What makes a good introduction for a dissertation? Graduate students practice critiquing one another’s thesis chapters, but they rarely read the introductions — usually because those are written to ...

Drafting an argumentative thesis can be challenging, even for the most skilled historians. A strong thesis statement introduces your readers to the main points of an essay, lends your writing a ...

Begin with a “working” thesis. Your thesis statement is essentially going to be the main point of your entire essay: think of it like answering the prompt and summarizing your essay in one sentence.

This handout is available for download in DOCX format and PDF format. In the most abstract sense, the function of an introductory paragraph is to move the reader from the world of daily life into the ...

A key function of any introduction is to present your argument in such a way that your audience can enter the conversation and properly engage with your paper. Key questions to think about as you ...

Learn how to write a compelling essay introduction that captures attention. Discover expert tips for crafting the perfect intro and starting your essay strong. Writing an essay introduction can feel ...

A thesis must always demonstrate an argument. If you are not trying to prove something and persuade your audience to accept your point of view, you are not writing an academic paper. Your thesis is ...

Authors and editors in the humanities know that journals are more likely to accept scholarly essays with strong introductions and that such essays are more likely to influence academic conversations.

Every spring, hundreds of fourth-years turn in their theses, research-based projects that sometimes take years of preparation to complete. For students in some majors, the thesis is a requirement for ...

In the most abstract sense, the function of an introductory paragraph is to move the reader from the world of daily life into the textual and analytical space of an essay. In a more concrete sense, an ...