This handout is available for download in DOCX format and PDF format. Thesis statements are essentially the driving force and backbone of an academic essay. Without a thesis statement, your essay will ...

The thesis statement (which may be more than one sentence) usually appears at the end of your introduction and presents your specific argument or claim to the reader. The thesis should cover only what ...

A thesis must always demonstrate an argument. If you are not trying to prove something and persuade your audience to accept your point of view, you are not writing an academic paper. Your thesis is ...

A guide to writing strong, connected thesis statements and topic sentences This handout will help you understand the connection between topic sentences and thesis statements so you can use your topic ...

Students will have completed at least one full length writing assignment. Two introductory paragraphs from these assignments are selected to be circulated in class. Ideally these paragraphs will each ...