A BODY PARAGRAPH

WHERE DOES A BODY PARAGRAPH FIT INTO THE RESEARCH PAPER PROCESS?

Brainstormthe topic

Make it morespecific

Write downyour topic

Research

Source cards Note cards

MLA citations

Works cited page

Parenthetical citations

Outline

Thesissentence Body

paragraphs

Introductory& concludingparagraphs

2 3

4

5

710 11

9

8

13

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6

1

Copy & paste workscited page to back of

research paper

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A body paragraph is the basic paragraph of a research paper or an essay.

Body paragraphs are all the paragraphs between the introductory paragraph and the conclusion.

Body paragraphs support and prove your thesis.

You learned about them in middle school:

Conclusion

Introduction

Body paragraph #1

Body paragraph #2

Body paragraph #3

We’re going to learn how to write an effective body paragraph for a research paper.

The body paragraph’s structure may remind you of a certain food.

Which of these three is your favorite?

Support reason 1

Support reason 2

Support reason 3

Topicsentence

Conclusion

Topic sentence

Support sentence 1

Proof sentence 1

Support sentence 2

Proof sentence 2

Support sentence 3

Proof sentence 3

Concluding sentence

The McParagraph logic:

The McParagraphsentences:

TOPIC SENTENCES Topic sentences state the main idea of the

paragraph. The rest of the paragraph must expand on,

describe, or prove what the topic sentence states in some way.

A good topic sentence make a point and suggests the logical structure of the rest of the paragraph.

WHICH ARE GOOD TOPIC SENTENCES?

Texas has 267,000 square miles. Texas is so big that you can find many things

to do. There are several ways of accurately telling

how old fossils are. The animal dies and sinks to the sea floor.

Topic sentence

Support sentence 1

Proof sentence 1

Support sentence 2

Proof sentence 2

Support sentence 3

Proof sentence 3

Concluding sentence

Now we’ll lookat support and

proof sentences

Now we’ll lookat support and

proof sentences

A topic sentence is the first sentence in your body paragraph.

A support sentence gives a reason in support of the paragraph’s topic sentence.

A proof sentence proves a support sentence by providing a detail or quotation from a source.

A conclusion (one sentence) refers back to the topic, provides a logical closing, and may provide a transition to the next body paragraph.

USING MLA

SIGNAL PHRASES

A signal phrase is how you introduce quotes in your paper.

Here’s a list of commonly used signal phrases

disputes emphasizes

endorses grants

acknowledges adds

illustrates implies

insists notes

observes points out

admits agrees

argues asserts

believes claims

comments compares

reasons reports

responds suggests

thinks writes

confirms contends

declares denies

YOU SHOULD INTEGRATE QUOTES AS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE BUT NOT MAKE THE QUOTES LOOK LIKE YOUR WORDS

According to ornithologist Jay Shepherd, ‘The bald eagle seems to have stabilized its population, at the very lease, almost everywhere” (96).

In the words of researcher Herbert Terrace, “…” (22).

As Flora Davis has noted, “…” (5). “...,” claims linguist Noam Chomsky.

IT IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY TO QUOTE FULL SENTENCES FROM A SOURCE. AT TIMES YOU MAY WISH TO BORROW ONLY A PHRASE OR TO WEAVE PART OF A SOURCE’S SENTENCE INTO YOUR OWN SENTENCES STRUCTURE.

Brian Millsap claims that the banning of DDT in 1972 was “the major turning point” leading to the eagles’ comeback (2).

The ultrasonography machine takes approximately 250 views of each side. Mary Spletter likens the process to “examining an entire loaf of bread, one slice at a time” (40).

WHEN YOU QUOTE MORE THAN FOUR TYPED LINES, SET OFF THE QUOTATION BY INDENTING IT TEN SPACES FROM THE LEFT MARGIN.

Desmond describes how Washoe, when the Gardners returned her to an ape colony in Oklahoma, tried signing to the other apes:

One particularly memorable day, a snake spread terror through

the castaways on the ape island, and all but one fled in panic. This make sat absorbed, staring intently at the serpent. Then Washoes was seen running over signing to him “come, hurry up” (42).

PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATIONAUTHOR IN SIGNAL PHRASE, PAGE NUMBER IN PARENTHESIS

Ordinarily, you should introduce the material being cited with a signal phrase that includes the author’s last name &/ the title of the work:

Flora Davis reports that a chimp at the Yerkes Primate Research Center “has combined words into new sentences that she was never taught” (67).

The signal phrase—”Flora Davis reports”—provides the name of the author; the parenthetical citation gives the page number where the quoted sentence may be found.

AUTHOR & PAGE NUMBER IN PARENTHESES

If the signal phrase does not include the author’s last name, the author’s last name must appear in parentheses along with the page number:

Although the baby chimp lived only a few hours, Washoe signed to it before it died (Davis 42).

TWO OR MORE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHORIf your list of works cited includes two or

more works by the same author, include the title of the work either in the signal phrase or in abbreviated form in the parenthetical reference:

In Eloquent Animals, Flora David reports that a chimp at the Yerkes Primate Research Center “has combined words into sentences that she was never taught” (67).

Flora David reports that a chimp at the Yerkes Primate Research Center “has combined words into sentences that she was never taught” (Davis, Eloquent 42).

Writing the paragraphsIn order to understand the importance of Graduation

Project, it is important to understand its beginning. Jane Doe created what was then called Senior Project as a means of reaching her senior English students who were bored with the usual selection of classic British literature selections (Senior 1). Additionally, Doe saw that many of her students were, in her opinion, “wasting senior year with easy classes” (Doe 3). To illustrate this, Doe quotes one of her former students: “I saw that so many of my students thought that senior year would be an easy year; to me, that meant a meaningless year. I thought that a child’s final year in high school should be more significant” (name 12). Doe thought that a project that students could relate to would help make senior year more meaningful. Once she started senior project, it quickly spread across California and the West Coast. By 2001, 297 high school across the country had made Senior Project a part of senior English (Facts 22). Even though the project started out small, so many teachers, students, and community members recognized its potential that Senior Project quickly became a reality for countless seniors.

SIGNAL PHRASES WITHOUT AN AUTHOR

Many of the web sources that you use will not have an

author, so what do you use in your signal

phrase/parenthetical citation?

1. Use the title of the website:

The web article entitled “Peer Pressure and

Teens,” explains: “Teens are affected by both

positive and negative peer pressure.”

One article explains: “Teens are affected by both

positive and negative peer pressure” (“Peer

Pressure and Teens”).

2. Use the site sponsor:

One online article published by CNN explains,

“quote” (“Peer Pressure and Teens”).

ALL QUOTES MUST BE SET UP WITH SIGNAL

PHRASES.