the Introduction & Thesis Statement
the Introduction
The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions:
You should answer these questions by doing the following:
If your argument paper is long, you may want to forecast how you will support your thesis by outlining the structure of your paper, the sources you will consider, and the opposition to your position. You can forecast your paper in many different ways depending on the type of paper you are writing. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/argument_papers/index.html |
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Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements
1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:
If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader. 2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence. 3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper. 4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper. Thesis statement examples Example of an argumentative thesis statement: High school graduates should be required to take a year off to pursue community service projects before entering college in order to increase their maturity and global awareness. The paper that follows should:
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Thesis Checklist
Your thesis is more than a general statement about your main idea. It needs to establish a clear position you will support with balanced proofs (logos, pathos, ethos). Use the checklist below to help you create a thesis. This section is adapted from Writing with a Thesis: A Rhetoric Reader by David Skwire and Sarah Skwire: Make sure you avoid the following when creating your thesis:
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