Research Ess@y

Color-Coding is a way to visually see what’s happening in a paragraph. Here’s the highlighting code:

Green=thesis statement

Yellow=the paragraph’s claim

Turquois/blue=the student’s own analysis and commentary

No highlighting=information from source material. This information must be followed with an in-text citation.

I have color-coded the following student paragraph as an example. What’s good about this paragraph?

· Notice that the paragraph starts with the claim.

· Then, it’s followed by a 50/50 balance of information from sources and commentary by the student.

· The student’s commentary is sprinkled in throughout the paragraph, not just in a block at the end.

· Notice also that the student uses information from five sources and incorporates that information through summary, paraphrase, and direct quote, all followed by an in-text citation.

HOW YOU WILL USE COLOR-CODING:

· You will be required to color-code your peer group workshopping and final draft with these colors, which I’ve chosen because the text is still easy to read. This highlighting is available in Microsoft Word.

· Make sure that you are highlighting the text like I have below, not just changing the actual color of the text, which becomes very hard to read.

· Why do you need to color code?

· Color-coding helps you see what’s happening in your paragraph.

· Your claim should be the first sentence.

· Anything that you don’t highlight is from a source, so it must be followed by an in-text citation in order not to plagiarize.

· You should have your own commentary and analysis throughout the paragraph and not just at the end.

· Once you color-code, it’s easy to see if there’s a 50/50 balance of source material and analysis.

· SEE THE STUDENT EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE.

Research Paper Example Paragraph

Student author: Clayton Watercott

High Speed Rail is safer and more reliable than auto and air travel, resulting in less stressful transportation. Anyone who’s been caught on the freeway in a Midwestern snowstorm would probably admit it isn’t fun. With cars sliding into the ditch and into one another, already high levels of traffic slow to a crawl. HSR has no such issue. And now with funding for upgrading track signaling systems, passenger rail travel in the U.S. will become increasingly safer and more efficient (Rosenthal 2). One expert even claims, “In 45 years of operation, carrying over 7 billion passengers, the Japanese system has never had a single fatality” (Kunz 2). Weather problems also plague the already overcrowded U.S. airport system. One storm can delay or cancel numerous flights and have ripple effects far outside the region that had the storm. In winter weather, planes become extremely fickle and unsafe, requiring more time for de-icing before take-off. Stories abound of people being stranded in airports for days because of one storm. Due to the unpredictable nature of air travel, many American business travelers covet the high speed rail services offered abroad (Kelly 1). Since rail service stays firmly on the ground it has, “less susceptibility to weather and other kinds of delays facing airlines” (Poticha 53). Even in good weather, HSR service is safer and more reliable. There is no threat of traffic fatalities due to drunk drivers or someone texting while driving. With ever increasing security measures, the time required at airports can far exceed that of relatively hassle free rail stations (Spivak 12). When taking all of this into consideration, the result is a more predictable and much less stressful traveling experience than any other mode of transportation currently provides.