thesis statements

A thesis statement is a sentence or two, usually near the beginning of an essay or research paper, that declares the main argument or central claim the writer will develop.

It tells readers what to expect and gives the piece direction: Her thesis statement argued that social media has fundamentally altered political discourse.

A strong thesis statement takes a position rather than merely announcing a topic—not "This paper is about climate change" but "Climate policy requires immediate international cooperation to prevent catastrophic outcomes."