Name __________________________________
Date ___________
Hour ________
Research Paper—Writing Your Second Body Paragraph
Step 1: The first paragraph of your body should start with the declarative sentence that you used as your first main
point. Make sure this is the first point listed in your thesis statement. If it is not the first point listed in your thesis
statement and you want to use it first in your paper, you must rewrite your thesis statement to reflect the order in
which you will present your information.
Ex.
Main points:
1. The sinking of the Titanic was, in part, caused by human error.
2. The immense loss of life led to an increased awareness of safety measures.
3. The sinking of the Titanic will continue to illustrate the necessity of planning ahead.
The immense loss of life led to an increased awareness of safety measures.
Your second main point: ______________________________________________________________________________
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Step 2: You need to support your main points by backing them up with research. Examine your highlighted articles and
find a quote or paraphrase that supports the assertion you have made in your first main point. Be sure you complete the
following steps to avoid plagiarism:
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Put the words of others in quotation marks.
Embed quotes within a sentence. DO NOT have any quoted passage as a sentence all on its own.
Write a paraphrase in your own words. DO NOT simply replace the author’s key words with synonyms.
Accurately cite your sources in MLA style. If there is an author, cite using the author’s last name. If there is no
listed author, cite using the title of the article (or a shortened form) in quotation marks. Be sure to identify the
page number of the quotation or paraphrase. REMEMBER, paraphrases must be cited even though they are not
in the author’s exact words.
Ex.
The investigations into the sinking of the Titanic led to “mandates that every ship from every country be fitted
with enough life boats to seat every one of the passengers aboard ship” and never again were lifeboats loaded
“according to the class of ticket a passenger purchased” (Martin 15).
OR
The investigations into the sinking of the Titanic led to a campaign to ensure that there were always enough
lifeboats available to allow for the removal of every passenger aboard ship and also led to the abolition of the practice of
seating lifeboats by class (Martin 15).
Your research sentence: ______________________________________________________________________________
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Name __________________________________
Date ___________
Hour ________
Step 3: Make a point or create an analysis of the research sentence. Include more research if necessary.
Ex.
These additional lifeboats and improved procedures in loading the lifeboats were both revolutionary ideas at the
time of the investigations. People had simply never thought to ensure the safety of every individual aboard a ship before
a devastating disaster brought the issue to their own front door (Baldwin 395).
Your point or analysis: ______________________________________________________________________________
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Step 4: Create a conclusion about your first main point.
Ex.
The errors made by the White Star Line enraged the people at home, many of whom had lost loved ones to the
tragedy, and even though the loss of life was staggering, the catastrophe did serve to promote deeper understanding of
the necessity of life-saving equipment aboard every sea-going vessel.
Your conclusion: ____________________________________________________________________________________
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Step 5: Combine your sentences into a paragraph and add transitions or transitional sentences as necessary to improve
flow.
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