Narrow the topic . Your readings about the topic, however, have led you to the conclusion that elementary school children are consuming far more sugar than is healthy.

You change your thesis to look like this:

Reducing sugar consumption by elementary school children.

This fragment not only announces your subject, but it focuses on one segment of the population: elementary school children. Furthermore, it raises a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree, because while most people might agree that children consume more sugar than they used to, not everyone would agree on what should be done or who should do it. You should note that this fragment is not a thesis statement because your reader doesn’t know your conclusions on the topic.

Take a position on the topic. After reflecting on the topic a little while longer, you decide that what you really want to say about this topic is that something should be done to reduce the amount of sugar these children consume.

You revise your thesis statement to look like this:

More attention should be paid to the food and beverage choices available to elementary school children.

This statement asserts your position, but the terms more attention and food and beverage choices are vague.

Use specific language . You decide to explain what you mean about food and beverage choices , so you write:

Experts estimate that half of elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar.

This statement is specific, but it isn’t a thesis. It merely reports a statistic instead of making an assertion.

Make an assertion based on clearly stated support. You finally revise your thesis statement one more time to look like this:

Because half of all American elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar, schools should be required to replace the beverages in soda machines with healthy alternatives.

Notice how the thesis answers the question, “What should be done to reduce sugar consumption by children, and who should do it?” When you started thinking about the paper, you may not have had a specific question in mind, but as you became more involved in the topic, your ideas became more specific. Your thesis changed to reflect your new insights.

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

1. a strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand..

Remember that your thesis needs to show your conclusions about a subject. For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate. Here are two thesis statements:

There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.

This is a weak thesis statement. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase negative and positive aspects is vague.

Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.

This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand, and because it's specific.

2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.

Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion. If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements:

My family is an extended family.

This is a weak thesis because it merely states an observation. Your reader won’t be able to tell the point of the statement, and will probably stop reading.

While most American families would view consanguineal marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.

This is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. A good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see how you support your point.

3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.

Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. If your thesis statement expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. For example:

Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.

This is a weak thesis statement because the reader can’t decide whether the paper is about marketing on the Internet or Web pages. To revise the thesis, the relationship between the two ideas needs to become more clear. One way to revise the thesis would be to write:

Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.

This is a strong thesis because it shows that the two ideas are related. Hint: a great many clear and engaging thesis statements contain words like because , since , so , although , unless , and however .

4. A strong thesis statement is specific.

A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic. For example, if you're writing a seven-to-ten page paper on hunger, you might say:

World hunger has many causes and effects.

This is a weak thesis statement for two major reasons. First, world hunger can’t be discussed thoroughly in seven to ten pages. Second, many causes and effects is vague. You should be able to identify specific causes and effects. A revised thesis might look like this:

Hunger persists in Glandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.

This is a strong thesis statement because it narrows the subject to a more specific and manageable topic, and it also identifies the specific causes for the existence of hunger.

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Dissertation
What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

What Is a Thesis? | Ultimate Guide & Examples

Published on September 14, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on April 16, 2024.

A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master’s program or a capstone to a bachelor’s degree.

Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation , it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete. It relies on your ability to conduct research from start to finish: choosing a relevant topic , crafting a proposal , designing your research , collecting data , developing a robust analysis, drawing strong conclusions , and writing concisely .

Thesis template

You can also download our full thesis template in the format of your choice below. Our template includes a ready-made table of contents , as well as guidance for what each chapter should include. It’s easy to make it your own, and can help you get started.

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Thesis vs. thesis statement, how to structure a thesis, acknowledgements or preface, list of figures and tables, list of abbreviations, introduction, literature review, methodology, reference list, proofreading and editing, defending your thesis, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about theses.

You may have heard the word thesis as a standalone term or as a component of academic writing called a thesis statement . Keep in mind that these are two very different things.

A thesis statement is a very common component of an essay, particularly in the humanities. It usually comprises 1 or 2 sentences in the introduction of your essay , and should clearly and concisely summarize the central points of your academic essay .
A thesis is a long-form piece of academic writing, often taking more than a full semester to complete. It is generally a degree requirement for Master’s programs, and is also sometimes required to complete a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts colleges.
In the US, a dissertation is generally written as a final step toward obtaining a PhD.
In other countries (particularly the UK), a dissertation is generally written at the bachelor’s or master’s level.

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The final structure of your thesis depends on a variety of components, such as:

Your discipline
Your theoretical approach

Humanities theses are often structured more like a longer-form essay . Just like in an essay, you build an argument to support a central thesis.

In both hard and social sciences, theses typically include an introduction , literature review , methodology section , results section , discussion section , and conclusion section . These are each presented in their own dedicated section or chapter. In some cases, you might want to add an appendix .

Thesis examples

We’ve compiled a short list of thesis examples to help you get started.

Example thesis #1: “Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the ‘Noble Savage’ on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807” by Suchait Kahlon.
Example thesis #2: “’A Starving Man Helping Another Starving Man’: UNRRA, India, and the Genesis of Global Relief, 1943-1947″ by Julian Saint Reiman.

The very first page of your thesis contains all necessary identifying information, including:

Your full title
Your full name
Your department
Your institution and degree program
Your submission date.

Sometimes the title page also includes your student ID, the name of your supervisor, or the university’s logo. Check out your university’s guidelines if you’re not sure.

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An abstract is a short summary of your thesis. Usually a maximum of 300 words long, it’s should include brief descriptions of your research objectives , methods, results, and conclusions. Though it may seem short, it introduces your work to your audience, serving as a first impression of your thesis.

Theoretical framework

Your literature review can often form the basis for your theoretical framework, but these are not the same thing. A theoretical framework defines and analyzes the concepts and theories that your research hinges on.

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How to write a thesis statement + examples

What is a thesis statement?

Is a thesis statement a question, how do you write a good thesis statement, how do i know if my thesis statement is good, examples of thesis statements, helpful resources on how to write a thesis statement, frequently asked questions about writing a thesis statement, related articles.

A thesis statement is the main argument of your paper or thesis.

The thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any piece of academic writing . It is a brief statement of your paper’s main argument. Essentially, you are stating what you will be writing about.

You can see your thesis statement as an answer to a question. While it also contains the question, it should really give an answer to the question with new information and not just restate or reiterate it.

Your thesis statement is part of your introduction. Learn more about how to write a good thesis introduction in our introduction guide .

A thesis statement is not a question. A statement must be arguable and provable through evidence and analysis. While your thesis might stem from a research question, it should be in the form of a statement.

Tip: A thesis statement is typically 1-2 sentences. For a longer project like a thesis, the statement may be several sentences or a paragraph.

A good thesis statement needs to do the following:

Condense the main idea of your thesis into one or two sentences.
Answer your project’s main research question.
Clearly state your position in relation to the topic .
Make an argument that requires support or evidence.

Once you have written down a thesis statement, check if it fulfills the following criteria:

Your statement needs to be provable by evidence. As an argument, a thesis statement needs to be debatable.
Your statement needs to be precise. Do not give away too much information in the thesis statement and do not load it with unnecessary information.
Your statement cannot say that one solution is simply right or simply wrong as a matter of fact. You should draw upon verified facts to persuade the reader of your solution, but you cannot just declare something as right or wrong.

As previously mentioned, your thesis statement should answer a question.

If the question is:

What do you think the City of New York should do to reduce traffic congestion?

A good thesis statement restates the question and answers it:

In this paper, I will argue that the City of New York should focus on providing exclusive lanes for public transport and adaptive traffic signals to reduce traffic congestion by the year 2035.

Here is another example. If the question is:

How can we end poverty?

A good thesis statement should give more than one solution to the problem in question:

In this paper, I will argue that introducing universal basic income can help reduce poverty and positively impact the way we work.

The Writing Center of the University of North Carolina has a list of questions to ask to see if your thesis is strong .

A thesis statement is part of the introduction of your paper. It is usually found in the first or second paragraph to let the reader know your research purpose from the beginning.

In general, a thesis statement should have one or two sentences. But the length really depends on the overall length of your project. Take a look at our guide about the length of thesis statements for more insight on this topic.

Here is a list of Thesis Statement Examples that will help you understand better how to write them.

Every good essay should include a thesis statement as part of its introduction, no matter the academic level. Of course, if you are a high school student you are not expected to have the same type of thesis as a PhD student.

Here is a great YouTube tutorial showing How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements .

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How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

What’s Covered:

What is the purpose of a thesis statement, writing a good thesis statement: 4 steps, common pitfalls to avoid, where to get your essay edited for free.

When you set out to write an essay, there has to be some kind of point to it, right? Otherwise, your essay would just be a big jumble of word salad that makes absolutely no sense. An essay needs a central point that ties into everything else. That main point is called a thesis statement, and it’s the core of any essay or research paper.

You may hear about Master degree candidates writing a thesis, and that is an entire paper–not to be confused with the thesis statement, which is typically one sentence that contains your paper’s focus.

Read on to learn more about thesis statements and how to write them. We’ve also included some solid examples for you to reference.

Typically the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, the thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your essay. When your reader gets to the thesis statement, they should have a clear outline of your main point, as well as the information you’ll be presenting in order to either prove or support your point.

The thesis statement should not be confused for a topic sentence , which is the first sentence of every paragraph in your essay. If you need help writing topic sentences, numerous resources are available. Topic sentences should go along with your thesis statement, though.

Since the thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay or paper, it’s imperative that you get this part right. Otherwise, your paper will not have a good flow and will seem disjointed. That’s why it’s vital not to rush through developing one. It’s a methodical process with steps that you need to follow in order to create the best thesis statement possible.

Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

When you’re assigned an essay, there are several different types you may get. Argumentative essays are designed to get the reader to agree with you on a topic. Informative or expository essays present information to the reader. Analytical essays offer up a point and then expand on it by analyzing relevant information. Thesis statements can look and sound different based on the type of paper you’re writing. For example:

Argumentative: The United States needs a viable third political party to decrease bipartisanship, increase options, and help reduce corruption in government.
Informative: The Libertarian party has thrown off elections before by gaining enough support in states to get on the ballot and by taking away crucial votes from candidates.
Analytical: An analysis of past presidential elections shows that while third party votes may have been the minority, they did affect the outcome of the elections in 2020, 2016, and beyond.

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Once you know what type of paper you’re writing, you then need to figure out the point you want to make with your thesis statement, and subsequently, your paper. In other words, you need to decide to answer a question about something, such as:

What impact did reality TV have on American society?
How has the musical Hamilton affected perception of American history?
Why do I want to major in [chosen major here]?

If you have an argumentative essay, then you will be writing about an opinion. To make it easier, you may want to choose an opinion that you feel passionate about so that you’re writing about something that interests you. For example, if you have an interest in preserving the environment, you may want to choose a topic that relates to that.

If you’re writing your college essay and they ask why you want to attend that school, you may want to have a main point and back it up with information, something along the lines of:

“Attending Harvard University would benefit me both academically and professionally, as it would give me a strong knowledge base upon which to build my career, develop my network, and hopefully give me an advantage in my chosen field.”

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Once you have the point you want to make, you need to figure out how you plan to back it up throughout the rest of your essay. Without this information, it will be hard to either prove or argue the main point of your thesis statement. If you decide to write about the Hamilton example, you may decide to address any falsehoods that the writer put into the musical, such as:

“The musical Hamilton, while accurate in many ways, leaves out key parts of American history, presents a nationalist view of founding fathers, and downplays the racism of the times.”

Once you’ve written your initial working thesis statement, you’ll then need to get information to back that up. For example, the musical completely leaves out Benjamin Franklin, portrays the founding fathers in a nationalist way that is too complimentary, and shows Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist despite the fact that his family likely did own slaves.

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and that you feel like you can truly write a paper on the topic. Once you’ve done that, you can then begin writing your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, there are some common pitfalls you should avoid so that your paper can be as solid as possible. Make sure you always edit the thesis statement before you do anything else. You also want to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Don’t make your reader hunt for your point. Finally, put your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and have your introduction flow toward that statement. Your reader will expect to find your statement in its traditional spot.

If you’re having trouble getting started, or need some guidance on your essay, there are tools available that can help you. CollegeVine offers a free peer essay review tool where one of your peers can read through your essay and provide you with valuable feedback. Getting essay feedback from a peer can help you wow your instructor or college admissions officer with an impactful essay that effectively illustrates your point.

Thesis Statements: The Complete Guide

Thesis statements are pretty important, but they cause students a whole lot of trouble. You can find them in the introduction of an essay. They’re usually only one sentence and they contain two important pieces of information:

The main topic of the assignment
Your stance (also called your view or opinion) on the topic.

Without a thesis statement, your essay might lack focus, structure and an argument (if your essay needs one).

Many students find thesis statements confusing, so I created this guide to make thesis statements easier to understand and write.

By the end of this article, you should know:

the five rules of good thesis statements
the mistakes to avoid when writing thesis statements
how to write a thesis statement in six steps

I’ve also made a free worksheet to go with this guide. It contains sentence structures, examples and exercises. [thrive_2step id=’996′] Click here to download it . [/thrive_2step]

Part Zero: Examples of Thesis Statement

Before we get into the Rules and the How To steps, let’s look at a couple of authentic examples. These are two thesis statements taken from the introductions of two academic journal articles that I have recently read.

Note : these statements are quite complex, so don’t worry about understanding them. Just look at how they are structured.

The available evidence suggests that tests often do exert influence on learners and that individual learners, like teachers, will experience this influence in different ways. Although teacher and student perceptions of test influence have been compared, there is a lack of evidence relating to how washback to teachers and programmes might interact with washback to learners . Questions addressed in this study include: what expectations do students bring to IELTS preparation courses? And how do these compare with the expectations of non-IELTS learners, with teacher perceptions of course content and with experiences reported at course.

Green, A., 2006. Washback to the learner: Learner and teacher perspectives on IELTS preparation course expectations and outcomes. Assessing Writing , 11, pp. 113-134.

This thesis statement does two things: it shows us the focus of the study AND it tells us that the topic is significant.

In an essay on music that hardly involves procedures but focuses on historical facts, specific relational processes (i.e., clauses that involve verbs such as is and are and convey facts) are expected to constitute a large proportion of the writing. Therefore, to write appropriately for a particular genre, a writer needs to understand what is expected; the writing should include a high percentage of those clausal constructions that meet genre expectations. This study examines the use of process types during drafting in the scientific-expository genre, in an essay written on the topic, Should genetic modification be approved?

Li, A., 2012. Transitivity Shifts in Academic Writing. Asian EFL Journal , 14 (4), pp. 107-133.

This thesis statement shows that the topic the writer is focusing on is a significant one. The statement also tells us what the writer will focus on.

We can see a few similarities between these:

The present tense is used
They show the focus of the text
They make the topic seem important

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Part 1: The Five Rules of Thesis Statements

Rule 1: make it simple.

What’s wrong with the following thesis statement?

The significance of the thesis statement is undeniable in the debate of academic writings, for without one, a trenchant and convincing argument cannot engage in efficacious development.

It’s too long and complicated . The language is too complex and some words are outdated.

Don’t go crazy with the electronic dictionary or online translator! Use words that you know how to use , and keep your sentence simple, clear and direct.

Rule 2: Make it Focused and Interesting

This essay will discuss the significance of thesis statements.

It’s too general . Yes, it tells us that it is about thesis statements, but it doesn’t give us a main focus or the writer’s stance/argument. It’s also pretty boring.

Think about what you really want to tell your audience in relation to your topic. Do you agree or disagree? Is something positive or negative? Have an opinion!

Rule 3: Don’t be too Specific

Thesis statements written for argumentative essays evaluating the effects of globalisation on less economically developed countries tend to be the strongest.

It’s too specific . This thesis statement gives a really narrow view of the topic. As a result, the student who wrote this might run out of things to write about their topic.

If you think your thesis statement is too specific, ask yourself, “ How much can I write about this topic?”

If you think your essay is too short and you have nothing to write about, look at your thesis statement – it might be too specific!

Rule 4: Don’t Include your Emotions

I think thesis statements are great, wonderful and brilliant, and really help to make a super essay!

It’s too informal . We can tell that this person really likes thesis statements , but that’s not the point. They have used informal and emotional language to show their opinion.

This makes their argument less academic and more personal and emotional.

You can give your opinion, but avoid using informal phrases, such as ‘I think’, and emotive words, such as ‘great’, ‘super’ and ‘wonderful’.

Rule 5: Make it a Statement

Why do many experts agree that thesis statements are essential for creating a strong argument in an essay?

It’s not a statement – it’s a question !

This is quite a common error, and could show that you are unsure about what you are writing.

If you see a question mark at the end of your thesis statement, go back and rewrite it. Make sure your thesis statements are statements, and show that you have an opinion.

HALFWAY CHECKPOINT

Well done for getting through part 1! So far we’ve looked at the five rules to creating a good thesis statement, and the mistakes that you should avoid.

We’ve seen 5 examples of poor thesis statements , so here’s an example of a decent one:

The thesis statement is arguably the most significant sentence in any academic text.

In the next part of this article, we’re going to look at how to write a thesis statement.

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Part 2: How to Write a Thesis Statement

Step 1: understand your assignment.

Before you can write your thesis statement, you need to understand what your assignment is asking you to do.

Decide on the type of assignment: This is an analytical and discussion based essay.

This means that you will need to look at something in detail from more than one point of view and give your own opinion.

Look at the topic of the assignment task : this will tell you what to focus on .

In the example, the topic is: the effect of social media on the productivity of university students.

Look at the instruction verbs : this will tell you what to do.

In this example, the instruction verb is ‘ examine ’. This means that you need to look at the topic in detail and then give your opinion on it.

To sum up : we need to look in detail at how social media, such as Facebook, increases or decreases the amount of studying university students do. Then we need to give our opinion on it.

Step 2: Brainstorm your First Thoughts on the Topic.

After understanding the question, we need to think about our first opinion.

So, what’s your first thought right now?

Do you think social media makes students more productive or less productive?

While you’re deciding, write down everything you can think of about the topic. Try to organise your thoughts to reflect the assignment task.

Here’s an example of organising ideas into a table for our assignment title: Examine the effect of social media on the productivity of university students.

Once you’ve decided, you need to make a list of reasons why you think that. This is your first stance.

From the list above, do you think our first stance is positive or negative?

Step 3: Research your Topic

This is an academic assignment, so your opinion isn’t enough. You need to research your topic to find relevant information which supports or refutes your initial stance.

It’s good to have a stance before you start researching because it can make you more critical.

Researching can be tough, so check out this post on how to be more effective at reading.

Step 4: Re-evaluate your Stance.

Your stance is your opinion.

After researching your topic, you need to re-evaluate your stance. This means that you need to look at all of the information that you have collected and decide whether you will keep your stance the same or change it.

It’s fine to keep your stance the same and it’s fine to change it. Just make sure that you have the evidence to support it.

After looking at the evidence from step 3, I think we can say that social media is both positive and negative, but mostly negative .

Step 5: Draft your thesis statement – make it clear, simple, and direct.

Now you need to draft your thesis statement. Use the rules above to help you write your thesis statement.

You can paraphrase the assignment question/task.

Here’s an example of a draft thesis statement using our assignment topic:

[thrive_2step id=’996′] If you want more thesis statement help, download my free worksheet here [/thrive_2step]

Step 6: Refine your thesis statement

After drafting your thesis statement, you need to edit your thesis statement.

Look at word order, sentence structure, word use, punctuation, spelling and any other common language problems.

Basically, you’re refining your thesis statement and making it clearer.

Our final thesis statement could look like this:

We can make it even stronger by including some reasons for our stance :

Final Words

That’s the end of our Thesis Statement workshop! You should now be a thesis statement expert!

All you need to do now is:

Download my free 4-page thesis statements worksheet and work through the exercises. [thrive_2step id=’996′] Click here to download it . [/thrive_2step]
Use the worksheet to write your thesis statement.
Post your statement in the comments below.

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Thesis Statements

What this handout is about.

This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft.

Introduction

Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement:

tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
makes a claim that others might dispute.
is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on understanding assignments for more information.)

How do I create a thesis?

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. Both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.

Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming .

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following :

Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question. If the prompt isn’t phrased as a question, try to rephrase it. For example, “Discuss the effect of X on Y” can be rephrased as “What is the effect of X on Y?”
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is likely to be “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

Suppose you are taking a course on contemporary communication, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: “Discuss the impact of social media on public awareness.” Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:

Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.

You can use the questions above to help you revise this general statement into a stronger thesis.

Do I answer the question? You can analyze this if you rephrase “discuss the impact” as “what is the impact?” This way, you can see that you’ve answered the question only very generally with the vague “positive and negative ways.”
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not likely. Only people who maintain that social media has a solely positive or solely negative impact could disagree.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? No. What are the positive effects? What are the negative effects?
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? No. Why are they positive? How are they positive? What are their causes? Why are they negative? How are they negative? What are their causes?
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? No. Why should anyone care about the positive and/or negative impact of social media?

After thinking about your answers to these questions, you decide to focus on the one impact you feel strongly about and have strong evidence for:

Because not every voice on social media is reliable, people have become much more critical consumers of information, and thus, more informed voters.

This version is a much stronger thesis! It answers the question, takes a specific position that others can challenge, and it gives a sense of why it matters.

Let’s try another. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. “This will be easy,” you think. “I loved Huckleberry Finn!” You grab a pad of paper and write:

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.

You begin to analyze your thesis:

Do I answer the question? No. The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel.

Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write:

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.

Do I answer the question? Yes!
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not really. This contrast is well-known and accepted.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? It’s getting there–you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. However, it’s still not clear what your analysis will reveal.
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? Not yet. Compare scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck’s actions and reactions and anything else that seems interesting.
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? What’s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?”

After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature.

This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 2018. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing , 8th ed. New York: Pearson.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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How to Write a Solid Thesis Statement

The important sentence expresses your central assertion or argument

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Writing Research Papers
Writing Essays
English Grammar
M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
B.A., History, Armstrong State University

A thesis statement provides the foundation for your entire research paper or essay. This statement is the central assertion that you want to express in your essay. A successful thesis statement is one that is made up of one or two sentences clearly laying out your central idea and expressing an informed, reasoned answer to your research question.

Usually, the thesis statement will appear at the end of the first paragraph of your paper. There are a few different types, and the content of your thesis statement will depend upon the type of paper you’re writing.

Key Takeaways: Writing a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement gives your reader a preview of your paper's content by laying out your central idea and expressing an informed, reasoned answer to your research question.
Thesis statements will vary depending on the type of paper you are writing, such as an expository essay, argument paper, or analytical essay.
Before creating a thesis statement, determine whether you are defending a stance, giving an overview of an event, object, or process, or analyzing your subject

Expository Essay Thesis Statement Examples

An expository essay "exposes" the reader to a new topic; it informs the reader with details, descriptions, or explanations of a subject. If you are writing an expository essay , your thesis statement should explain to the reader what she will learn in your essay. For example:

The United States spends more money on its military budget than all the industrialized nations combined.
Gun-related homicides and suicides are increasing after years of decline.
Hate crimes have increased three years in a row, according to the FBI.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases the risk of stroke and arterial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat).

These statements provide a statement of fact about the topic (not just opinion) but leave the door open for you to elaborate with plenty of details. In an expository essay, you don't need to develop an argument or prove anything; you only need to understand your topic and present it in a logical manner. A good thesis statement in an expository essay always leaves the reader wanting more details.

Types of Thesis Statements

Before creating a thesis statement, it's important to ask a few basic questions, which will help you determine the kind of essay or paper you plan to create:

Are you defending a stance in a controversial essay ?
Are you simply giving an overview or describing an event, object, or process?
Are you conducting an analysis of an event, object, or process?

In every thesis statement , you will give the reader a preview of your paper's content, but the message will differ a little depending on the essay type .

Argument Thesis Statement Examples

If you have been instructed to take a stance on one side of a controversial issue, you will need to write an argument essay . Your thesis statement should express the stance you are taking and may give the reader a preview or a hint of your evidence. The thesis of an argument essay could look something like the following:

Self-driving cars are too dangerous and should be banned from the roadways.
The exploration of outer space is a waste of money; instead, funds should go toward solving issues on Earth, such as poverty, hunger, global warming, and traffic congestion.
The U.S. must crack down on illegal immigration.
Street cameras and street-view maps have led to a total loss of privacy in the United States and elsewhere.

These thesis statements are effective because they offer opinions that can be supported by evidence. If you are writing an argument essay, you can craft your own thesis around the structure of the statements above.

Analytical Essay Thesis Statement Examples

In an analytical essay assignment, you will be expected to break down a topic, process, or object in order to observe and analyze your subject piece by piece. Examples of a thesis statement for an analytical essay include:

The criminal justice reform bill passed by the U.S. Senate in late 2018 (" The First Step Act ") aims to reduce prison sentences that disproportionately fall on nonwhite criminal defendants.
The rise in populism and nationalism in the U.S. and European democracies has coincided with the decline of moderate and centrist parties that have dominated since WWII.
Later-start school days increase student success for a variety of reasons.

Because the role of the thesis statement is to state the central message of your entire paper, it is important to revisit (and maybe rewrite) your thesis statement after the paper is written. In fact, it is quite normal for your message to change as you construct your paper.

The Introductory Paragraph: Start Your Paper Off Right
Revising a Paper
Your Personal Essay Thesis Sentence
How to Develop a Research Paper Timeline
Ethos, Logos, Pathos for Persuasion
How to Narrow the Research Topic for Your Paper
World War II Research Essay Topics
What Is a Senior Thesis?
How to Use Verbs Effectively in Your Research Paper
When to Cite a Source in a Paper
Writing an Annotated Bibliography for a Paper
Finding Trustworthy Sources
How to Write a 10-Page Research Paper
5 Steps to Writing a Position Paper
What Is an Autobiography?
Finding Statistics and Data for Research Papers

Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

Introduction, what is a thesis statement, 1. the role of the thesis statement, a. guiding your writing:, b. engaging your readers:, 2. characteristics of a strong thesis statement, a. specificity:.

A strong thesis statement is specific rather than vague or broad. It clearly defines the scope of your paper and outlines the specific aspects you will explore. Avoid general statements that could apply to any topic; instead, hone in on the particular angle or argument you will address.

B. Arguability:

C. reflection of the paper’s scope:, d. conciseness:.

A thesis statement should be concise, ideally one or two sentences long. It should convey your main point without unnecessary words or complex phrasing. Clear and direct language makes your thesis more impactful and easier for readers to understand.

Tips for Writing a Strong Thesis Statement

1. be specific, 2. make it arguable, 3. reflect the scope, 4. keep it concise, additional tips for writing a strong thesis statement, 1. revise and refine, 2. test your thesis, 3. seek feedback, 4. ensure clarity and precision, 5. align with your paper’s structure, 6. address the “so what” factor, thesis sentence example, examples of effective thesis statements.

While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence)

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.

Arguable thesis with analytical claim

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.

Arguable thesis with normative claim

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.

Questions to ask about your thesis

Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?
Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?
Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?
Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?
Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
picture_as_pdf Thesis

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How To Write a Good Thesis Statement in Five Steps

Writing a thesis statement can be intimidating, sure, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Below, we’ll go over five steps that can help you write an effective thesis statement.

A thesis statement should encapsulate the main idea of your text in one sentence.

Quick Summary on Writing a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement encapsulates the main idea or point of your entire text in one effective, assertive, and clear-cut sentence.
The five steps to writing your thesis statement are:

What Is a Thesis Statement?

A thesis statement is a sentence found at the end of the introduction paragraph (usually the last sentence) that briefly yet thoroughly explains the main idea or point of the rest of your text. Writing a good thesis statement is essential because it helps your readers understand your objective from the start—there’s no guessing game. An effective thesis statement also has the power to draw readers in by showing why your topic is worth reading (and writing) about.

How To Write an Effective Thesis Statement

1. choose a topic..

Before writing a good thesis statement, you’ll have to decide what you’re writing about. This step requires a lot of thought because you want to pick a topic that you’re passionate about, but that can also resonate with a wide audience.

2. Set your objective.

Next, ask yourself what your goal is. This is in line with deciding what type of text you’ll be writing—expository, persuasive, narrative, etc. It’s always crucial to believe in what you’re writing. This might be tricky, especially if the topic was chosen for you, but you can always try to find an angle that you can wholeheartedly support.

3. Encapsulate the main point of your text in as few words as possible.

Now it’s time to write the thesis statement . Remember, a thesis statement sums up the point of your entire text. It works as a sort of guide for your readers, so they know what to expect. Ask yourself, “How can I capture the main essence of my writing into one sentence?” And keep this in mind while you’re writing it: An effective thesis statement explains what you’re writing about and asserts your perspective on it.

4. Check for spelling and grammar errors.

You’ve probably heard that you’re not supposed to edit as you write, which is true in many cases. But because the thesis statement sets the tone for the rest of your writing, you may not want one riddled with spelling and grammar errors. Check for mistakes in your thesis statement before continuing writing. If you want additional help, you can always use LanguageTool as your writing assistant, so all you have to focus on is writing. This multilingual text editor can do the checking for you to ensure flawless text.

5. Revise your thesis if need be.

The writing process can be enlightening. Sometimes your perspective on something may shift as you gain a new understanding while writing about it. It’s no problem if this happens, just make sure your thesis statement matches the rest of your writing.

Writing a Thesis Statement

Here’s an example of a well-written thesis statement:

Having a pet not only helps you feel a sense of companionship, but they also offer a plethora of physical and mental health benefits, which I’ll be discussing in detail.

Remember: When brainstorming your thesis statement, ask yourself, “What are you writing about, and what’s your take on it?”
That’s the question your thesis statement should answer throughout your writing, and should be reiterated in the conclusion .
Thesis statements are important, so make sure you set enough time aside to write a powerful one.

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Research Paper: A step-by-step guide: 3. Thesis Statement & Outline

1. Getting Started
2. Topic Ideas
3. Thesis Statement & Outline
4. Appropriate Sources
5. Search Techniques
6. Taking Notes & Documenting Sources
7. Evaluating Sources
8. Citations & Plagiarism
9. Writing Your Research Paper

About Thesis Statements

Qualities of a thesis statement.

Thesis statements:

state the subject matter and main ideas of a paper.
appear in the first paragraph and announces what you will discuss in your paper.
define the scope and focus of your essay, and tells your reader what to expect.
are not a simple factual statement. It is an assertion that states your claims and that you can prove with evidence.
should be the product of research and your own critical thinking.
can be very helpful in constructing an outline for your essay; for each point you make, ask yourself whether it is relevant to the thesis.

Steps you can use to create a thesis statement

1. Start out with the main topic and focus of your essay.

youth gangs + prevention and intervention programs

2. Make a claim or argument in one sentence. It can be helpful to start with a question which you then turn into an argument

Can prevention and intervention programs stop youth gang activities? How? ►►► "Prevention and intervention programs can stop youth gang activities by giving teens something else to do."

3. Revise the sentence by using specific terms.

"Early prevention programs in schools are the most effective way to prevent youth gang involvement by giving teens good activities that offer a path to success."

4. Further revise the sentence to cover the scope of your essay and make a strong statement.

"Among various prevention and intervention efforts that have been made to deal with the rapid growth of youth gangs, early school-based prevention programs are the most effective way to prevent youth gang involvement, which they do by giving teens meaningful activities that offer pathways to achievement and success."

5. Keep your thesis statement flexible and revise it as needed. In the process of researching and writing, you may find new information or refine your understanding of the topic.

You can view this short video for more tips on how to write a clear thesis statement.

An outline is the skeleton of your essay, in which you list the arguments and subtopics in a logical order. A good outline is an important element in writing a good paper. An outline helps to target your research areas, keep you within the scope without going off-track, and it can also help to keep your argument in good order when writing the essay. Once your outline is in good shape, it is much easier to write your paper; you've already done most of the thinking, so you just need to fill in the outline with a paragraph for each point.

To write an outline: The most common way to write an outline is the list format. List all the major topics and subtopics with the key points that support them. Put similar topics and points together and arrange them in a logical order. Include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

A list outline should arrange the main points or arguments in a hierarchical structure indicated by Roman numerals for main ideas (I, II, III...), capital letters for subtopics (A, B, C...), Arabic numerals for details (1,2,3...), and lower-case letters for fine details if needed (a,b,c...). This helps keep things organized.

Here is a shortened example of an outline:

Introduction: background and thesis statement

I. First topic

1. Supporting evidence 2. Supporting evidence

II. Second Topic

III. Third Topic

I. Summarize the main points of your paper II. Restate your thesis in different words III. Make a strong final statement

You can see examples of a few different kinds of outlines and get more help at the Purdue OWL .

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Next: 4. Appropriate Sources >>
Last Updated: Apr 18, 2023 12:12 PM
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Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

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Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Thesis Statement Examples

Example of an analytical thesis statement:

The paper that follows should:

Explain the analysis of the college admission process
Explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:

Explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

Present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

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25 Thesis Statement Examples That Will Make Writing a Breeze

Understanding what makes a good thesis statement is one of the major keys to writing a great research paper or argumentative essay. The thesis statement is where you make a claim that will guide you through your entire paper. If you find yourself struggling to make sense of your paper or your topic, then it's likely due to a weak thesis statement.

Let's take a minute to first understand what makes a solid thesis statement, and what key components you need to write one of your own.

A thesis statement always goes at the beginning of the paper. It will typically be in the first couple of paragraphs of the paper so that it can introduce the body paragraphs, which are the supporting evidence for your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement should clearly identify an argument. You need to have a statement that is not only easy to understand, but one that is debatable. What that means is that you can't just put any statement of fact and have it be your thesis. For example, everyone knows that puppies are cute . An ineffective thesis statement would be, "Puppies are adorable and everyone knows it." This isn't really something that's a debatable topic.

Something that would be more debatable would be, "A puppy's cuteness is derived from its floppy ears, small body, and playfulness." These are three things that can be debated on. Some people might think that the cutest thing about puppies is the fact that they follow you around or that they're really soft and fuzzy.

All cuteness aside, you want to make sure that your thesis statement is not only debatable, but that it also actually thoroughly answers the research question that was posed. You always want to make sure that your evidence is supporting a claim that you made (and not the other way around). This is why it's crucial to read and research about a topic first and come to a conclusion later. If you try to get your research to fit your thesis statement, then it may not work out as neatly as you think. As you learn more, you discover more (and the outcome may not be what you originally thought).

Additionally, your thesis statement shouldn't be too big or too grand. It'll be hard to cover everything in a thesis statement like, "The federal government should act now on climate change." The topic is just too large to actually say something new and meaningful. Instead, a more effective thesis statement might be, "Local governments can combat climate change by providing citizens with larger recycling bins and offering local classes about composting and conservation." This is easier to work with because it's a smaller idea, but you can also discuss the overall topic that you might be interested in, which is climate change.

So, now that we know what makes a good, solid thesis statement, you can start to write your own. If you find that you're getting stuck or you are the type of person who needs to look at examples before you start something, then check out our list of thesis statement examples below.

Thesis statement examples

A quick note that these thesis statements have not been fully researched. These are merely examples to show you what a thesis statement might look like and how you can implement your own ideas into one that you think of independently. As such, you should not use these thesis statements for your own research paper purposes. They are meant to be used as examples only.

Vaccinations Because many children are unable to vaccinate due to illness, we must require that all healthy and able children be vaccinated in order to have herd immunity.
Educational Resources for Low-Income Students Schools should provide educational resources for low-income students during the summers so that they don't forget what they've learned throughout the school year.
School Uniforms School uniforms may be an upfront cost for families, but they eradicate the visual differences in income between students and provide a more egalitarian atmosphere at school.
Populism The rise in populism on the 2016 political stage was in reaction to increasing globalization, the decline of manufacturing jobs, and the Syrian refugee crisis.
Public Libraries Libraries are essential resources for communities and should be funded more heavily by local municipalities.
Cyber Bullying With more and more teens using smartphones and social media, cyber bullying is on the rise. Cyber bullying puts a lot of stress on many teens, and can cause depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. Parents should limit the usage of smart phones, monitor their children's online activity, and report any cyber bullying to school officials in order to combat this problem.
Medical Marijuana for Veterans Studies have shown that the use of medicinal marijuana has been helpful to veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Medicinal marijuana prescriptions should be legal in all states and provided to these veterans. Additional medical or therapy services should also be researched and implemented in order to help them re-integrate back into civilian life.
Work-Life Balance Corporations should provide more work from home opportunities and six-hour workdays so that office workers have a better work-life balance and are more likely to be productive when they are in the office.
Teaching Youths about Consensual Sex Although sex education that includes a discussion of consensual sex would likely lead to less sexual assault, parents need to teach their children the meaning of consent from a young age with age appropriate lessons.
Whether or Not to Attend University A degree from a university provides invaluable lessons on life and a future career, but not every high school student should be encouraged to attend a university directly after graduation. Some students may benefit from a trade school or a "gap year" where they can think more intensely about what it is they want to do for a career and how they can accomplish this.
Studying Abroad Studying abroad is one of the most culturally valuable experiences you can have in college. It is the only way to get completely immersed in another language and learn how other cultures and countries are different from your own.
Women's Body Image Magazines have done a lot in the last five years to include a more diverse group of models, but there is still a long way to go to promote a healthy woman's body image collectively as a culture.
Cigarette Tax Heavily taxing and increasing the price of cigarettes is essentially a tax on the poorest Americans, and it doesn't deter them from purchasing. Instead, the state and federal governments should target those economically disenfranchised with early education about the dangers of smoking.
Veganism A vegan diet, while a healthy and ethical way to consume food, indicates a position of privilege. It also limits you to other cultural food experiences if you travel around the world.
University Athletes Should be Compensated University athletes should be compensated for their service to the university, as it is difficult for these students to procure and hold a job with busy academic and athletic schedules. Many student athletes on scholarship also come from low-income neighborhoods and it is a struggle to make ends meet when they are participating in athletics.
Women in the Workforce Sheryl Sandberg makes a lot of interesting points in her best-selling book, Lean In , but she only addressed the very privileged working woman and failed to speak to those in lower-skilled, lower-wage jobs.
Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide should be legal and doctors should have the ability to make sure their patients have the end-of-life care that they want to receive.
Celebrity and Political Activism Although Taylor Swift's lyrics are indicative of a feminist perspective, she should be more politically active and vocal to use her position of power for the betterment of society.
The Civil War The insistence from many Southerners that the South seceded from the Union for states' rights versus the fact that they seceded for the purposes of continuing slavery is a harmful myth that still affects race relations today.
Blue Collar Workers Coal miners and other blue-collar workers whose jobs are slowly disappearing from the workforce should be re-trained in jobs in the technology sector or in renewable energy. A program to re-train these workers would not only improve local economies where jobs have been displaced, but would also lead to lower unemployment nationally.
Diversity in the Workforce Having a diverse group of people in an office setting leads to richer ideas, more cooperation, and more empathy between people with different skin colors or backgrounds.
Re-Imagining the Nuclear Family The nuclear family was traditionally defined as one mother, one father, and 2.5 children. This outdated depiction of family life doesn't quite fit with modern society. The definition of normal family life shouldn't be limited to two-parent households.
Digital Literacy Skills With more information readily available than ever before, it's crucial that students are prepared to examine the material they're reading and determine whether or not it's a good source or if it has misleading information. Teaching students digital literacy and helping them to understand the difference between opinion or propaganda from legitimate, real information is integral.
Beauty Pageants Beauty pageants are presented with the angle that they empower women. However, putting women in a swimsuit on a stage while simultaneously judging them on how well they answer an impossible question in a short period of time is cruel and purely for the amusement of men. Therefore, we should stop televising beauty pageants.
Supporting More Women to Run for a Political Position In order to get more women into political positions, more women must run for office. There must be a grassroots effort to educate women on how to run for office, who among them should run, and support for a future candidate for getting started on a political career.

Still stuck? Need some help with your thesis statement?

If you are still uncertain about how to write a thesis statement or what a good thesis statement is, be sure to consult with your teacher or professor to make sure you're on the right track. It's always a good idea to check in and make sure that your thesis statement is making a solid argument and that it can be supported by your research.

After you're done writing, it's important to have someone take a second look at your paper so that you can ensure there are no mistakes or errors. It's difficult to spot your own mistakes, which is why it's always recommended to have someone help you with the revision process, whether that's a teacher, the writing center at school, or a professional editor such as one from ServiceScape .

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How Can I Create a Strong Thesis?
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For most college essays, you need a thesis statement that captures the argument, or central claim, of the essay. It will usually appear at the end of the first or second paragraph of the essay and will include the basic argument and its implications. Your thesis will often change from early thinking (to accommodate your evolution in thinking as you write) once you’ve got a whole draft, and a strong working thesis will adapt into a well-considered, well-supported articulation of your ultimate argument. The takeaway? Creating a strong thesis goes hand-in-hand with creating a strong argument in the overall essay.

General Considerations

A strong thesis should do the following things:.

Go beyond announcing a subject – join an ongoing conversation by taking a stand on an issue or offering an interpretation of something (a text, a policy, a new scientific discovery, etc.)
Get specific – rule out most of the broad material pertinent to your topic and zero in on a clear claim that focuses more narrowly on some specific aspect of your topic.
Indicate the “what, why, and how” of your argument – what are you claiming, why you believe this to be true, important, etc., and how you will approach your topic.

A strong thesis will apply to your issue/text and only to your issue/text

Thesis statements that are too broad often could be transplanted from one paper (even one subject!) to the next without anyone noticing. If what you claim in your thesis could work equally well for an essay on Mrs. Dalloway and an essay on the virtues of capitalism, you have more focusing and tightening to do.

In Practice

Start with a working thesis (revise it later).

A working thesis is often different from a final thesis. A working thesis will help you get started writing by keeping you focused on the general sense of what you wish to argue, even if you don’t have all the details in place; those details will usually work themselves out in the writing. Often after you’ve finished writing a complete draft, you will realize that you’ve actually argued something more interesting and complex than your working thesis could express. At that point, you should revise your working thesis into a final thesis that accurately expresses your argument.

The first step toward writing a strong thesis is taking a stand or offering an interpretation of an issue related to your topic. Sometimes an essay assignment might ask you a question that will prompt an argument, and other times you will need to come up with an argument on your own. Either way, your position can be simple at first, as the process of writing the essay will most likely lead you to develop a more complex thesis. The following are samples of possible working theses:

American politics relies too heavily on the two-party system.
Jane Eyre does not align with feminism.
The potential use of stem cell research should be explored.
The continuous stream of news coverage undermines the quality of the news.

In each of these statements, the writer has taken a position that will allow them to start writing, even though these statements could be seen as too simple to truly make a strong thesis. These statements could be referred to as the basic argument (the “what”) . A strong thesis will also require justifications (the “why,” sometimes referred to as implications ) and/or a method/framework (the “how”), which can be explored later once the basic argument is in place.

Look for Signs that Your Thesis is Weak

On occasion, writers will be hindered early on by statements that seem like they will make a good basis for arguments, while in actuality they prevent an argument from being strong. For that reason, it’s good to know what separates a strong thesis from a weak one.

A strong thesis is NOT

just an observation (Example: Jane Eyre relates to ideas about feminism.) This may be true, but this statement is simply an observation about the book—it doesn’t take a stand on how feminism is treated in the text.
a statement of fact (Example: Many people are opposed to stem cell research.) Fact-based statements can be easily checked by asking yourself if anyone could reasonably disagree with you. If everyone would agree that your statement is true, then your statement is only a fact, not an argument.
a broad generalization (Example: Politics are working for the people.) It may seem as if using broad terms allows for more possibilities for things to include in your essay, but broad issues because contain too many specific arguments within them, and making a broad claim will mean making a shallow argument. In this example, “politics” and “people” are both too broad. The “American two-party system” is a more specific category that will allow you to focus on one argument and discuss the complexities within it.
a list of examples (Example: The continuous stream of news coverage causes lack of depth, focuses on superficial issues, and results in information overload.) While your essay may include examples of all of these issues, using a list for a thesis doesn’t allow for deep investigation of one topic nor does it show the relationship between ideas. The items in the list may be points of evidence you can use in your essay without naming them.

Make It Complex

A strong thesis needs to make a complex argument, meaning it needs to show that the complications or contradictions of the issue have been taken into account in the essay and that the argument matters —or that there are implications to the argument. The complexity of the argument, and therefore the thesis, can be explored in various ways that can help evolve the working thesis into a complex thesis.

Explore counterarguments

What reasonable claims have others made that contradict your argument, and how might taking those into consideration help you justify or strengthen your own? If you were to launch your own rebuttal to your argument, what would that look like? How does that help you complicate your ideas?

Consider a variety of angles

There are more than two sides—often far more—to any argument. For instance, people might argue the same thing for different reasons, might agree on a common problem but feel differently about how to solve it, might see the same problem as being caused by different things, etc. If you seek out as many stances on your topic as possible, you might be able to shape your argument in a way that fills a void in the conversation.

Ask yourself why the argument matters

Ok, you may be writing about the Two-Thirds Compromise because your instructor told you to. But beyond that, find a way to consider why you (and we) should care about it. What is important about your topic (whether historical or contemporary, out of the STEM fields or music and dance) here and now? Who are the stakeholders in your argument? Is there anyone whose voice hasn’t been heard on this that you could bring to light? In other words, “so what?” If you can find a legitimate reason why the argument matters, you can argue it from a stronger, more complicated place.

Consider starting with the “magical thesis” template, at least as a working thesis.

“By looking at ______________, we can see _________________, which most [readers, scientists, politicians, actors, etc.] don’t see; this is important because ____________________.” This thesis template asks you to articulate your object of study, what you can reveal about it, and why your revelation is important.

Think about the project you’re working on, and answer the following questions:

What is your topic?

What is your stance on the topic? State this as a complete sentence.

Why do you believe this? State your reasons in a “because” clause.

Why would someone disagree with this? State the opposing opinion in an “although” clause.

Now put it together to form a working thesis: “Although” clause + Stance on topic + “Because” clause = Complete (working) thesis statement

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How to write a thesis statement (with examples)

Since 2006, oxbridge essays has been the uk’s leading paid essay-writing and dissertation service.

We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials. If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below.

What exactly is a thesis statement?

What if I told you that one sentence in your essay or thesis could be the difference between a First and a Fail?

It may sound absurd – perhaps even unfair – but it’s true. I refer, of course, to the thesis statement. A thesis statement is your entire essay if it were condensed into a single sentence. If your essay title is a question, then your thesis statement is the one-sentence answer.

It tends to arrive near the end of the first paragraph of a thesis.

Let’s take a look at an example from a Master of Education degree thesis:

Thesis title What constitutes ‘good writing’ for GCSE students of English?

Thesis statement The examination rubric by which GCSE English writing performance is assessed, influenced by a long history of variable ‘tastes’, may now be said to describe ‘good writing’ as that which is grammatically accurate, sophisticated, and suited to purpose, genre and audience.

(The thesis statement would be located in paragraph 1, after a brief overview of the subject).

Why is a thesis statement important?

As I mentioned, the way your thesis statement is written can be the difference between a First and a Fail. But how?

To answer that, let’s think about what ‘thesis’ means. From the Greek thésis, meaning ‘proposition’, your thesis is your main argument.

It is the position you have to support and defend for the remainder of your essay. Without something clear to defend, the fortress you build will crumble and the army you deploy will run about like headless chickens.

In essence: without a clear thesis statement, you don’t have an essay.

“Establishing a clear thesis at the start of your essay is crucial for both you and your examiner. For your examiner, it’s evidence that you have answered the question. For you, it can function as an essay plan.”

For both of you, it’s a litmus test for the quality of the argument: if you can’t fit your essay’s arguments into a sentence, they are too diffuse; and if you can’t stick to your thesis statement’s focus throughout your essay, you are not focused.

A precisely focused and well-grounded essay is more worthy of a First Class grade than one with a scattergun approach.

What should a thesis statement include?

What your thesis statement includes is determined by three things:

1. The subject and topic of the essay. 2. The purpose of the essay. 3. The length of the essay.

Let’s examine each of those in more detail to see how they can help us refine our thesis statement.

The subject and topic of the essay

Look at this real-life title from an undergraduate Sports Science essay:

What are the key differences between training recommendations for maximising muscular strength and maximising muscular hypertrophy?

The first task is, of course, to determine the subject of the essay.

In this example, that would be ‘training recommendations for maximising muscular strength and training recommendations for maximising muscular hypertrophy’.

Knowing that means that I know I will need to deploy my knowledge about those two similar but distinct areas. It also means that I should be using the specialist terminology relevant to the field, such as load, isotonic and volume.

Next, I need to determine the topic.

Here it would be ‘the key differences’ between training recommendations for those two goals. That phrase ‘key differences’ is likely to be at the heart of my thesis statement, to show that I’m on track.

With that in mind, my thesis statement might look like this:

Whilst both training outcomes require resistance training centred upon isotonic contractions, it is likely that the absolute load requirements may need to be higher for strength purposes, whilst the total training volume may need to be higher for hypertrophy purposes.

It is by no means a complete essay, but it states clearly what the ‘short answer’ to the question is, whilst paving the way for the ‘long answer’ to follow.

But what if the essay isn’t just looking for the facts organised into a specific order? What if the essay is asking for analysis? Or an argument?

The purpose of the essay

Different essay purposes require different thesis statements. Fortunately, there are only three main essay purposes, and they’re pretty easy to recognise:

1. The expository essay: This is an essay type that asks for the key facts on a subject to be laid out, with explanations. The Sports Science question above is an example of this. It asks for the WHAT and HOW of something.

2. The analytical essay: This essay type asks you not only to lay out the facts, but also to analyse and deconstruct them to better understand them. It is typical in subjects such as English Literature and Fine Art. It asks for the WHY of something.

3. The argumentative essay: This type of essay asks you to use the facts available, to analyse them for value, and then to provide a point of view about the subject. It moves more quickly through the WHAT, HOW and WHY of a topic through to: WHY DOES IT MATTER?

All of the above essay types need a thesis statement that includes a proposition (a statement which answers the question or addresses the title).

Beyond that, these three essay types all require different additions.

For the expository essay , you need to add an overview of the details of the conclusion. Let’s look at an example:

Expository essay title: What are the key differences between training recommendations for maximising muscular strength and maximising muscular hypertrophy? (BSc in Sports Science)

Expository thesis statement: Whilst both training outcomes require resistance training centred upon isotonic contractions, it is likely that the absolute load requirements may need to be higher for strength purposes, whilst the total training volume may need to be higher for hypertrophy purposes. (The basic conclusion is that both approaches need isotonic resistance training; the details are teased out in bold.)

For the analytical essay , you need to add an overview of the analysis performed. Here’s an example:

Analytical essay title: Why did England and Wales vote to leave the European Union? (BA in Politics)

Analytical thesis statement: A close consideration of the voter demographics, the populist nature of political messages leading up to the referendum, and the history of Britain’s status in the EU, will demonstrate that Brexit was primarily motivated by the machinations of the Right.

(The basic conclusion is that Brexit was influenced by politicians; the analytical approach is in bold.)

For the argumentative essay , you need to add an overview of your reasoning. Another example:

Argumentative essay title: To what extent do you consider the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays to be in question? (BA in English Literature)

Argumentative thesis statement: Shakespeare’s authorship of his plays is beyond question, given both the entirely unconvincing nature of any counter-theories and the relatively unstable conception of the playwright’s identity as it stands. (The basic conclusion is that Shakespeare did write his plays; the reasoning is in bold.)

As you can see from these examples, the purpose of the essay gives a very clear demand for something beyond a simple answer.

But, there’s more!

The length of the essay

The prescribed length of the essay also defines what you need to do with your thesis statement.

Your thesis statement is a microcosm : a miniature, compressed version of your whole essay.

So, it makes sense that the length of the actual essay is going to impact upon the content of the thesis statement.

If, for example, your essay is expected to be 800 words long and on the subject of Eve in the Bible, then it would be overly ambitious for your thesis statement to say: ‘through comprehensive study of the Bible and extant criticism’. For an 800 essay, more precision will be necessary. It would be better for your thesis statement to say: ‘with due awareness of the complexity of the issue, focusing on feminist readings of Genesis .’

“Matching the scope given in your thesis statement to the depth you provide in your essay is a very effective way to ensure precision.”

Contrastingly, if your essay is expected to be 80,000 words long (a PhD thesis, for example), on the subject of stop-motion animation, it would be rather unambitious to suggest that the essay will ‘provide a visual analysis of Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers’, only. For a PhD, we would expect more content to be covered, and multiple approaches to analysis to be considered.

Indeed, matching the scope given in your thesis statement to the depth you provide in your essay is a very effective way to ensure precision.

So, to summarise, how do I write a thesis statement?

It’s a simple, three-part process:

1. Identify the question in the title (or make a question from the statement). 2. Answer that question in as few words as possible. 3. Complete the sentence by providing an overview of the foundation behind your answer.

Easy, right? It can be!

That said, there are plenty of traps that essayists can fall into with this part of the essay. Let’s look at some of these pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Pitalls to Avoid

Pitfall #1: amateurish style.

This is common throughout academic essays written by beginners. It’s not just the thesis statement that falls foul of sounding amateurish. There are plenty of ways this happens, which are beyond the scope of this argument, but the following example is a prime example: In this essay, I will explore the various pieces of evidence before concluding.

This is amateurish for a few reasons. Firstly, it doesn’t actually say anything. You could otherwise word it, ‘I will write an essay which answers the question’ – a rather wasted sentence. The next, and more forgivable issue is the use of the first-person. We want to get a sense that an individual wrote this essay, but we never want to hear them mentioned! Make sense? No? Sorry.

This should instead read more like:

This essay considers evidence from X in light of Y which ultimately reveals Z at the heart of the issue.

(It focuses on the specifics, X, Y, and Z, and is devoid of any mention of its author.)

Pitfall #2: empty phrasing

This is similar to amateurish style. However, empty phrasing is not just amateur-sounding; it’s manipulative-sounding.

Using phrases such as “in order to” instead of, simply, “to” – or “due to the fact that” instead of just “as” – look like attempts to fill up the word count with waffle rather than content. The same goes for phrases that can be substituted for one word: ‘it is evident that’ can (and should) become ‘evidently’.

Watch this thesis statement from a GCSE essay on Music go from hideous to tolerable:

Beethoven was unable to hear his work, due to the fact that he was deaf, so it is evident that he musically conceptualised the notes in order to compose. (Wordy!)

Beethoven was unable to hear his work, as he was deaf, so it is evident that he musically conceptualised the notes to compose. (Slightly less wordy.)

Beethoven’s deafness made him unable to hear his work, so evidently he musically conceptualised the notes to compose. (About as concise as such a complex sentence will get…)

Do not mistake wordiness for sophistication. Your ideas should be sophisticated; your writing should be clear.

Pitfall #3: non-standard grammar

For an examiner, the English language is not just a vehicle for your ideas. It should be, but the academic process always involves the assessment of your expression.

So, to satisfy our examiners’ prescriptive tastes, we need to adhere to the basic tenets of Standard English.

Take a look at the following thesis statement example from an A Level Sociology essay: Considering the status of BAME in Internet culture, the demonstrably racist treatment at the hands of the police, and the energy behind the BLM protests, concluding that there is hope for the future.

This sentence has no finite main verb, so it is technically not a sentence. To become a grammatical sentence, we would need to make ‘concluding’ finite: ‘it can be concluded’, or ‘we conclude’.

The writer got lost in this example because the sentence was so long!

Long sentences can also lead to a failure to make subject and verb agree, like in the next thesis statement example from a school Geography essay:

The most populous municipalities of Spain, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, and Zaragoza, does not rank in the top ten most dense populations of the country, with the exception of Barcelona.

Because the subject ‘municipalities’ is separated from the verb ‘does’ by eight words, it is easy to forget that they do not agree. It should, of course, be ‘do, not ‘does’.

Final words

The thesis statement, as I said at the start, can be the difference between a First and a Fail. So, take your time with it.

Write it carefully.

Then redraft and refine it several times, until it’s as good as you can make it.

The payoff is a slick, coherent thesis statement that paves the way to a great essay that really impresses your examiner.

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Rio Tinto: Unloved But Attractive

Rio Tinto Group shares are undervalued due to macro concerns, making it a potential good investment for long-term investors.
Recent decline in iron ore and copper prices have impacted investor sentiment toward Rio Tinto, causing a 15% decline in shares year-to-date.
Future demand drivers such as the renewable energy revolution and infrastructure investments in India could positively impact Rio Tinto's business in the long run.
Looking for a helping hand in the market? Members of Cash Flow Club get exclusive ideas and guidance to navigate any climate. Learn More »

Article Thesis

Rio Tinto Group ( NYSE: RIO ) is a leading mining company that has recently seen its shares come under pressure due to some macro concerns. With shares being inexpensively priced right now, RIO could be a good investment for long-term-oriented investors.

Past Coverage

I have covered Rio Tinto Group here on Seeking Alpha in the past. My most recent article is from June 2023, a little more than a year ago. I gave the company a Buy rating back then, with shares returning 8% so far . At the beginning of the current year, shares stood around 20% higher, thus investors had the chance to lock in attractive gains. With shares having pulled back since then, RIO has become significantly cheaper compared to the beginning of the year, and with more than a year passed since my last RIO article, it is time for an update.

Macro Worries Make RIO Decline

As a mining company, Rio Tinto Group is impacted by movements in commodity prices. Iron ore prices, copper prices, and so on impact RIO's sales and future profits. Both price movements in these commodities as well as expected future price movements impact what investors think about Rio Tinto and other mining companies. Price movements for iron ore, copper, and other basic materials depend on the state of the global economy and on expectations and (potential) worries about where the global economy could be headed in the future.

In the recent past, there are some factors that made some investors worry about near-term iron ore and copper demand.

First, the state of the US economy is not as great as it was a couple of quarters ago. Recession worries have risen, with Goldman Sachs ( GS ) arguing in early August that there is a 25% chance for a recession over the next twelve months.

Second, the Chinese economy continues to grow at a smaller pace compared to the average over the last decade. While China's Q2 GDP growth of 4.7% is still strong in absolute terms, the company's average growth rate in prior years was stronger, so growth has slowed down to some degree. The country's construction sector remains in a weak spot due to overcapacity, construction and real estate companies going bankrupt, and so on.

Both iron ore and copper prices have pulled back over the last couple of months due to these macro issues:

Copper price (Seeking Alpha)

Copper ( HG1:COM ) is still up over the last year, but down from the high level of more than $5 per pound where it traded at this spring.

Meanwhile, iron ore ( SCO:COM ) has pulled back even further:

Iron ore price (Seeking Alpha)

From a high of more than $140 per ton, iron ore has pulled back to around $100 per ton, now trading 15% lower compared to one year ago.

With commodity prices having pulled back in recent months, it is not too surprising that investor enthusiasm for Rio Tinto's shares has declined as well, which helps explain the following chart:

Year-to-date, Rio Tinto is down 15%. This could be an overreaction versus the commodity price decline we have seen recently, I believe. After all, Rio Tinto was far from an expensive stock earlier this year; thus, one could argue that shares were already priced for a far-from-great macro environment.

Also, Rio Tinto's value as an investment does not depend on this year's earnings, but rather on the profits and cash flows the company will generate over the next couple of decades. Short-term price movements in commodities such as iron ore and copper do not impact how much Rio Tinto will earn a year or a decade from now, thus with shares having pulled back so much this year, we could be looking at a buying opportunity.

Future Demand Drivers

While commodity prices are not overly strong right now, there are reasons to believe that they will be higher in the foreseeable future. Iron ore demand is fueled by steel demand, which, in turn, depends on construction, automobile production, shipbuilding, and so on.

One future demand driver for steel, and thus also for iron ore, is the renewable energy revolution. Steel is needed for solar panels, windmills, upgrades to the electrical grid, and so on. With many countries and corporations aiming for more renewable energy usage in the future, there is a major need to build out these assets, which should be positive for future steel and iron ore demand. Likewise, renewable energy assets also require copper due to its conductivity, thus the macro picture for copper benefits from the green or renewable energy theme as well.

While growth in China has slowed down to some degree, economic growth in India is strong. India is the second-largest steel producer in the world right now, following China, and sees ongoing production growth. In the first five months of the current year, India's steel output grew by 8%, according to an industry report , suggesting that India could be able to make up for potentially lower steel demand in/from China.

India plans to invest heavily in its infrastructure to better serve its growing population, which should be positive for both steel (iron ore) and copper demand. We can thus say that while the near-term outlook for these commodities is uncertain due to the risk of a potential recession in the US and an economic slowdown in China, the longer-term outlook is far from bad - the green energy revolution and India's economic growth should be long-term demand drivers. Even in lower-growth and mature countries in Europe, there is a massive need for infrastructure investments due to the existing infrastructure getting older and older, which will require large amounts of steel and other building materials.

Is Rio Tinto Attractive?

Rio Tinto is one of the largest mining companies in the world, which comes with scale advantages. When it comes to sourcing talent or equipment, Rio Tinto is advantaged versus smaller peers. With its global reach, Rio Tinto also has the ability to invest in the best assets, wherever they are.

The company has attractive growth projects, such as its Oyu Tolgoi underground copper mine in Mongolia or its AP60 aluminum smelter expansion in Canada - aluminum is another commodity that should benefit from green energy themes (e.g., electric vehicles). When it comes to iron ore, Rio Tinto will likely see the start of production of its Western Range joint venture with China Baowu Steel Group, in the Pilbara region in Australia, next year, resulting in near-term growth potential. Last but not least, the Simandou iron ore asset in Guinea has the potential to drive growth for Rio Tinto in the future, both in terms of revenue generation and when it comes to profits and cash flow.

Looking at Rio Tinto's valuation, we see the following:

The company's enterprise value to EBITDA multiple, which accounts for debt and cash on the balance sheet, stands at 4.4, using the analyst consensus estimate for the current year. That is around 25% lower than the median enterprise value to EBITDA multiple over the last decade. An EV to EBITDA ratio of less than 5 is also pretty low in absolute terms. This suggests that Rio Tinto is currently attractively priced, both in absolute terms and relative to how the company was valued in the past. It is generally better to buy shares of a company when they are historically cheap compared to when they are pricy relative to the historic valuation range - in RIO's case, shares are pretty cheap right now.

When we look at the earnings multiple instead of the EV to EBITDA ratio, Rio Tinto looks inexpensive as well, trading for around 8.5x this year's expected net profits. Even if profits were to come in 10% or 20% lower than expected, the earnings multiple would be pretty low, at around 10x - that would still make for an earnings yield in the 10% range.

Investors get a nice dividend yield from Rio Tinto, although RIO's dividends are variable, thus the size of future dividends is uncertain to some degree. The trailing dividend yield is around 7%, and even if dividends in 2025 were to be a bit lower, it is still likely that the yield will be way above what one can get from the broad market.

All in all, RIO looks like a solid investment. Shares are currently unloved and inexpensive, and while the near-term picture is uncertain due to potential recession headwinds, the world will require iron ore, copper, and so on for many decades - and trends such as increased infrastructure investments should be positive for RIO's business in the long run.

Is This an Income Stream Which Induces Fear?

This article was written by

Jonathan Weber holds an engineering degree and has been active in the stock market and as a freelance analyst for many years. He has been sharing his research on Seeking Alpha since 2014. Jonathan’s primary focus is on value and income stocks but he covers growth occasionally.

He is a contributing author for the investing group Cash Flow Club where along with Darren McCammon, they focus on company cash flows and their access to capital. Core features include: access to the leader’s personal income portfolio targeting 6%+ yield, community chat, the “Best Opportunities” List, coverage of energy midstream, commercial mREITs, BDCs, and shipping sectors,, and transparency on performance. Learn More .

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in RIO over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

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Blink Twice

Early in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, we are introduced to Slater King ( Channing Tatum ), a tech billionaire, via a television interview where he apologizes for an undisclosed offense. However, the unsaid transgression is no mystery. The setting—an influential, rich white guy in a confessional interview lamenting his behavior and promising to do better—is a familiar enough scenario that we can assume he weaponized his power in some egregious manner.

Slater hosts a gala where catering waitresses and best friends, Frida ( Naomi Ackie ) and Jess ( Alia Shawkat ), are working. Halfway through, they ditch their white button downs for cocktail dresses in the hopes of schmoozing with the man of the hour. When Frida’s accidental faceplant draws his attention, the girls get exactly what they were hoping for. Spellbound by his handsome looks, status, and confidence, when he invites them to his island for a vacation full of lavish poolside partying, they jump at the chance.

Joined by his cabal of miscreants—Cody ( Simon Rex ), Vic ( Christian Slater ), and Tom ( Haley Joel Osment ), and their invitees, Sarah ( Adria Arjona ), Heather ( Trew Mullen ), and Camilla (Liz Caribel)—Slater boards a private jet for the supposed getaway of their dreams. With their cell phones collected by Slater’s nervous and neurotic personal assistant and sister ( Geena Davis ), everyone is left to revel in the indulgences the island has to offer, be it weed, bottomless champagne, or elaborate nighttime dinners. Yet as the boozy days blend together, a sneaking suspicion begins to arise that something isn’t right.

“Blink Twice” believes it has a point to make about the sinister capabilities of rich white men, but it does nothing more than call it out. The writing stops at square one. It doesn’t engage with its proposed thesis, but instead makes a chop shop of buzzwords and hot topics from #MeToo to therapy bros. When the reveal of “Blink Twice” enters via a split-second frame, the shock of the film turning on its head is not one of horrifying suspense, but rather, dejection. And as the quick frame devolves into extended sequences of brutality into a cutthroat race to the finish, the film becomes an affirmation of a tired, simple narrative toolbox being sold as unflinching feminist grit.

“Blink Twice” sucker punches the audience with its sexual violence and then fails to find intelligence or dexterity in its handling of it or any of the themes running adjacent. Even the stylistic choices, with which the film rides on, are simple. And as the film tries to balance its tone and events with humor, it only belies the success of itself further. It’s unfunny. “Blink Twice” doesn’t earn a laugh when it’s trying to be fun, nor does it elicit a chuckle when collating an act of brutality with a punchline.

Of all the film’s infractions, the impact of its sloppy logic isn’t primary, but worth noting. The laws by which Slater is able to weaponize his power are inconsistent and confounding once you dip a toe past the surface. If there’s anything to be credited here, it’s the performances from the cast. From his heartthrob origins to “ 21 Jump Street ,” where Tatum debuted his comedic chops, “Blink Twice” shows he’s formidable at tackling darkness too, and that he can indeed be a feared presence onscreen. Ackie manages well in her starring role, with the expressiveness of her eyes locking us in, and her chemistry with Arjona’s Sarah giving us a crutch with which to limp to the film’s conclusion. Yet even with their best efforts across the board, “Blink Twice” has already failed on paper. It is homespun exploitation followed by a pretentious conclusion that smirks at the viewer, declaring prideful resolution.

Kravitz’s leap toward discomfortable should not be misinterpreted as an auteur’s valiance. If we as viewers equate the brazen with the brave, our expectations are far too low. Courageous storytelling requires thoughtful engagement and nuance. Kravitz displays neither, opting for textbook exploitation while feigning sharp wit. She wields her blade haplessly, drawing blood from the women that “Blink Twice” is supposed to (eventually) empower.

Peyton Robinson

Peyton Robinson is a freelance film writer based in Chicago, IL.

Naomi Ackie as Frida
Channing Tatum as Slater King
Christian Slater as Vic
Simon Rex as Cody
Adria Arjona as Sarah
E.T. Feigenbaum
Zoë Kravitz

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What Could the Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineup Be To Start the 2024-2025 Season?

Jackson caudell | aug 23, 2024.

Apr 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) reacts after scoring against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks

The 2024-2025 NBA Season is still two months away from starting, it seems like a good time to see reflect on the offseason that they have had and how they are going to look when the season opens up. For the Atlanta Hawks, they have a lot of new pieces and a lot of questions about them heading into the season. They traded away Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, E.J. Liddell, Cody Zeller, and two first round picks and they drafted French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick. It is going to be a diferent looking team and one of the many questions the Hawks have to find an answer too is what their starting lineup will be.

Let's take a look at what it might be.

When looking at the Hawks roster, there are only two players who are locked into starting spots heading into the season. Trae Young and Jalen Johnson are the top two players on the Hawks and are easy locks to start. Young will have the offense running through him and Johnson will hope to keep improving and take another leap as a player. But the rest of the lineup is not so certain.

The other starting guard beside Young will either be Bogdan Bogdaonovic or the recently acquired Dyson Daniels. Bogdanovic is one of the top players on Atlanta, but he has been a great player to bring off the bench. Bogdanovic is one of the best shooters and scorers in the NBA, but he and Young make for a defensively challenged backcourt. Daniels is one of the top defenders in the league, but his three-point shot is the question mark. If Daniels can be a reliable three-point shooters and secondary ball handler on the court with Young, he makes the most sense and it lets the Hawks be able to bring Bogdanovic off the bench. The Hawks defense has to improve this season and Daniels helps them the most in that category.

The starting small forward will either be De'Andre Hunter or Risacher. Hunter has dealt with injuries during his time in Atlanta, but he did show some offensive improvement last year and is a solid defender still. After coming back from injury last year, Hunter played well off the bench and finished the year shooting a career best from three.

Dre in Year 5: 15.6 PPG (Career High) 38.5% 3PT (Career High) 45.9% FG pic.twitter.com/9RzAs0BxBx — Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 15, 2024

To start the year off, I would bet on Hunter starting while Risacher comes along and that way there is not too much pressure on him right out of the gate. It is intriguing to have a bench of Bogdanvoic, Hunter, and either Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu is intriguing and gives the Hawks strong options with the second unit. Having Hunter is a plus on this team.

Risacher is going to be a core part of the Hawks future, but he might come off the bench until he shows he can be a starter. He is noted as a good shooter and a strong defender and it would be good to give him plenty of minutes next to Trae Young.

The Hawks still have Capela and Okongwu on the roster and it will be interesting to see how Quin Snyder wants to deploy them. Capela has been the starter for the Hawks for the past four seasons, but it might be time to find out if Okongwu is ready to be a starter and an integral part of the future. I think Okongwu and Johnson are a strong duo on defense and would like to see him get the opportunity to start. Since being drafted 6th overall in 2020, the Hawks still don't know if he is the center of the future. Capela is still a strong defender and rebounder, but he has been regressing as he has gotten older. That is going to be one of the key questions for the Hawks this season.

It is going to be interesting to see Quin Snyder sort through these things and put the best lineup out there each night. There are options for the Hawks and they could be a better team than most think.

JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell covers the Atlanta Hawks and Georgia Tech Athletics for FanNation

Follow @jacksoncaudell

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What’s Vexing Donald Trump Now? Kamala Harris’s Looks.

From the vice president’s looks to the “angel” judge at his trial, the former president can’t help commenting on the appearance of others — especially in relation to himself.

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By Jesse McKinley

Jesse McKinley covered Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial earlier this year, from opening statements to the guilty verdict.

Of all the issues that seemingly preoccupy the mind of Donald J. Trump — his perceived persecutions, the evil of his enemies, the size of the rallies — there is one that may be the most consistent: other people’s looks.

The former president’s obsession with personal appearance dates back decades, but has flared anew with the candidacy of Kamala Harris, a Democrat whose looks he has repeatedly mentioned this month, comparing his opponent’s appearance on the cover of Time magazine to that of “the most beautiful actress ever to live.”

Mr. Trump also compared her face on the Time cover to Sophia Loren , his wife Melania , and then, finally, in a jaw-dropper for a man known for such jaw-droppers, asserting that he was “much better looking than her.”

“Much better,” Mr. Trump, 78. “ I’m a better-looking person than Kamala .”

Following this logic, that also makes him better looking than his former-model wife, in his estimation. And while such a statement was met with astonishment and amusement from his Democratic opponents, Mr. Trump’s fixation on other people’s looks has been used as both a devastating political tool and — specialists in male psychology say — a means of bolstering his own sense of self.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a president who was more obsessed with other people’s appearance,” said Michael Kimmel, the author of “Manhood in America.” “ This is a man for whom appearances are everything, from his fake tan to his haircut to lying about his weight. He’s obsessed with physicality.”

Others have remarked on Ms. Harris’s appearance. At the Democratic National Convention this week, Bill Clinton described Ms. Harris as having a “thousand watt smile.” And even back in 2013, Barack Obama made news when he said she was “by far the best looking attorney general in the country.”

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IMAGES

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45 Perfect Thesis Statement Templates (+ Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab
45 Perfect Thesis Statement Templates (+ Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab
How To Write a Thesis Statement (with Useful Steps and Tips) • 7ESL
45 Perfect Thesis Statement Templates (+ Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab
How to Write a Good Thesis Statement

COMMENTS

How to Write a Thesis Statement
Step 2: Write your initial answer. After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process. The internet has had more of a positive than a negative effect on education.
How to Write a Thesis Statement
This is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. A good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see how you support your point. 3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.
What is a Thesis Statement: Writing Guide with Examples
A thesis statement is a sentence in a paper or essay (in the opening paragraph) that introduces the main topic to the reader. As one of the first things your reader sees, your thesis statement is one of the most important sentences in your entire paper—but also one of the hardest to write! In this article, we explain how to write a thesis ...
Developing A Thesis
A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should "telegraph" how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay. Steps in Constructing a Thesis. First, analyze your primary sources. Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication.
What Is a Thesis?
Revised on April 16, 2024. A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master's program or a capstone to a bachelor's degree. Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation, it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete.
How to write a thesis statement + Examples
A good thesis statement needs to do the following: Condense the main idea of your thesis into one or two sentences. Answer your project's main research question. Clearly state your position in relation to the topic. Make an argument that requires support or evidence.
How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples
Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing. Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and ...
Thesis Statements: The Complete Guide
Step 6: Refine your thesis statement. After drafting your thesis statement, you need to edit your thesis statement. Look at word order, sentence structure, word use, punctuation, spelling and any other common language problems. Basically, you're refining your thesis statement and making it clearer.
Thesis Statements
A thesis statement: tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself.
How to Write a Thesis Statement With Examples
The thesis of an argument essay could look something like the following: Self-driving cars are too dangerous and should be banned from the roadways. The exploration of outer space is a waste of money; instead, funds should go toward solving issues on Earth, such as poverty, hunger, global warming, and traffic congestion.
How To Write a Thesis Statement: Effective & Expert Tips
Wondering how to write a thesis statement? Our guided tips can help.
Writing Thesis Statements: Tips And Examples
A good thesis statement reflects the scope of your paper. It should provide a glimpse of the main points you will discuss, giving your readers a preview of the structure and content of your work. This helps them understand how your argument will unfold. Example: Weak: "Renewable energy is important.".
Thesis
Thesis. Your thesis is the central claim in your essay—your main insight or idea about your source or topic. Your thesis should appear early in an academic essay, followed by a logically constructed argument that supports this central claim. A strong thesis is arguable, which means a thoughtful reader could disagree with it and therefore ...
How to Write a Thesis Statement
Tips for Writing a Good Thesis Statement Be Specific. Essays should be based on a specific argument. Check your thesis statement to see if the central idea of your writing is too vague. ... Your thesis statement might look like, "The War of 1812 was a direct result of British arms sales to native tribes in the American West. ...
PDF How to Create a Strong Thesis Statement
This is a stronger thesis because it takes a stand, and because it's specific. 2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion. Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion. If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements:
Writing a Good Thesis Statement in Five Steps
A thesis statement encapsulates the main idea or point of your entire text in one effective, assertive, and clear-cut sentence. The five steps to writing your thesis statement are: Choose a topic. Set your objective. Encapsulate the main point of your text in as few words as possible. Check for spelling and grammar errors.
3. Thesis Statement & Outline
An outline is the skeleton of your essay, in which you list the arguments and subtopics in a logical order. A good outline is an important element in writing a good paper. An outline helps to target your research areas, keep you within the scope without going off-track, and it can also help to keep your argument in good order when writing the ...
Creating a Thesis Statement, Thesis Statement Tips
An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.; An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.; An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an ...
25 Thesis Statement Examples That Will Make Writing a Breeze
Understanding what makes a good thesis statement is one of the major keys to writing a great research paper or argumentative essay. The thesis statement is where you make a claim that will guide you through your entire paper. ... These are merely examples to show you what a thesis statement might look like and how you can implement your own ...
How Can I Create a Strong Thesis?
Look for Signs that Your Thesis is Weak. On occasion, writers will be hindered early on by statements that seem like they will make a good basis for arguments, while in actuality they prevent an argument from being strong. For that reason, it's good to know what separates a strong thesis from a weak one. A strong thesis is NOT
How to Format a Thesis for a Research Paper
1 It should be clear and concise: A research paper thesis statement should use plain language and explain the topic briefly, without going into too much detail. 2 It's a single sentence: A thesis statement is generally only one sentence, which helps keep the topic simple and makes it easier to understand. 3 It should establish the scope of ...
How to write a thesis statement (with examples)
What your thesis statement includes is determined by three things: 1. The subject and topic of the essay. 2. The purpose of the essay. 3. The length of the essay. Let's examine each of those in more detail to see how they can help us refine our thesis statement.
PDF Thesis Dissertation Handbook
Instead, if you would like to have an editor look at your document prior to, or right after, your defense, email a . correctly formatted. copy of the following pages — not the entire document —to Alicia Paxton at [email protected] with the subject line "Preliminary Document Review": • front matter (title page through abstract)
Rio Tinto (RIO) Stock: Unloved But Attractive
Rio Tinto, a leading mining company, recently saw its shares come under pressure due to some macro concerns. See why I think RIO looks like a solid investment.
Blink Twice movie review & film summary (2024)
Spellbound by his handsome looks, status, and confidence, when he invites them to his island for a vacation full of lavish poolside partying, they jump at the chance. ... The writing stops at square one. It doesn't engage with its proposed thesis, but instead makes a chop shop of buzzwords and hot topics from #MeToo to therapy bros. When the ...
What a Kamala Harris foreign policy could look like
Like most Democrats, Harris voted to confirm retired Gen. Jim Mattis as Trump's first defense secretary and grant him an exemption to a federal law barring a retired military officer from ...
What Could the Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineup Be To Start the 2024-2025
The 2024-2025 NBA Season is still two months away from starting, it seems like a good time to see reflect on the offseason that they have had and how they are going to look when the season opens up.
What to Know About the Sunken Sicily Yacht's Passengers, Including Mike
Christopher J. Morvillo, 59, a New York-based partner at the international law firm Clifford Chance, was also on the yacht. A former federal prosecutor who comes from a family of prominent lawyers ...
What's Vexing Donald Trump Now? Kamala Harris's Looks
Take his triumphant post-debate rally in late June in Chesapeake, Va., where Mr. Trump called the son of Virginia's governor, Glenn Youngkin, "much better looking" than his father, told a ...

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2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.

3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.

4. A strong thesis statement is specific.

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How to write a thesis statement + examples

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How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

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Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

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Thesis Statements: The Complete Guide

Part Zero: Examples of Thesis Statement

Part 1: The Five Rules of Thesis Statements

Rule 2: Make it Focused and Interesting

Rule 3: Don’t be too Specific

Rule 4: Don’t Include your Emotions

Rule 5: Make it a Statement

HALFWAY CHECKPOINT

Part 2: How to Write a Thesis Statement

Step 2: Brainstorm your First Thoughts on the Topic.

Step 3: Research your Topic

Step 4: Re-evaluate your Stance.

Step 5: Draft your thesis statement – make it clear, simple, and direct.

Step 6: Refine your thesis statement

Final Words

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Thesis Statements

Introduction

What is a thesis statement?

How do I create a thesis?

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

Works consulted

How to Write a Solid Thesis Statement

Key Takeaways: Writing a Thesis Statement

Expository Essay Thesis Statement Examples

Types of Thesis Statements

Argument Thesis Statement Examples

Analytical Essay Thesis Statement Examples

Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

Table of Contents

B. Arguability:

Tips for Writing a Strong Thesis Statement

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence)

Arguable thesis with analytical claim

Arguable thesis with normative claim

Questions to ask about your thesis

How To Write a Good Thesis Statement in Five Steps

Quick Summary on Writing a Thesis Statement

What Is a Thesis Statement?

How To Write an Effective Thesis Statement

2. Set your objective.

3. Encapsulate the main point of your text in as few words as possible.

4. Check for spelling and grammar errors.

5. Revise your thesis if need be.

Writing a Thesis Statement