Whatever your paper is about you will be conducting research. This means not every idea and thought that you present in your paper will necessarily be your own. In that case, you must have a concrete style of citing your sources within the text and in a "works cited" or bibliography at the end of your paper. This is not merely an act of giving credit where credit is due, but it also allows your reader to explore the sources that you used in order to gain a more thorough background in the subject matter. The major styles of citation to choose from are APA style, often used for social sciences paper; MLA style, often used for humanities papers; and Chicago Style, often used for History papers.
While it may seem obvious that having a thesis is a requirement of a thesis paper, some writers think that their papers possess a thesis when in reality they do not. According to the official website of the School District of Springfield Township, "a thesis statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove." The website says that a thesis must be contestable, provocative, adequate, focused and specific. It should not use vague language or the first-person of writing.
Because a good thesis should be contestable, it should provoke counter-arguments. You should address those counter arguments in your work. This will not only remove any lingering questions that readers have, but will work to strengthen your thesis paper overall. Systematically address counter-arguments to your thesis and very simply explain why those arguments are incorrect, using clear reasons, examples and evidence.