A claim is a key component of a research paper, an argumentative essay, and a debate paper. It is thus crucial to master the steps for writing a good claim statement to ace your paper.
If you are wondering what a claim statement is, this article will provide tips for writing a claim essay and offer some examples to help you prepare a quality claim for your essay.
What is a claim statement in an essay?
A claim is a key idea in your paper’s paragraph that supports your thesis statement. A claim may take up an entire paragraph to explain the major focus of your paper or support the main arguments of your essay.
Claims statements should precede other content in your paragraph, followed by the support from credible sources.
How to write a claim statement
Characteristics of a claim statement
- A good claim statement should be debatable – claim statements should kickstart a debate by making a bold claim regarding a topic. For instance, ‘corporal punishment should be abolished in schools’ shows your claim and creates room for arguments for and against your idea.
- Your claim statement should express your stand clearly – your statement should show the stand of your paragraph/ essay without creating confusion as to your point of argument. For instance, ‘the death punishment is an effective way to deter crimes.’
- A good claim statement is specific – like your thesis, the claim should cover one key idea. For instance, the ‘government should tax drugs heavily to deter drug use.’ Is a great topic as it narrows your paper down to a specific idea that’s easy to handle within a paper.
Types of claim statements
Sometimes, it’s essential to infuse various types of claims into your work to make a more compelling essay. Some of the popular types of claim statements include:
- Claims of fact
These claims can be proved or disproved with factual evidence. As such, a claim of fact should create room for support with ample evidence in your field. For instance, instead of arguing the earth is round, you could settle with a claim like, ‘drug abuse is higher among teenagers in urban areas.’ The former topic, unlike the latter, can be argued with ample evidence and is debatable.
- Claims of definition
These sorts of claim statements argue a point by defining it and separating it from conflicting ideas. For instance, arguing that ‘medical marijuana is not illegal.’ You could start by defining medical marijuana and presenting the definition as to why it is considered legal.
- Claims of cause and effect
These types of claims should show how one issue has affected another and create room for debating your standpoint. For instance, ‘corruption is the key cause for slow economic growth in African countries.’
- Claims of value
This statement establishes a standard of measurement and establishes a criterion to determine the quality of an item. For instance, your statement could claim that Twitter is better than Facebook. After this, proceed to establish the degree to which the quality you are analyzing has been presented.
How to Write a Claim Sentence
1. Select an interesting topic
First, search for a topic that evokes your interest or simply buy essay online to use as a sample. Narrow your topic to a specific idea within the topic and dive into the research to determine if the topic can be exhausted with the available material.
2. Establish the purpose of your paper
Define what you are aiming to achieve with your paper and how this can be presented as a statement.
3. Select what you can exhaust
Be keen to select a topic that you can prove while leaving room for counterclaims.
Claim statement examples
- Nude therapeutic massage should not be considered prostitution
- Bad governance is the reason why third world countries experience stunted development rates
- Nike is better than Adidas
- School uniforms should be embraced in higher institutions of learning to promote uniformity among students of various socioeconomic backgrounds
- Yoga offers a wide range of mental and physical benefits
- Spending more than one hour on homework is not beneficial for students
- Eating junk food is the reason why many Americans are struggling with obesity
- Children below the age of fifteen should not be allowed to use social media
Final take
Writing a claim statement should not cause you sleepless nights. We hope these tips have helped you overcome your challenge. If you are still struggling with your essay, reach out to our experts for custom help.
