The Effective Thesis

An effective thesis statement should be a generalization, not a fact; it should be limited, not too broad; and it should be sharply focused, not too vague.

• It prepares the readers for facts and details so should be a generalization.
• It should be limited to what you can adequately develop in the essay.
• It should be focused so not contain hard-to-define words like interesting, good, etc.
• Do have a thesis statement that is appropriate for the length of the assignment.
• Do have a thesis statement that is supported by a rational basis.
• Don’t have a thesis statement that asks a question.
• Don’t have a thesis statement that is so obvious that few people would take issue with it.
• Don’t have a thesis statement that is confusing.
• Don’t have a thesis statement that includes a signpost or announcement.

Organizational Patterns for the Essay

Most academic writing, no matter what its purpose, can be organized following a pattern referred to as The Five Paragraph Expository Essay form. This is the method of organizing written material that is often taught to high school students. It is expected that college writers will be able to create a form that suits the material they are writing about, instead of adapting the material to the form; however, you may want to use this form until you are more comfortable organizing your ideas. No matter what format you follow to present your information, academic writing conventions expect a certain pattern within the paragraphs of the essay.

Five Paragraph Essay Format

The Five Paragraph Essay Format for Writing Academic Essays

First Paragraph – The Introduction

The introduction funnels the readers’ attention to the idea you are trying to present. It usually begins with a general statement and then becomes more specific as it progresses. It can also begin with a story that demonstrates the point you want to make. The introductory paragraph should be at least 4 sentences and 50 - 150 words long and may be much longer. The introductory paragraph

• appeals to readers
• helps readers to anticipate the tone and substance of the essay
• gives readers a sense of what is to come
• provides readers with a framework so they can efficiently reconstruct the meanings you intend
• makes a commitment that the rest of the essay delivers on
• ends with your thesis sentence.
  See A Writer’s Reference pp. 13 - 17 for more information on introductory paragraphs.

The Thesis Sentence

Your thesis sentence

• narrows the topic to a single central idea that you want readers to gain from your essay
• names the topic and asserts something specific and significant about it
• provides a concise preview of how you will arrange your ideas in the essay.
  See A Writer’s Reference pp. 15 - 16 for more information on developing your thesis sentence.

The Body Paragraphs

Each of the body paragraphs discusses in depth a particular part of your argument. Paragraphs are used to mark boundaries between your ideas. Paragraphs in an academic essay are at least 5 sentences and 100 - 200 words long and should be longer. The paragraphs themselves follow a pattern:

1. The topic sentence declares the idea that will be discussed in the paragraph
2. A defining sentence further defines or narrows the idea to be discussed
3. Examples, illustrations or discussion are used to fully explain and develop the idea
4. A concluding sentence wraps up the ideas presented, restates the idea that has been discussed, relates the idea to the thesis of the essay, and/or presents a transition into the next idea.
   See A Writer’s Reference pp. 25 - 36 for more information on developing paragraphs.

Transitions

Transitions are words or phrases that move the reader easily through your ideas. They are a way of explaining your mental moves to the reader.
See A Writer’s Reference p. 35 for more information on transitions.

Note: some of the words and phrases cited here actually fit more than one category, depending on how they are used. The words in each category, moreover, vary considerably in their connotations. Like a thesaurus, this list should be used with care, especially if you are not familiar with the normal use of the word or phrase you are considering.

Conclusion

Even as the introductory paragraph funneled the reader into the ideas you are presenting, the concluding paragraph is meant to release them into the world again. The concluding paragraph should be at least 4 sentences and 50 - 150 words long and can be much longer. It can

• restate or summarize the point you are making
• end with an image, example, metaphor, pithy saying or stylistically dramatic sentence which captures the essence of your main point
• state explicitly what you want
• motivate the reader to do something
• explore the implications of your main idea
• revisit the story you began with.
  See A Writer’s Reference pp. 16 - 17 for an explanation of concluding paragraphs.