Writing: 3. Write Your Thesis Statement

What is a thesis statement? 

A thesis statement is often described as the "answer" to a research question. A thesis statement is a sentence or two, typically in a paper's introduction, that clearly states the main point or argument of your paper.

A thesis should be focused (not too broad, not too narrow), debatable (a statement that informed people might have differing opinions about), and researchable (the writer should be able to find sufficient supporting evidence).

An example of a thesis statement

If this research question is posed:

Should social media platforms deactivate the accounts of users who spread disinformation? 

One possible thesis statement for this research question could be:

Social media platforms should ban all users who spread disinformation. 

*This thesis is focused and specific.

*There is sufficient research available on this topic.

*There are differing views on this topic.