Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement Research Report

An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience. An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience. An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided. What is Your Guess?

What is Your Purpose Determine what kind of paper you are writing: Analytical Expository Argumentative

To the Point Your thesis statement should be specific— it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

Placement The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

Be Flexible at First 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.

Introduction Formula 1 st Sentence – The “Hook” 2 nd Sentence – Interesting Fact or Detail 3 rd Sentence – Thesis Statement Don’t give your topic away in the first sentence. Reel the reader in by using the interesting fact Reveal your purpose at the end

Keep in Mind… The introduction to any essay should include a thesis statement. It should be at least three sentences that clearly present your main idea and purpose for writing. A good introductory paragraph should begin with a "hook" and include an interesting detail or fact. Your thesis statement for the research paper should NOT be your opinion about the explorer.