Unit VI Body of Research Paper (PHYLLIS YOUNG ONLY)

Unit VI

Lesson 3: The Body Paragraphs

Introduction

So far in this unit, we have discussed the relationship between each body paragraph (each reason) and the thesis statement; similarly, we have discussed the relationship between the evidence that led to the reason and the thesis statement. In this lesson, we will discuss the structure of the body paragraphs and how you will construct each one by following the model that is presented below.

What Is a Body Paragraph?

The body paragraph is a highly structured paragraph that presents the following elements in the following order:

One reason
The evidence to support that reason
An explanation of the evidence
A transition to the next paragraph

The body paragraph is structured in such a way as to follow the conventions of the genre of academic writing. As we have discussed, you want to be as logical as possible when presenting your argument. You also want to keep in mind that, like your thesis statement, reasons that you present must also be argumentative.

The Purpose of the Body Paragraphs

The purpose of the Body paragraphs is to explicate the thesis statement and to assert the writer’s argument by laying out all of the lines of logic used to arrive at the thesis statement. Further, it is not uncommon for the thesis statement to change after the argument is written. The thesis should reflect the paper as it is written, so the thesis statement should always be altered accordingly.

The Content

As noted above, body paragraphs consist of several conventional elements that are presented in a specific order to achieve optimum logical exposition. The sentences follow the pattern below, which spells out the acronym PIE:

Point: The word point and the word reason are often used interchangeably to mean one aspect of the thesis statement.
Illustration: The word illustration is often synonymous with the word evidence, as one is an example of the other. The illustration (or evidence) is used to support the point. This illustration can take a number of different forms. For example, a statistic may be used.
Explanation: Each time source material is used in a research paper, an explanation must follow. Because this paper is argumentative, the writer’s voice must be present and detectable in the writing. Therefore, the writer must come into the text as someone who explains what he or she sees in a given piece of evidence.

The Form

Given the above pattern, the paragraphs you create for this course will have the following design:

Sentence 1: Point/Reason Sentence: This topic sentence will contain one of your reasons.
Sentence 2: Explanation: In this sentence, you provide information that further develops or explains Sentence 1.
Sentence 3: Illustration: This sentence introduces evidence that supports the reason that is presented in Sentence 1.
Sentence 4: Explanation of the Illustration: Because the evidence does not necessarily stand on its own, you need to provide explanation so that the reader will understand how you interpreted the evidence to come to your reason.
Sentences 5-6: Second Illustration and Explanation (optional): You may choose to include a second piece of evidence that is then followed by an explanation.
Last Sentence: Transition: In this sentence, you will signal to the reader that you will be moving on to another point in the next paragraph. You do this to ease the move from one point to another.

Let’s take a look at an example using Kimberly’s paper. As a reminder, her paper has the following thesis statement:

Thesis (Agree): The environmental costs of recycling plastic water bottles pale in comparison to the negative impacts of not recycling them because of the overwhelming addition of such trash in landfills, the potential for the plastic to be deposited in an ocean, and potential setbacks to other forms of recycling.

Here is Kimberly’s Reason 1 paragraph. This paragraph is positioned after the literature review conclusion:

Without plastic bottle recycling, the amount of plastic waste would be overwhelming to landfills. The current amount of plastic waste is tremendous; if the United States were to stop recycling plastic bottles altogether, it would be devastating. Even though plastic only makes up about 13% of U.S. trash (EPA, 2013b), the number of plastic water bottles deposited in landfills each year is a staggering 18,834,000,000 bottles, which can take up to 700 years to decompose (Ellsbury, 2012). These 18.8 billion plastic bottles already create overwhelming waste, as plastic bottles are the least recycled of all recyclables. According to the EPA (2013a), less than 29% of plastic bottles are recycled, and if this figure is correct, then at present, recycling efforts are preventing approximately 7.7 billion bottles from being deposited in landfills each year. If efforts to recycle plastic bottles are halted, then this additional 29% will be deposited into landfills, requiring additional space, transportation, and manpower. Perhaps more disturbing is that much of the plastic that is slated to go to landfills does not end up there; instead, this plastic ends up in wildernesses and waterways.

Let’s take a closer look at each move she is making in the paragraph:

[S1] Without plastic bottle recycling, the amount of plastic waste would be overwhelming to landfills. [S2] The current amount of plastic waste is tremendous; if the United States were to stop recycling plastic bottles altogether, it would be devastating. [S3] Even though plastic only makes up about 13% of U.S. trash (EPA, 2013b), the number of plastic water bottles deposited in landfills each year is a staggering 18,834,000,000 bottles, which can take up to 700 years to decompose (Ellsbury, 2012). [S4] These 18.8 billion plastic bottles already create overwhelming waste, as plastic bottles are the least recycled of all recyclables. [S5] According to the EPA (2013a), less than 29% of plastic bottles are recycled, and if this figure is correct, then at present, recycling efforts are preventing approximately 7.7 billion bottles from being deposited in landfills each year. [S6] If efforts to recycle plastic bottles are halted, then this additional 29% will be deposited into landfills, requiring additional space, transportation, and manpower. [S7] Perhaps more disturbing is that much of the plastic that is slated to go to landfills does not end up there; instead, this plastic ends up in wildernesses and waterways.

Sentence 1: Kimberly provides the reason as the topic sentence.

Sentence 2: She further explains the reason.

Sentence 3: She provides evidence to support her assertions.

Sentence 4: She explains the evidence.

Sentence 5: She supplies additional evidence.

Sentence 6: She explains the additional evidence.

Sentence 7: She transitions to the next paragraph, Reason 2.

If you follow this form, then your paragraphs should be about 150-200 words long.

Check for Understanding

True/False: You must include evidence in each paragraph to support the reason asserted in the first sentence.
True/False: As long as you place a citation for the information in the references list, then you have correctly cited in APA.
True/False: The evidence that is supplied is all that is necessary in order to support a reason.

Review

The purpose of the body paragraphs is to explicate the thesis statement and to assert the writer’s argument by laying out all of the lines of logic used to arrive at the thesis statement.
Body paragraphs consist of several conventional elements that are presented in a specific order to achieve optimum logical exposition.
Each body paragraph contains the PIE structure: point, illustration, and explanation.
Each body paragraph for this assignment will contain the following elements: (1) a statement of reason, (2) explanation of the reason, (3) evidence, (4) explanation of evidence, and (5) transition to the next paragraph.
It is optional to include a second assertion of evidence and an explanation of that evidence.

Answer Key

True: All reasons must be supported with evidence from others.
False: There must also be a corresponding in-text, parenthetical citation.
False: While evidence is essential, you must follow all evidence with an explanation of that evidence.