Final answer:
An author's claim is a specific statement that represents the main argument, supported by evidence and reasoning, and serves as the backbone of the thesis structure in academic writing.
Step-by-step explanation:
An author's claim contains an opinion about a topic that is presented as a specific statement or assertion for which the author will provide support throughout their work. The claim is often a summation of the author's main argument or thesis statement and is supported by evidence, including facts, statistics, anecdotes, and quotations. In addition to presenting the argument, the claim is backed by reasoning, and the author must use analysis to show how the evidence relates to and supports the claim.
The effective use of a claim involves stating it clearly and supporting it with credible evidence, thereby forming the backbone of the thesis-first or thesis-last structure in an academic paper. It's critical for the claim to be directly connected to evidence through logical reasoning, such as cause and effect or comparison and contrast, to ensure that the argument is coherent and compelling.