Where to place a thesis statement for research paper

When you are assigned any type of research paper or essay it is imperative to include a thesis statement. This statement will be the focus of the paper and any research should prove that it is correct and can be backed up with proof.

Introduction

The very first place for a thesis statement is in the opening paragraph of the paper. You should state your thesis clearly and this could be anything from one sentence to a few paragraphs. It should be a topic that you are able to defend and show proof of with thorough research.

Body

In the body of the paper you can make references to different aspects of the thesis statement as you provide information proving it. This could be something like: In my thesis statement I described the color of Mickey Mouse’s tail and that information is backed by my research of Disney Cartoons throughout the years. While that was a fictional example hopefully you got the idea. You could also show references where someone has printed a paper or book with information that is contrary to the theory put forth by your thesis. This will give you a great opportunity to defend your theory and show your instructors that you did a thorough job of researching your paper.

Conclusion

In the conclusion of any essay or research paper the thesis statement should be put forth again. Along with the thesis statement you should describe how you came to prove the theory with your research. This part is actually the easiest since you are just recapping the paper in a short summary.

Citation

When doing the research for your paper anything that you use as a reference must be cited properly. To use information you got from somewhere else without citing it is called plagiarism. This can have a severe impact not only on your grade but on your entire life. Why? Plagiarism is frowned upon by schools and you will immediately fail that particular class. Most schools will expel someone for plagiarism. Plagiarism is a crime and is punishable by not only fines but also with jail time in some cases. Just try getting a decent job when you have been kicked out of college AND have a rap sheet. Do you really want to pay that steep of a price for missing a citation on an essay or research paper? I seriously doubt it.

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