Purpose

The thesis statement:

• Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic and states the conclusions that the author has reached about the topic

• Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper.

• Identifies the relationships between the pieces of evidence that are being used to using to support your argument.

• Is focused and specific enough to be "proven" within the boundaries of your paper.

See this definition and information about identifying a topic, deriving the main point from a topic, composing a draft thesis, refining and polishing a thesis, and completing the final thesis at the UW-M Writing Center.

"Developing a Thesis Statment." UW Madison Writing Center. University of Madison-Wisconsin. Web. 25 June 2010.

http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/thesis_def.html

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