Academic Support Presents: The Thesis Statement
By Mildred VanBergen, Director of Academic Support

A thesis statement is a specific claim or main idea that an essay argues, supports, or explains.  Simply put, it is the main idea of an essay or writing assignment. The SUNY Empire State College Thesis Generator is a resource designed to help students begin drafting a working thesis statement for their writing assignment. This tool can help students create a working thesis statement for a persuasive, research, or comparative writing assignment. Each of these generators will ask students to answer specific questions about their topic. After all the answers are submitted, the generator will present a draft thesis statement that the student can then revise to create their own statement.

In addition, for more help on learning how to write a thesis statement, please check out Creating a Thesis Statement under Tools for Success on the Academic Support portal. This short, open educational resource explains the purpose of a thesis statement, the elements of a strong thesis statement, and how a thesis statement relates to the rest of the essay.

Finally, please take advantage of our free online workshop titled: “Thesis Statements That Get the Job Done” being offered on May 5 at 12 p.m., and again on July 13 at 7:15 p.m. To learn more about these workshops and other academic support resources, please go to: www.esc.edu/academicsupport.