Question

I am writing an outline for a literature review. I am stumped on the thesis statement. Could someone give me some pointers on writing a good thesis statement. What is it about and what should it contain?

Answer 1

The thesis is the answer to the "big question" of the paper. It is a bold statement you make at the beginning of the paper that outlines what you intend to prove with the body of the paper. You need to be able to prove your thesis with at least 3 pieces of supporting evidence in the body of the paper. Your opinion will not be sufficient evidence to prove your thesis. You need to support any claims you make with credible sources (peer-reviewed journals, books, etc.). The reader must be persuaded that your thesis is irrefutable by the time they finish reading your paper. When writing a paper that has a thesis, do not include counter-arguments to your thesis statement. Do not acknowledge the other viewpoint of the argument, because it will discredit your thesis statement. Pretend like you 100% believe in your thesis and the alternative view does not exist.