The body of an APA format paper is the core where you develop your arguments and present your evidence. This is where you’ll spend most of your time when working on a research project. The key aspects to focus on for the body include introducing your topic, stating your thesis clearly, discussing each main point separately using credible sources, and properly incorporating quotes and paraphrases into your writing.
To get started, you’ll first want to provide a brief introduction to your topic and research question or hypothesis. This engages the reader and sets up the focus of your paper. Be sure to include enough background info to give context without going into excessive detail. You can then present your thesis statement, which clearly lays out the overall argument you’ll be making. The thesis is the backbone of your paper – each main point you discuss should help substantiate and elaborate on this central assertion.
The next step is to structure your body into logical main points that build upon each other to support your thesis. These sections form the primary framework of your analysis. General guidelines recommend including between 3-5 main points for an undergraduate research paper, though the specific number may vary depending on your topic and length requirements. Each main point warrants its own dedicated section or paragraph to allow for thorough coverage of the issue.
Within each main point paragraph, you’ll want to introduce the topic or issue being discussed, relate it back to your thesis statement, then dive deeper with an analysis of research findings and perspective. Provide at least one but preferably two or more relevant and credible sources to back up any claims made. Sources may include peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and academic reports. Relying too heavily on non-academic or unscholarly sources should generally be avoided. Properly integrating evidence from sources through paraphrasing, summarizing, or quoting is key to developing well-supported arguments. Remember that direct quotes should only make up about 10-20% of your writing, with the bulk being paraphrased or summarized information.
When using quotes, be sure to properly introduce them with a signal phrase including the author’s last name and publication date. Then place the quote between double quotation marks. For example: As Smith (2020) explained, “Implementing reform requires addressing obstacles at both the structural and individual levels.” Short quotes under 40 words should be placed right into the body of the paragraph, while longer quotes of 40 words or more should be indented as a block quote without quotes.
Citing quotes properly is important, but the bulk of your analysis should be explaining or discussing the significance of research or data in your own words. Directly quoting sources for long stretches without any of your own commentary or analysis defeats the purpose of a research paper. Your writing should analyze, compare perspectives, draw logical conclusions from evidence – not just string together quotes. Signaling phrases help smoothly integrate quotes into your sentences and show how they relate to the point being made. Example phrases include: “according to,” “as noted by,” or “this supports the idea that.”
Repeating this process of introducing a main point, discussing evidence from at least two credible sources, and analyzing what they mean will address the bulk of your paper’s body section. Be sure to tie each paragraph back to the thesis clearly. As you wrap up, you may want to note any limitations, implications, need for further research on your topic. And remember that proper in-text citations are required for any information not considered common knowledge, along with a References list in APA format. Sticking to this guidelines will produce a well-structured, thoroughly evidenced body that effectively makes and supports an argument – the foundational component of any successful research paper.