What Is a Claim in an Essay and How to Write It?

Students at any level often get written assignments to check their writing skills as well as the knowledge of the material and abilities to research and prove their point. Any kind of a paper, even the simplest and shortest essay, should have a thesis statement. It is the main argument of your paper or a claim that you will defend in its body.

If you are wondering what a claim is and how to come up with a good one, you would probably go searching for a professional paper writing service to help you out. At such websites, you are sure to get the much needed assistance and explanations on the matter. Besides, they can help to generate valuable ideas for your papers or even produce a good paper for you. Here, we would like to offer some useful tips and tricks on writing claims for your essays.

What Is a Claim?

There exist a number of essay types including expository, argumentative, narrative, or descriptive. However, each of them must have a thesis statement. Of course, its form will greatly depend on the type of paper you need to write. Still, a thesis statement is an integral part of any written work since it answers the main question of the assignment prompt, introducing the topic of your paper.

While you should tell a story in a narrative essay, paint a picture in a descriptive essay, and explain something in an expository essay, in an argumentative or persuasive essay, you must convince the reader about the point you make. Thus, in such papers, a thesis statement should be provided in a form of an argument that can be debated by the reader. In other words, it is a claim you make to show your stand in the question, and you will defend it in the body paragraphs or sections of your essay.

The bottom line is: an argumentative piece of writing requires you to choose a position in a disputable question, make a claim, and prove it. So, it is clear that this argument that you make should be debatable and make the readers think critically about it. Further in the paper, you must be able to prove your point with this claim, support it with evidence, and persuade the audience that you are right.

Ways of Making Claims

Of course, your claim is your own opinion. However, it must be provided as a firm statement. In your introduction, you may present this claim as:

• A fact of something being true or false;
• A definition of an issue you are arguing about;
• A statement of value, showing the issue’s importance;
• A demonstration of cause and effect;
• A policy that makes the reader care about the issue.

Making a Strong Claim

Needless to say, the claim, which is the main idea of the entire essay, sets the tone for your writing and defines its success. If it is interesting and proWhat Is a Claim in an Essay and How to Write It?vokes controversy, it will engage the audience and make them read it to the end. A plain statement of the fact will turn the whole paper into a dull piece of writing and bore the reader. Thus, you should do your best to make it really captivating. To reach your target, your claim must be:

• Specific
• Straightforward
• Debatable

Indeed, a too broad claim can make the paper vague. Narrowing it down to a specific issue will add value to your personal point and help to support it with very exact facts, which is sure to win the readers’ trust and persuade them. Besides, straightforwardness prepares the audience for the actual discussion without creating any suspense or mysteries, thus allowing them to take a stand almost right away. Moreover, a plain fact that is easy to agree or disagree with on the spot will not add any value to your argumentative essay. Instead, the claim must provoke a debate and make the audience read further to understand your reasons behind such an argument. Finally, try not to think if your claim is true or false in the eyes of the others. Your ability to provide the evidence even for the most improbable fact will define the success of your paper.

Coming up with a Claim

Overall, to make a really good claim for your essay, you need to conduct substantial preparatory work.

• Start with reading the assignment prompt attentively and thoughtfully. Consider all the issues and requirements you need to follow.
• If the exact topic is not specified, make sure to choose a good one. First of all, it must be of interest to you and to the target audience. Secondly, it must be narrow enough to explore and prove a very exact fact.
• Conduct a deep research, gathering all the possible opinions on the issue to be able to choose your own side. Besides, literature will help you understand what you can actually prove, which is a very important issue to consider in making a claim.
• Ask yourself the question on this topic and take a definite stand in the question.
• Consider the other side of the question. A counterargument can help to understand your own claim even deeper and see what objections the readers may bring forward.
• Write your claim in a firm tone.

Now you know what a claim is and what should be considered before composing one. With this knowledge, you are sure to produce argumentative essays of high quality and persuade your audience about anything you like. In case of any doubt or further questions, you can always find support and assistance on any online writing service.