A thesis statement fulfills multiple functions with its placement. First, it provides a reader with your particular slant or argument on a topic. Another function of the thesis statement is that it answers questions that you raise in your paper. Raise questions about the subject in the lines leading up to your thesis, and make your thesis stand out to the reader by answering the questions you raise. When you make a claim, you provide the reader with an opportunity to dispute it.
A solid thesis statement results from researching a particular subject, and will naturally arise from your response to the material you are reading. A thesis statement is the culmination of your reaction to a certain subject, and your collection of evidence for why your angle is a perspective requiring the consideration of the reader. When you craft a thesis statement, use language which exactly describes your viewpoint, and be highly specific about the subject you want to discuss. Keep in mind that the more general a thesis statement, the more general the paper.
The most common location of a thesis statement is in the first paragraph of a paper. It may appear at the very beginning of a paper, in the middle or at the final line of the first paragraph. It is rarely longer than a single sentence, although occasionally, you might find a thesis statement that spans two sentences.
A thesis plan describes the organization of your paper. It outlines the main parts of your paper and lists what you want to include in each part. A thesis plan essentially helps you stay on track while writing your thesis. The sections of a thesis you will need to include will appear in your thesis plan, which are the introduction, main body and conclusion. Each of these sections breaks down further, where the introduction of your paper contains the title page, abstract, acknowledgements and table of contents. The main body contains a review of literature you include, a section outlining the methods you use, your findings and follows this all with a discussion with regard to these previous sections. Finally, the conclusion section contains your conclusion, any appendices and a list of references in bibliography form.