Key Moves for the Body--Situation, Demonstration, and Explanation: Because every issue, and therefore every paper, is different, there are an infinite number of things you can do in the body of your paper to support your argument. Three key maneuvers to consider are situation, demonstration, and explanation.

Variously Require Sections, Paragraphs, Sentences: Sometimes these maneuvers will require entire sections to address, sometimes just paragraphs, and sometimes simply a sentence or two.

Will Be Interwoven: Moreover, passages of situation, demonstration, and explanation will not always cleanly separate into sections or even paragraphs. In reality, these kinds of passages are likely to be interwoven as needed by the specific topic and argument at hand.

Situation for Hisotrical Evidence: By situation I mean the presentation and analysis of historical evidence (and, by extension, historical citations as well): context, relevant social histories, and so forth. A section/paragraph/sentence of situation is one devoted to situating your analysis of a text in the proper historical context by providing any relevant background information your reader needs to know in order to understand your analyses and argument. Usually it is best to do this sort of situation near the beginning of the body of your paper.

Demonstration for Textual Evidence: By demonstration I mean the presentation and analysis of textual evidence (and, by extension, critical citations as well): examples, case studies, and the like. A section/paragraph/sentence of demonstration is one devoted to demonstrating the validity of your argument by providing evidence and analysis that support your claim(s). Usually paragraphs of demonstration that come near the beginning of the body of a paper will focus more on evidence than analysis, and those that come closer to the end of the body will be more oriented toward deepening your analyses than introducing new evidence.

Explanation for (Extended) Analysis: By explanation I mean analysis, detailed discussion of the logic that informs your argument (and, potentially, theoretical citations as well). A section/paragraph/sentence of explanation is one devoted to explaining the logic that underwrites your argument by providing detailed descriptions of the lines of thought that lead to your central claims. Usually it is wise to locate these passages of explanation at the very beginning or the very end of the body of your paper, so they can serve as transitions from your thesis into your body or from your body into your conclusion.

Breaking into Sections: Sometimes one of these sections – situation, demonstration, explanation – can be fully covered in a single paragraph, but usually, especially in longer research papers, it will take multiple paragraphs to address each section. Thus you should think of the body of your paper as made up of sections, and the sections of the body as made up of paragraphs. In other words, a body paragraph will usually present one and only one component of a larger section.

Breaking Up Sections of Situation: A section of situation may be broken up because there are two or three eras in the social history you’re trying to tell, each era getting its own paragraph. Or maybe there are multiple strands of history operating simultaneously, and you want to give a paragraph to each.

Breaking Up Sections of Demonstration: A section of demonstration may be broken up by multiple examples or case studies, each getting its own paragraph, or even a single case study addressed over the course of several paragraphs. If reading a literary work, make your way through it sequentially, from the beginning to the end. If offering case studies, work through them chronologically, from the earlier cases to the later.

Breaking Up Sections of Explanation: In a section of explanation, break down the logic of your argument into its component parts, and then work through them in order, providing a full discussion of each.