The composition of a paper for submission either for a class assignment or for a professional journal requires a few key considerations. Arguably the most important element of a well-written and well-organized paper is the thesis statement. The thesis statement is essentially a summary of what the paper intends to say or to prove depending on the type of paper. Customarily the thesis statement is
. always located at the very end or a sentence away from the end of the introductory paragraph in a paper. In the simplest paper writing format -- the five paragraph theme -- it is customary to use a three-prong thesis statement. In other words in the last sentence of the introductory paragraph the writer states the purpose of the three body paragraphs of the paper. If the paper is being written on, for example, the use of imagery in a given novel and the three body paragraphs intend to demonstrate three different types of imagery and the purpose of those images then the thesis statement would read something like this: "The author uses the image themes of religion, family, and food throughout the novel to illustrate the societal nature of the protagonist." In this thesis statement the themes are named, and in the following paragraphs the author gives examples of the images and provides evidence for why these images support the overall argument of the paper. Creating a thesis statement can be challenging, but thinking of it as the one or two sentence summary of the paper helps to narrow down the options. A well-written thesis statement will be clear, to the point, and obviously state the exact intention of the paper. There are several resources for writers and teachers online on composing an effective thesis statement. Follow one of the provided links below for more information and examples of potential thesis statements. More Reference Links: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml http://www.kean.edu/~roneilfi/How%20to%20write%20a%20thesis%20statement.htm
