Thesis Writing Help | How to Write an Effective Thesis Statement An effective thesis statement needs to comply with certain criteria. 1. Your thesis statement should be substantial You should not be able to answer your thesis as a yes/no question. It should have substance; a claim that you make, and the argument you will make to support it. 2. Your thesis statement should be supportable You should be able to argue your claim and support your argument with evidence (evidence may come from existing literature or your own current research). Your thesis should not be anything strange or bizarre, or even simply your personal opinion, in which case there may be no evidence to support your argument, nor should it simply be an indisputable fact, in which case these is nothing to argue. 3. Your thesis statement should be precise A thesis which is too broad or encompasses several ideas will require much more evidence to argue. Refine and filter your idea until it can be writt