credits 

Any evaluative research paper must include a thesis statement, which is a one (or two) sentence summary of a paper's purpose or point, and which usually exists as the last sentence in the introduction. A thesis statement lets your reader know early on exactly what your essay is going to be about, and it also keeps you focused on your essay's main point.

A thesis statement should be very clear as it announces your topic and your point, and limited in scope, so that writing your essay is a managed task. Most often, thesis statements will be either argumentative or explanatory in nature.

The thesis statement also appears at the top of your formal outline.

1. A good thesis is restricted, almost bite-sized.

Poor: The world is a terrible mess.	vs.	Good: Trade barriers contribute to international tensions.
Poor: Old age has many difficulties.	vs.	Good: The worst part of being old is the loneliness.
Poor: Crime must be stopped.	vs.	Good: Our courts should hand out tougher sentences.

2. A good thesis is concise.

Poor: Arizona's new health program is excellent, but it has several drawbacks, and it should be run only on an experimental basis for two or three years.

vs.

Good: Arizona's new health program has several drawbacks.

 3. A good thesis is specific, not vague.

 

Poor: Hemingway's war stories are really good.

vs.

Good: Hemingway's war stories helped to create a new prose style.

4. A thesis is not a title.

 

Poor: The Decline of Baseball	vs.	Good: In recent years, baseball has experienced a significant decline in popularity.
Poor: Inflation and Old Age	vs.	Good: Continuing inflation makes it almost impossible to plan intelligently for one's retirement.

5. A thesis is not an announcement of the subject.

Poor: My subject is the incompetence of Mr. Traverse.	vs.	Good: Mr. Traverse is incompetent at teaching and researching.
Poor: I want to share some thoughts with you about our space program.	vs.	Good: Our space program is a waste of money.

6. A thesis is not a statement of absolute fact.

Poor: The capital of California is Sacramento.	vs.	Good: Sacramento is a great place to live.
Poor: Jane Austen is the author of Pride and Prejudice.	vs.	Good: Pride and Prejudice is boring.