When writing an essay that makes a point, that point is typically expressed in the essay's thesis statement. For this course, that thesis is also referred to as the essay's goal, the essay's claim, the essay's controlling idea, or the point of the essay. If you are unsure about your essay’s goal, then check the file "One way to compose a thesis" that includes this material.

Because this thesis is the point that the essay seeks to make or discuss, the material presented in the essay, the evidence and details, should all work to support the thesis. If the evidence/detail does not support the thesis, then it most likely should be cut from the essay.

Often the best way to know if the evidence supports the claim is to explain how the evidence supports the claim. If you cannot construct this explanatory link between the evidence and claim, then it is not likely your reader will either. As the writer, it is your job to construct the links between your evidence and your claims. It is your job to make it as easy as possible for the reader see things your way.

Providing this explanatory link between your data and claim forces the reader to see things your way, at least for as long as they are reading the essay. If you do not provide this link, then either your reader will not make the link you are hoping for or they won't even try to make any link. When you provide the link, as the writer, you have greater control over the response of the reader.

In brief, a outline of the essay would look like this:

• explanation as to how evidence supports thesis in the same paragraph and so on until the conclusion

Keep this in mind as you are working on the essay and revisions.