BAYLOR SCHOOL ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Guidelines for Writing Thesis Statements

Many essays written in the Upper School will be thesis-driven. A thesis is a statement
of opinion that forms the central and guiding argument of a paper. The following guidelines should
help you create an effective thesis statement:
1. Clearly state your thesis at or near the end of your introductory paragraph.
2. Using the following two questions in creating your thesis may help:
a. What is the author doing? { e.g. "uses figurative language")
b. Why is the author doing that particular thing? (e.g. "in order to reveal")
3. Good thesis statements adhere to these measures:
a) They condense the entire argument of your paper into a single sentence.
b) They demand two types of support: logical and factual. You must support and discuss
the claims of your thesis with logical thought and evidence with documentation from the
text.
c) They clearly define the scope and intent of the discussion in relation to the length of the
assigned paper.
d) d. They reveal a complex and thoughtful understanding of the text.
e) e. They grab the reader's attention by being clever, thought-provoking, and sometimes
controversial.
4. Good thesis statements are NOT
a) based on simplistic ideas, factual statements, or misinterpretations of the text.
b) too broad or too narrow in relation to the length of the assigned paper .
c) vague.
d) based on something that is perfectly obvious. (For example: "Rose of Sharon whines
constantly" or "Holden Caulfield has many unresolved issues.")
e) stated in first person or begin with "it seems" (or like phrases).
Acknowledgements: Northwestern University, Department of English Style Sheet; St. Joseph's
Preparatory School, English Style Sheet; David Padilla, Writing: A Starting Point.