The Structure and Content of an Academic, Argument Body Paragraph

What is the official structure of a body paragraph?  

For an argument paper, the main thing to keep in mind is that most of the body-paragraph will be your words, assertions, and beliefs.  This content must remain in 3rd person voice, but it is still your opinion, your argument.  Do not use personal stories to argue your viewpoint unless you can stay professional and in 3rd person voice.

Understanding that your view dominates an argument body paragraph is the first step in knowing how to structure your body paragraphs.  The second comes in the form of logical order.  See the chart and the attached handout posted below to help you more in this area.  Consider this organizational pattern a typical body-paragraph structure though.

The basics for a body-paragraph structure:

TOPIC SENTENCE (one sentence) PERSONAL ARGUMENT DEVELOPMENT (multiple sentences) SOURCE MATERIAL TO DEFEND THE POINT OF THE PARAGRAPH (one sentence, maybe two) EXPLAIN & ELABORATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SOURCE (multiple sentences) WRAP-UP THE PARAGRAPH ARGUMENT (one sentence)

A full body-paragraph structure:

TOPIC SENTENCE (one sentence) PERSONAL ARGUMENT DEVELOPMENT (multiple sentences) SOURCE MATERIAL TO DEFEND THE POINT OF THE PARAGRAPH (one sentence, maybe two) EXPLAIN & ELABORATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SOURCE (multiple sentences) SOURCE MATERIAL TO DEFEND THE POINT OF THE PARAGRAPH (one sentence, maybe two) EXPLAIN & ELABORATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SOURCE (multiple sentences) WRAP-UP THE PARAGRAPH ARGUMENT (one sentence)

Purpose Structure and Content.pdf 

Empty Outline Sample

General Outline Pattern—it is best to have a combination of a topic outline and sentence outline

Empty Outline Sample

Thesis Statement—full sentence needed— _______________________

       I.            Introduction

1.       Hook— Full sentence needed

2.      Background—topic points are fine here; full sentence(s) not needed

3.      Thesis statement— Full sentence needed

    II.            Body paragraphs to support the claim in the Thesis

1.       Topic sentence—Full sentence needed

2.      Supporting details and development—general topic points and source in-text citations to remind you what to write out for the next phase of the writing process is enough here.  Full sentence(s) not needed

3.      Evaluate points— full sentence(s) not needed

4.      Closing sentence—full sentence not needed

 III.            Body paragraphs to show opposition points

1.       Topic sentence—Full sentence needed

2.      Supporting details and development—general topic points and source in-text citations to remind you what to write out for the next phase of the writing process is enough here.  Full sentence(s) not needed

3.      Evaluate points— full sentence(s) not needed

4.      Closing sentence—full sentence not needed

  IV.            Conclusion

1.       Reiterates your thesis in different words— Full sentence needed

2.      BRIEFLY sum up what you talked about in your body paragraphs— full sentence(s) not needed

3.      Culminating Thought—this last sentence drives home any final thoughts or call for action.  Full sentence needed.

     V.            References/Works Cited Section

Include the full source citations for each source you have noted above in the outline. 

APA Title Page Setup (6th and 7th Editions)

Depending on which school you are creating a paper for will determine whether you are using the 6th or 7th edition of the APA manual for documentation.

Below, you can find the 6th and 7th edition versions of a title page created by a Liberty University student.

Title Page Setup

The American Psychological Association website at https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/title-page states the necessary information for title pages:

A title page is required for all APA Style papers. There are both student and professional versions of the title page. Students should use the student version of the title page unless their instructor or institution has requested they use the professional version. APA provides a student title page guide (PDF, 199KB) to assist students in creating their title pages.

For Liberty University students, you must include your degree sought and your documentation style for the degree to be posted on the Title page of your assignment.   Be sure to include these two lines on your student title page at the very bottom: Degree/Diploma: ____________ Documentation Format:  ____________

Purpose, Structure, and Content

Each section of an academic essay has a specific purpose, and, therefore, a specific structure is required for the content. 

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If you have written an essay and the instructor states that the academic writing standards not being met, then this means that you are struggling with the basics for academic writing.  Therefore, you will want to spend extra time learning about the purpose, structure, and content of different areas of an academic essay.