An effective thesis statement will reflect the type of document — or genre — you plan to write (see Chapter 1). Depending on the genre, your readers will have different expectations about how you present your thesis statement. Readers of an academic essay will expect a calm, clearly written statement of what you want them to learn, believe, or do. Readers of an informative newspaper article will expect you to identify, in a balanced and seemingly unbiased manner, what you want them to learn. Readers of an opinion column will expect you to be more assertive, and perhaps even more entertaining, about your main point. Consider how the following thesis statements, all addressing problems with the recruitment of athletes at a university, reflect the type of document the writer plans to draft.

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