TODAYS GOALS

• Continue discussion of document design related to scholarly articles and research reports

• Learn basic strategies for incorporating data and graphs into informative writing

• Compare results of your publication analyses

PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Scholarly Articles Research Reports• Usually focused on a thesis question

• Appropriate for humanities/social sciences as well as math, science, engineering, etc.

• Will often attempt to link findings with real world applications/situations

• May have an abstract. If not, it will usually have a brief introduction

• Usually focused on a thesis question or experiment

• Usually used for math, science, engineering, or hard science topics (although there are exceptions)

• Uses a very narrow angle of vision that focuses only on the experiment

• MUST have an abstract

PUBLICATION STYLE COMPARISONS

Scholarly Article Research Report• MLA or APA depending on subject matter

• Professional and pedantic language. Serious tone

• Subject based subheadings

• Little to no attention paid to engaging reader

• Some explanation of methodology

• Usually uses tables and graphs although occasionally a small number of pictures will be used if they are very relevant

• APA format

• Professional and pedantic language. Serious tone

• Research/APA based subheadings

• No attention paid to entertainment or engaging reader

• Will discuss methodology and possible future research in depth

• No pictures or images; only uses tables and graphs to showcase information

Newspapers Magazines Scholarly Articles

Research Reports

Document design

•Many columns (2+)•Short paragraphs•Topic subheadings

•Small number of columns•Topic subheadings

•Small number of columns (1-2)•Topic subheadings

•1-2 columns •Research based subheadings•Importance of credentials and abstract

Visual Rhetoric

•Nut graphs•Single image, usually authentic

•Eye-catching colors•Many images and graphs

•Few images•Many graphs illustrating data

•No images•Many graphs illustrating data

Writing style •Importance of lead and hook•Short sentences•Professional, formal, serious•Colloquial

•Importance of hook•Varies greatly by publication•Shorter sentences

•Professional, serious•Advanced, academic language•Longer sentences•Does not try to capture reader attention

•Professional, serious•Advanced, academic language•Longer sentences•Does not try to capture reader attention

IA EXAMPLE GUIDELINES

• Newspaper Article• IA Sample 5-Washington Post (Document design and layout)• IA Sample 1-Miami Herald (Use of images)

• Magazine Article• IA Sample 9- Game Informer• IA Sample 10-Athlon Sports

• Web Article• IA Sample 8-Discover News

• Research Report• IA Sample 4-Journal of Ethnobiology

• Scholarly Article• IA Sample 7-Feminist Review• IA Sample 2-American Psychologist

STYLE - REVIEW

• Consider style as a tool for explaining genre

• Style factors:• Sentence structure: long or short? Varied or monotonous? • Types of words: pedantic or colloquial? Abstract or concrete?• Voice or Persona: 1st or 3rd person? Expert or layperson?• Tone: Formal or informal? Humorous or serious?

• Review on pg. 68 if necessary

• Secondary Style factor: Research discussion• Different publications will have different styles for discussing research and

may vary in their use of 1st vs 3rd person, passivization, and linguistic distance from the performed methods

PRIMARY RESEARCH GOALS

Interviews Surveys Observation

General Data Type:

Qualitative: produces quotes to use in article

Quantitative: produces data and statistics, often percentages

Quantitative and qualitative: can include statistics as well as descriptive observations

Requirement:

(Note: these are the minimum and more will often be preferred)

Use at least two quotes from each interviewee

Use at least one specific data point (from a single question) and one combined data point (comparing multiple questions)

Use at least one quantitative data point and one qualitative data point

All research types must utilize at least one graph or graphic illustrating research results in their informative article

PRIMARY RESEARCH STRATEGIES

• Do not list out survey/interview questions and their results

• Do not include the answers/results to every survey/interview question

• Economy of information is important! • Overwhelming your readers with useless data takes the focus away from

your useful data

• Only focus on data that is useful and supports your thesis • However, your thesis should be adjusted to align with research results

• Keep in mind that no research method is infallible• Our results suggest phenomena but do not prove them

• Causation is extremely difficult to prove

GRAPHS

• Pie/Circle Graphs- useful for presenting percentages or parts of a whole. Very commonly used in informative writing and has great visual appeal (Also helpful for interview results). Easily created with Excel

• Bar Graph- useful for comparing values that are not part of a whole, especially when multiple values are used. Easily created with Excel

• Line Graph- useful for showing trends over time. Commonly used in newspapers as well as research reports. Easily created with Excel

• Nut Graph- the newspaper style text box that is used to highlight or summarize important information. Created as an insert table (1x1) in Word

GROUP ACTIVITY: REVISING A POOR GRAPH

• In your unit 3 groups

• Examine the graph on page 288 and answer the following questions:

1. Identify at least 3 problems with the graph

2. Suggest revisions for an optimal version of this graph to display the information in the most rhetorically effective way

• Old Textbook p. 754

CAUSATION AND CORRELATION

• Correlation does not prove causation!

• In research writing, it is ok to identify correlations, but we must be very careful when discussing causation

• Correlation: statistical term for the probability that two events or phenomena will occur together

• There are three main ways to support for causation: 1. Causality induced from a recurring pattern

1. Ex: many anorexic patients come from perfectionist, highly work-oriented homes that emphasize duty and responsibility2. Causality hypothesized from correlations

1. Ex: the percentage of left-handed people within a sample of highly creative people is much higher than the percentage of left handed people in the general population

3. Causality demonstrated through experimental control of variables

• However, with all of these examples, we must be on the lookout for other causal factors that might have led to the same outcome. Identifying possible alternate causes while still arguing for your own can increase your ethos as a researcher

• What might some of the other causal factors be in the above examples?

CORRELATION

• A correlation coefficient will usually be between -1 and 1

• A negative correlation indicates an inverse relationship; as one variable increases the other decreases

• A correlation of zero indicates there is no correlation between the two variables

• A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases so does the other

CORRELATION IN EXCEL

• List two series of variables in side by side columns

• Select InsertScatterplot to create the basic graph

• Select DesignAdd Chart ElementTrendlineLinear

• You may also have to go to FormatCurrent SelectionSelect TrendlineFormat selection on chart and select “Display equation on chart”

• (For older versions of Excel)You may also have to go to LayoutTrendlineMore trendline options and select “Display equation on chart”

• This will generate a formula in slope intercept format y=mx+b

• The coefficient ‘m’ is the correlation coefficient

GROUP ACTIVITY: ANALYZING RESULTS

• In your unit 3 groups

• Do the “Analyzing Results” activity on page 290• Old textbook p. 756

GROUP ACTIVITY: PUBLICATION COMPARISON

• In your unit 3 groups

• Share the results of your Minor Essay 3: Publication Analysis, focusing on the general publication style, visual rhetoric, and document design strategies (rather than the article summaries)

• Answer the following questions:

1. What visual rhetoric and document design strategies do these publication types share? (For media project groups, which example best fits what your project will look like and why?)

2. What is one unique strategy employed by each publication? (per student)

3. List the publications in order from formal and pedantic to informal and colloquial, and give one reason or example why each publication was given its position

HOMEWORK

• Informative Article First Draft• Due Friday 7/10• 500+ words • Should include primary research results and 2+ secondary sources• Focus on visual rhetoric, document design, and introduction