The next part of your research paper is writing your thesis. A thesis statement serves three functions: to announce the topic to the reader, to reflect a judgment about the topic, to provide the reader with a blueprint for what is to come in the paper.
PLEASE NOTE, A THESIS STATEMENT IS NOT A PARAGRAPH LONG. IT CAN SIMPLY BE STATED IN ONE SENTENCE.
How to write an effective thesis statement:

Your thesis must make an assertion. An assertion, unlike a fact, takes a position, expresses a viewpoint, or suggests your approach toward the topic.
2. Make sure your thesis is specific. Give as much information as possible about your main point.
3. Your thesis should focus on one central point.
4. Do not make an announcement for example, This essay is going to be about or I will be writing about.

SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENTS: THIS IS WHAT I EXPECT TO RECEIVE.
1. Americans should eliminate the regular consumption of fast food because the fast food diet leads to preventable and expensive health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
2. Homeless people in Berkeley should be given access to services, such as regular food donations, public restrooms, and camping facilities, because it would improve life for all inhabitants of the city.
3. Secondhand smoke is just as harmful as smoking and leads to a higher prevalence of cancer and heart disease. Whats worse, people who inhale secondhand smoke are doing so without consent. For this reason, smoking in any public place should be banned