A central claim, expressed through an implicit or explicit thesis statement, defines what an author wants readers to do, think, or believe by the time they finish reading the text.  An author’s argument is only as valuable as its central claim. If the text’s central claim is irrelevant to anything readers care about, few will want to read the argument supporting it. If the claim seems obvious, readers will wonder why someone bothered to argue for it. If the claim cannot be settled by appealing to evidence, some readers may be interested in that opinion, but few will have reason to engage the argument.

Effective central claims have three qualities:

1. They address important, relevant problems. That is, readers will think that the claim might help them address a problem they care about.
2. They are debatable. That is, readers can disagree about them.
3. They are evidence-based. That is, readers will think that the claim can be proved or disproved with evidence.

Minor claims or subclaims reinforce the central claim and structure the argument throughout the text. These subclaims, developed through one or several paragraphs, are supported by evidence and address specific facets of the central claim.