This document discusses thesis statements and introductions for academic papers. It provides examples of effective thesis statements that are specific, forceful, clear, and contain the main points to be discussed in the paper. Thesis statements should present a single, unambiguous topic and avoid open-ended questions or conflicting ideas. Introductions should grab the reader's attention, set up the topic in an engaging way, and function as a roadmap for the rest of the paper. Less effective introductions include dictionary definitions or overly broad, sweeping statements.

1. Thesis Statements
and
Introductions
Dr. C
English 1030-Composition II

2. The Thesis Statement
• Should be as specific as possible
• Should be as forceful as possible
• Should avoid sounding wishy-washy
• Should be clear and concise
• Should contain 3 or 4 main points of
your paper
• Should be the last sentence of your
introduction

3. Example Thesis
Statements
• Topic: education, research and virtual
environments
• Thesis Statement: Real education, in
disciplines such as medicine, science
and astronomy, can take place within
virtual environments.

4. Another Example Thesis
Statement
• Topic: Social Interaction
• Thesis Statement: Social interaction
within a virtual world, like partying,
listening to live music and even watching
movies, can be more enjoyable than one
might initially believe.

5. Yet Another Example
Thesis Statement
• Topic: Role Playing
• Thesis Statement: Role playing is a
very popular activity in Second Life,
involving choosing a role-play group,
selecting a role within that group and
looking the part.
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6. One More Thesis
Statement Example
• Topic: Machinima
• Thesis Statement: Machinima is an
innovative form of film making enabling
machinimators to create music videos,
public service announcements and
even training videos.
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7. Thesis Rules
• A thesis statement should:
– Never be an open-ended question
– Be limited to mentioning only those points
you plan to discuss in your essay
– Never be so broad that it’s difficult to
discuss all relevant information
– Only present one specific topic/idea
– Never contain two conflicting ideas
– For this class, focus on Second Life, not a
comparison between SL and the real world

8. Introductions
• Must make a good first impression - you
only get one chance to grab your
reader’s attention
• Is part of the road map for the rest of
your paper
• Will make your reader want to read
more

9. Effective Introductions
• Consider your topic carefully
• Personalize your introduction...consider
telling the reader a story
• Draft introductions are ok to begin with
• Open with an attention grabber
• Be straightforward and confident (Never
use statements like: “In this paper…”, or
“This paper is about…”.

10. Less Effective
Introductions
• Webster’s dictionary introduction
• Dawn of man introduction (broad
sweeping statements… “since the
beginning of time…”
• Place holder introduction (not really
saying much but filling space) e.g. “I do
not really understand the topic but
thought I would write about.....”