The Write Place © 2009
Revised by Carol Mohrbacher
Thesis Statement
A thesis statement in an essay is a sentence that explicitly identifies the purpose of the
paper or previews its main ideas.
A thesis statement has the following properties:
1. A thesis statement is an assertion, not a statement of fact or an observation.
Fact or observation: In the past six months, ten deaths from E.coli
poisoning have occurred in this country.
Thesis: The federal government’s inability to pass and enforce laws
concerning sanitation and inspection of meat processing plants is the
biggest contributor to the increase in deaths from E. coli.
2. A thesis statement takes a stand rather than announcing the subject
Announcement: This paper presents business managers and supervisors’
attitudes toward grammar and punctuation errors in business documents.
Thesis: Correctness in grammar and punctuation should be enforced in
business and technical documents because their negative effects on
business audiences and the expense of miscommunication.
3. A thesis statement is the main idea, not the title
Title: Security in high schools
Thesis: To avoid another tragedy like the Columbine school shooting in
1999, school districts must increase security in schools at the entrances, in
the classrooms, and in congregating areas.
4. A thesis statement is narrow, rather than broad
Broad: The European school system is much better than the United
States’ school system.
Narrow: France’s additional year of secondary school and its system of
internships assures that students are more prepared for college and the job
market than high school students are in the United States.
The Write Place © 2009
Revised by Carol Mohrbacher
5. A thesis statement is specific, rather than vague or general
Vague: Plagiarism can have bad effects.
Specific: Plagiarism of college papers can negatively affect students’
grades, their ethical growth, and the rigor of the university itself.
6. A thesis statement has one main point, rather than many main points
More than one main point: Steven Hawking’s physical disability has not
prevented him from becoming a world-renowned physicist, and his book
is the subject of a movie
One main point: Steven Hawking’s physical disability has not prevented
him from becoming a world-renowned physicist.
• When you begin your paper, you should have a “working thesis statement,” or a
rough and very basic thesis statement. A thesis statement can be revised and
polished during the course of writing the paper.
• Writers often discover they have something different to say than they originally
intended. If that happens, change the thesis to match your new direction. It is
important, however, that the new thesis statement still fits the above guidelines.
