General Advice
Paper Mechanics
Strategies for Good Writing

Thesis
General Advice
Having a clear thesis
3 tests for a good thesis

Argument
Paragraph Structure
Topic Sentences
Strong Arguments
Checking your arguments
Before your final draft
Effective conclusions

Evidence
Handling Evidence
Quotation Format

Writing skills
Clarity
Grammatical Errors
The literary present
Sentence Fragments
The use of "I"
Word choice

There are times when a student defends a portion of his or her thesis, but not the entirety of his or her thesis. Often the safer claims are well-defended, but not the strong assertion made in the thesis itself.

Comparative claims: For example, if the paper's thesis is that the Hebrew Bible presents David as the most effective political leader in ancient Israel, then it is not sufficient to demonstrate in the main body of your paper that David is an effective political leader. The paper most demonstrate that he is more effective than other political leaders.

To defend a comparative thesis, consider:

• establishing criteria for comparison, and
• focusing on reasonable alternatives (you needn't address every candidate)

When you have completed a draft of your paper, look back at your original thesis. Ask yourself: have I defended the entirety of my thesis, or merely a portion of it?