Explicit Thesis: The author states the thesis directly at some point in the essay. The author’s goals of clarity or emphasis determine the placement of the thesis. There are no rules about where a thesis must go (although it is most often found in the introduction or conclusion).
Implicit Thesis: The thesis in not directly stated, but readers can easily figure out the unifying idea of the essay.
To help yourself find the thesis in an essay, ask yourself questions:
1. Do the examples given in the essay have a common theme or point?
2. Is the author trying to prove something?
3. Does the author generalize? Are the generalizations supported? Is there any
overarching generalization?
4. Are any ideas in the essay repeated? Why?
5. If someone asked you what the essay was about, how would you answer in one
sentence? (Remember that the sentence can be a complex one in terms of ideas and its
grammatical construction).
6. If all the examples and details were removed from the essay, what would be left?
7. Are there any clues in the title as to what the author thinks is important?