thesis outline

A good thesis statement will:

• Assert a strong position that can be challenged and debated, rather than merely describing or stating facts that cannot be contested
• Form a complete sentence that clearly explains to the reader the overall direction of the essay
• Be sufficiently narrow rather than broad, so the topic can be adequately addressed in the essay
• Communicate a single, overarching point rather than multiple points that may be too difficult or broad to support
• Be clear and specific, as opposed to overly vague, open-ended, or general

If written properly, your thesis can act as a “roadmap” for your paper, where each main idea presented in your thesis essentially becomes the topic of your body paragraph. To see this in action, use the suggested outline below.

• a rhetorical question
• a quotation
• a definition
• an interesting fact
• a question that will be answered in your paper
• some background information on your topic

References:

http://writingcenter.ashford.edu/thesis-generator
http://www.monash.edu/rlo/graduate-research-writing/write-the-thesis/writing-the-thesis-chapters