How to Write a Thesis Statement | Examples & Tips
A strong thesis statement communicates the purpose of your essay or research paper, engages the reader, and anchors the structure of your writing. Learning how to write a thesis statement—and how to refine it as your argument develops—will help you stay focused and express your ideas with clarity.
AI thesis statement generators, like QuillBot’s free thesis statement generator, are useful tools for developing your thesis and expressing it as a well-crafted statement.
What is a thesis statement?
Your thesis statement is the sentence or two near the beginning of your essay or research paper that presents the main claim or central idea. It tells the reader what your paper is trying to prove, argue, analyze, or describe, and typically comes at the end of your introduction.
At US high schools and colleges, teachers and professors often expect you to include a thesis statement in argumentative or persuasive writing assignments (where you’re required to form an opinion or take a position) as well as expository writing assignments (where the task is to explain a topic, process, or set of ideas).
What is a thesis?
In the context of essays and research papers, the word thesis means the central idea or claim of a piece of writing.
In British English, the word argument is more commonly used than “thesis” to describe the main idea or claim of a piece of writing.
How to write a good thesis statement
A strong thesis statement is:
- Concise. It is expressed in one or two sentences that state the central claim or focus of the essay without going into details that belong in the body of your essay or paper (e.g., detailed supporting arguments or specific evidence).
- Accurate. It precisely reflects the content and scope of your assignment (revisit your thesis statement as you’re writing to make sure it still matches the direction your argument or analysis is taking).
| Argumentative essay (persuasive) | Expository essay (explanatory or descriptive) |
| While nonprofits have expanded access to education, healthcare, and microfinance in the Global South, they have struggled to significantly reduce poverty because they often lack sustainable funding, depend on foreign agendas, and cannot address structural economic inequalities. | Nonprofits in the Global South play a significant role in development through expanding access to education, healthcare, and microfinance. Their work is shaped by limited funding sources, reliance on international agendas, and persistent structural economic inequalities. |
| Although the Treaty of Versailles officially ended World War I and aimed to secure peace, it helped set the stage for the outbreak of World War II by imposing punitive reparations, destabilizing the German economy, and fueling nationalist resentment. | The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I and sought to establish lasting peace in Europe. Its reparations, economic consequences, and political effects shaped the conditions in Germany during the interwar years. |
| Beethoven was grounded in the Classical style and adhered to many of its formal structures, yet he anticipated Romanticism by expanding emotional expression, experimenting with harmonic complexity, and elevating the symphony into a vehicle for individual and political ideals. | Beethoven’s later works anticipate Romanticism through their intense emotional expression, daring harmonic shifts, and use of the symphony as a medium for personal and political ideas, features that set his music apart from the balance and restraint of the Classical style. |
| Globalization has spurred economic growth and cross-cultural exchange, but it has also deepened inequality, accelerated environmental degradation, and weakened the sovereignty of nations in the Global South. | Globalization has reshaped modern societies by promoting economic growth and encouraging cross-cultural exchange, while also contributing to rising inequality, increased environmental pressures, and challenges to national sovereignty. |
How to write a good thesis
In argumentative essays or analytical essays, the thesis of your essay or paper is your central claim—the main insight, interpretation, or opinion that you will defend with reasoning and evidence.
Writing these kinds of essays with a strong thesis in mind keeps your assignment focused, insightful, and engaging. A good thesis puts forward a claim that isn’t obvious and can be challenged, requiring you to build a persuasive case.
Here are some examples of weak theses that leave little scope for debate, ignore the significance of the topic, and are too general, alongside strong examples on the same topic.
| Thesis statement presenting a weak thesis | Thesis statement presenting a strong thesis |
|---|---|
| Nonprofits in the Global South help communities by providing aid. | Nonprofits in the Global South provide essential short-term aid, but their reliance on foreign funding can foster dependency that undermines long-term development. |
| The Treaty of Versailles was unfair to Germany. | The Treaty of Versailles imposed punitive terms on Germany that hurt its economy and destabilized its democracy, helping to create conditions that contributed to the rise of National Socialism. |
| Beethoven influenced many composers who came after him. | Beethoven reshaped symphonic music by blending Classical structures with Romantic intensity, expanding the role of emotion in orchestral composition. |
| Globalization is changing culture around the world. | Globalization is reducing linguistic diversity by pressuring smaller communities to abandon minority languages in favor of dominant world languages such as English. |
Thesis statement templates
Thesis statements typically include conjunctions and other linking words like:
They also often feature action verbs like:
- undermine
- redefine
- demonstrate
- accelerate
- reveal
- challenge
- transform
Here are some thesis statement templates to help you formulate a working thesis, which you can refine into your final thesis statement during the writing process.
| Working thesis statement template | Example |
|---|---|
| [Claim] + because/since + [Reasons] | Globalization has accelerated environmental degradation because it promotes mass production and overconsumption. |
| Although + [Background fact] + [Claim] | Although the Treaty of Versailles was designed to secure peace, its punitive terms undermined Germany’s stability. |
| While + [Concession] + [Claim] | While Beethoven retained Classical structures, he redefined the symphony through bold harmonic and emotional innovations. |
| If + [Condition] + [Claim] | If nonprofits rely too heavily on foreign funding, they risk undermining the independence of local communities. |
| [Claim] + by + [Means/Method] | The Treaty of Versailles destabilized Germany by imposing reparations that crippled its economy. |
| [Development/Process] + in order to + [Aim], but + [Unintended/Additional Effect] | Beethoven expanded the emotional scope of his symphonies in order to express individual freedom, but in doing so he challenged the Classical balance of form. |
How to use an AI thesis statement generator
An AI thesis statement generator is a helpful tool for quickly creating a clear, well-phrased working thesis and shaping it into one or two strong sentences for the introduction of your essay or research paper.
Begin by describing your writing assignment and sharing your initial ideas with the chatbot. Use the conversation to refine those ideas until you have a clear working thesis, expressed in one or two sentences, that will help you get started.
When you’ve finished drafting, outline the main points of your essay or research paper in bullet form, paste in your current thesis statement, and ask the chatbot to help you refine it into a stronger final version.
Frequently asked questions about how to write a thesis statement
- What is the difference between a thesis statement and a topic sentence?
-
A thesis statement is one or two sentences, usually in the introduction, that presents the central claim or main argument of an essay or research paper. A topic sentence appears at the start of a body paragraph and states the main idea of a paragraph that is developing one aspect of the thesis.
An example of a thesis statement is, “Nonprofits in the Global South provide essential short-term aid, but their reliance on foreign funding can foster dependency that undermines long-term development.”
An example of a topic statement in an essay with that thesis statement could be, “Foreign funding can create expectations of continued outside support.”
QuillBot’s free thesis statement generator can help you formulate an effective thesis statement for your essay or research paper.
- How long should a thesis statement be?
-
A thesis statement should be concise. In most cases, you should be able to express your thesis in one or two sentences that clearly convey the main claim, central idea, or focus of your essay or research paper.
QuillBot’s free thesis statement writer can help you formulate a concise thesis statement.
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Challenger, T. (2025, September 15). How to Write a Thesis Statement | Examples & Tips. Quillbot. Retrieved November 1, 2025, from https://quillbot.com/blog/academic-writing/how-to-write-a-thesis-statement/
