Continuation of Literature Review

3

Unit VI

Lesson 1: The Distinction between the Body and the Literature Review

Introduction

In this unit, we will discuss the body section of the paper. If students are confused about anything while writing a research paper like the kind that you are writing, then they will be confused about the difference between the literature review (LR) and the body. Students think they are doing much the same thing in the LR and in the body. However, the two sections are different, and they each play a different role in the paper. Therefore, to begin this unit about the body, we will start with a discussion of the differences between the body section (which you will complete in this unit) and the literature review (which you already completed in Unit IV and revised in Unit V).

The Function of the Literature Review

Let’s take just a moment to recall what we already know about the LR. We know that a literature review is an assessment of a body of materials written about a particular topic (in our case, a controversy). In this situation, however, you are not critiquing the arguments, ideas, or positions of others. Instead, you are using the space of the literature review to explain the controversy based upon the materials that you have found.

The literature review serves a few purposes, all of which are essential to the writing of a research paper.

Background information: One of the main purposes of an LR is to establish important background information, which helps the reader to understand more about the topic so that he or she can appreciate what is at stake in your argument.

Detailed presentation of the controversy’s sides: In order to understand your argument, the reader needs to know what you know about the controversy. Further, each side of the controversy must be laid out so that you can better understand the controversy.

Credibility: The LR helps to establish your credibility as someone who knows about the controversy. You demonstrate that you have researched the topic and understand it.

To summarize, the function of the LR is to supply the reader with background information about the topic so that he or she will better understand the argument. The LR is important because you would not want to take the time to explain the context of the controversy while you are trying to make points that support your thesis. In this way, the distinctions are much cleaner and clearer to the reader between what others have said about the topic and what you will say about it.

The Function of the Body

While the literature review contains the arguments of others, the body contains your argument only. However, the materials that you take from sources support the arguments presented in the body. The body is made up of three to four paragraphs. Each one of these paragraphs contains a reason, which is one aspect of the thesis statement. Consider the following example:

In the example above, you can see that there are three reasons, the combination of which leads the writer to come to a conclusion about Jeremy’s behavior: that he is irresponsible. Of course, we know that conclusions become claims, so this conclusion has been labeled as being a thesis statement. We also know that conclusions are arrived at by way of a person’s warrant, so we might surmise that for this writer, the definition of responsibility is that a person does his chores, is on time, and returns phone calls.

The heart of body paragraphs is the relationship between the thesis statement and each reason. Unlike the LR, which focuses on the controversy itself, the body presents the writer’s argument. In this way, the body is about the writer’s argument, and it is about the explication of that argument by explaining to the reader why the writer believes in the thesis statement by explaining each reason.

Main Distinctions Between the Body and the Literature Review

Because both the LR and the body include material from sources, students often become confused about the differences between the two. However, the distinctions are clear if you consider the following illustration:

Literature Review O thers’ Arguments

Body Your Arguments

Another way to understand the distinctions between the two …

Literature Review Argumentative

Body Argumentative

If you keep these key distinctions in mind, then you should be able to confidently construct the body of your paper.

Check for Understanding

1. True/False: The purpose of the literature review is to argue against the ideas presented by your sources.

2. True/False: The body is a place where you can include more information you have found, but in greater deal.

3. True/False: The body contains your argument, and the literature review contains the arguments of others.

4. True/False: The literature review is always argumentative, while the body is never argumentative.

Review

1. The function of the literature review is to provide context for the controversy and details about the pro and con sides of the controversy, as well as to establish your credibility.

2. The function of the body is to provide paragraphs, wherein each presents a reason; those reasons support the thesis statement.

3. The literature review contains the arguments of others, and the body contains the paper writer’s argument.

4. The literature review is not argumentative; the body must be argumentative.

Answer key

1. False: The function of the literature review is to provide context for the controversy and details about the pro and con sides of the controversy, as well as to establish your credibility.

2. False: The function of the body is to provide paragraphs, wherein each presents a reason; those reasons support the thesis statement.

3. True: The literature review establishes context, while the body explicates your argument.

4. False: The literature review is not argumentative; the body must be argumentative.

Thesis: Jeremy is irresponsible.

Reason 1: He never does his chores.

Reason 2: He is never on time.

Reason 3: He never returns phone calls.

History: A timeline or contextualization of the controversy

Pro: Provides details about the specific perspective of the pro side of the controversy using source material and paraphrasing

Con: Provides details about the specific perspective of the con side of the controversy using source material and paraphrasing