The thesis statement is the most important sentence in an academic essay. It tells the marker exactly what you will argue, and everything else in the essay exists to prove it.
What a thesis must do
- Answer the question that was actually set.
- Take a position someone could reasonably disagree with.
- Preview the argument: the two or three reasons that support it.
From topic to thesis
- Topic: social media and teenagers.
- Question: does social media harm teenagers’ mental health?
- Thesis: social media harms teenagers’ wellbeing mainly through sleep loss and social comparison, so schools should teach managed use rather than abstinence.
If your thesis would fit any essay on the topic, it’s too vague. Make it specific to your argument.
Where it goes
Put the thesis at the end of your introduction, then check that every body paragraph’s topic sentence supports it.
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