While you might informally argue that some of the investors of the 1920s deserved to lose their money, that s not the kind of argument that belongs in formal essay writing.

Female entrepreneur writing at desk in creative office space

The thesis statement of any essay belongs in

Your thesis is the statement that describes the argument you plan to make in your essay. A well-written thesis will intrigue your reader and entice them to read your entire paper. The goal of your essay is to convince your reader that your thesis is correct.

Where Should Your Thesis Go?

Your thesis belongs in your introductory paragraph, which is the first paragraph of your essay. The most effective way to incorporate your thesis is to work it in towards the end of this paragraph. Begin with some general information that introduces your topic before coming to your thesis, which will tell your reader the argument you plan to make in relation to this topic. For an example of a strong introductory paragraph with an effective thesis, see below.

What Makes A Good Thesis?

It is focused on the topic of your paper.
It makes an argument and not a statement of fact.
It reflects the supporting arguments (main points) that you will develop in your essay in the order that you will discuss them.
It sounds original and not mechanical.
It is phrased as a statement, not a question.

Examples:
Negative thesis: The voting age should not be lowered for any reason.

This argument would be difficult to support because the writer would have to take into account every possible argument in favour of lowering the voting age and show all of them to be invalid.

Positive thesis: The voting age should be lowered to sixteen because youth are highly impacted by government decisions, and they are willing and responsible enough to take on this important civic duty.

This argument would be easier to prove because the writer can focus on developing only the specific points mentioned in the thesis.

Still not sure how to write a thesis? Check out this helpful video:

How do I create a strong thesis from a very general writing topic?

8 Things to Avoid When Writing a Thesis

The following examples are poorly written thesis statements for papers on the topic of lowering the voting age in Canada.

1. Being unclear or too general: The voting age should be lowered to sixteen for many reasons.

2. Making a statement of fact rather than opinion: Y ou must be eighteen-years-old to vote in Canada, but the government has the power to lower the voting age to sixteen.

3. Not taking a clear stance on the issue: I think the voting age should be lowered to sixteen, but there are also many reasons to keep the current voting age of eighteen.

4. Sounding formulaic or mechanical: In this essay I will discuss the many reasons sixteen-year-olds should be allowed to vote, including their maturity, the support systems they have in place and the need for young people to be more involved in politics.

5. Using an example in your thesis: Sixteen-year-olds should be allowed to vote because they are already given many responsibilities; for example, they can drive a car.

6. Using information that is contradictory or not logically connected to your argument: While some sixteen-year-olds are responsible and mature enough to vote, many would not exercise their right to vote or take voting seriously if the age was lowered.

7. Phrasing your thesis as a question: Should the voting age be lowered to sixteen?

8. Veering off-topic in your thesis: The government should change laws that discriminate against teenagers, like the voting age and the graduated licensing system.

An Example of an Effective Introductory Paragraph and Thesis

One of the biggest challenges facing our democracy in Canada is voter apathy, especially among youth. In fact, young people aged eighteen to twenty-four are the least likely to cast a ballot on election day (Barnes par. 11). When teens first learn about the political system in Canada, they are in high school and considered too young to vote. While they may feel passionate about political issues when they first learn about them, they must wait, sometimes for several years, before they can vote and make their voices heard. Political leaders may dismiss the views of youth because they are too young to vote and cannot help their party to get elected. This whole process can be very discouraging and causes many young people to withdraw from political life before they even turn eighteen. The government should consider lowering the voting age to sixteen so that Canada’s youth become more politically active and engaged at a time when they are most passionate about political issues, have the free time to become involved in politics and still have the support of parents and teachers to guide them in taking on this important responsibility.

The thesis statement of any essay belongs in

Make a Statement

Making a statement of fact rather than opinion Y ou must be eighteen-years-old to vote in Canada, but the government has the power to lower the voting age to sixteen. Perhaps it is a synthesis of ideas and research that you have distilled into one point, and the rest of your paper will unpack it and present factual examples to show how you arrived at this idea.

Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks.

Resources:

https://msliewsclass.weebly.com/thesis-statements.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/thesis-statement-composition-1692466
http://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/composition/thesis.htm
]