An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation. It needs to contain a central argument which is the answer to the question or topic. The argument must be based on reliable evidence and be supported throughout the essay.

The content of an essay is based on research on the topic. This means explaining and justifying ideas based on information and examples from reliable sources. The essay should have a central idea or argument, known as a thesis statement, that the content is focused on.

Depending on the essay question, the essay may contain:

Originality. Your text should NOT be plagiarized, copy-pasted, created by AI, or contain tautology.

Cohesion & Coherence. The text should be visually and logically structured (cohesion), and the ideas you discuss should be relevant (coherence).

Accuracy & Consistency. Use specific and accurate vocabulary. Check if the terms and names are used correctly.

Evidence. Opt for up-to-date, credible sources and use them to support your ideas.

Below, you can see how the same text sounds depending on the academic level of the paper and read their characteristics.

Structure: general ideas; short paragraphs; a thesis statement is simple and describes the idea of the paper only.

Style: simple wording; similar and short sentences; almost no terms used.

Evidence: the sources are not really needed or just a couple of them are used; the information is more general; online sources are mostly used.

Source: website (secondary source).

Structure: the text is based on the specific topic; the topic and concluding sentences are used; a thesis presents the main idea of the paper.

Style: the structure of sentences is different; terminology is used; there are some passive structures and other stylistic mistakes.

Evidence: the sources are interpreted and integrated into the text.

Sources: scholarly article + online article, websites for background.

Structure: focuses on details; the text is coherent; the thesis is specific and detailed.

Style: the sentence structure is different; the word choice is correct; academic vocabulary is used.

Evidence: the sources are implemented correctly; the sources are primary and scientific research; the personal opinion is present, as well as the interpretation of the ideas from the sources.

Sources: scholarly article + book (primary sources), abstracts, and online sources for advanced background.

Structure: the theme is narrow and specific; the thesis is strong and specific; the text is logical and coherent.

Style: the formal writing style; academic vocabulary, terminology, and concepts are used; the text is perfectly proofread.

Evidence: many scholarly sources were used, and the sources were well-analyzed.

Sources: scholarly article + books + official statistics and multiply online/scholarly sources for background.

There are 2 main rules you must remember when writing a thesis statement:

A thesis is a clear and concise statement that describes the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper. The thesis statement serves as a preview of the position you will take in the paper. The main point in each body paragraph should relate back to this statement.

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. However, the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

The best thesis statements are:

No matter how complicated, almost all assignments can be reduced to a single question. Your first step is to distill the assignment into a specific question.

For example, if your assignment is, “Write a report to the local school board explaining the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class,” turn the request into a question like, “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?”

After you’ve chosen the question your essay will answer, compose one or two complete sentences answering that question. The answer to the question is the thesis statement for the essay.

The following tips will help you create perfect thesis:

Remember that your thesis needs to show your conclusions about a subject.

For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate.

Here are two thesis statements:

This is a weak thesis statement. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase negative and positive aspects is vague.

This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand and because it's specific.

Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion.

If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements:

This is a weak thesis because it merely states an observation. Your reader won’t be able to tell the point of the statement and will probably stop reading.

This is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely accepted view.

A good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see how you support your point.

Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point.

If your thesis statement expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. For example:

This is a weak thesis statement because the reader can’t decide whether the paper is about marketing on the Internet or Web pages. The relationship between the two ideas needs to be clearer to revise the thesis. One way to revise the thesis would be to write:

This thesis is strong because it shows that the two ideas are related.

Hint: Many clear and engaging thesis statements contain words like because, since, so, although, unless, and however.

A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about and will help you keep your text on a manageable topic.

For example, if you're writing a seven-to-ten-page paper on hunger, you might say:

This is a weak thesis statement for two major reasons. First, world hunger can’t be discussed thoroughly in seven to ten pages. Second, the phrase many causes and effects is vague. You should be able to identify specific causes and effects. A revised thesis might look like this:

This thesis statement is strong because it narrows the subject to a more specific and manageable topic and identifies the specific causes of hunger.

The journey of writing a great thesis statement is a meticulous and challenging process. It requires thorough research, critical analysis, and careful consideration of your arguments. Always remember that a strong thesis not only strengthens your essay but also engages your audience, making your writing more impactful.

Useful videos:

​Thesis Statements: Four Steps to a Great Essay
​How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements