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What Makes a Strong Thesis Statement?

A weak thesis restates the topic. A strong one makes a claim someone could disagree with.

It should be arguable

"Social media affects teenagers" is not a thesis — nobody disagrees with it. "Social media use correlates with lower attention spans, but the causal link is weaker than most coverage suggests" is a thesis, because a reasonable person could push back on it.

It should be specific

Name the mechanism, the population, or the time period your paper actually covers. Specificity is what lets a reader (and a grader) check whether you proved what you claimed.

It should preview your structure

A good thesis often hints at the shape of the argument to come, so the reader knows roughly what is coming in the body paragraphs.