Characteristics of an effective thesis statement

• The thesis answers a question, resolves a problem, or takes a position on a debatable topic.
• The thesis requires proof or further development through facts and details; it is not itself a fact or a description.
• The thesis is well focused. It is of sufficient scope for the assignment, not too broad and not too narrow. A key word or controlling idea limits the thesis.
• The thesis points both the writer and the reader in a definite direction. It often blueprints the shape of the paper.