A thesis is a document that presents original research on a specific topic and is usually submitted as the final step of a masters program or a doctoral degree. It is an argument or claim that will be defended through research. A thesis statement, on the other hand, is a sentence or two that clearly identifies the topic being discussed, includes the points discussed in the paper, and is written for a specific audience. A strong thesis statement summarizes the main point of the paper and identifies the topic to be discussed.

The structure of a thesis varies depending on the field of study. Humanities theses are often structured more like a longer-form essay, where you build an argument to support a central thesis. In both hard and social sciences, theses typically include an introduction, literature review, methodology section, results section, discussion section, and conclusion section. These are each presented in their own dedicated section or chapter. In some cases, an appendix may be added.

A thesis is the central claim in an essay, presenting the authors main insight or idea about the source or topic. It is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. When writing a thesis, it is important to make normative claims, which are claims of value or evaluation rather than fact—claims about how things should be rather than how they are.