500 words 1.5 hrs

NATS 1550

Assignment 3 – Write a short magazine article for the general public (15%)

Due date: Nov. 28, 11.59pm

Please submit as a word or pdf file on Moodle

This assignment has a VERY strict word count (your article absolutely has to be

within these limits, no exceptions), you will loose 50% of your marks if you have

fewer or more words:

Minimum word count 450 words; Maximum: 550 words (excluding title).

For this assignment you will be writing a short science-based piece about migration for

the public in the form of a news or magazine article.

Most of the writing done by students in university science follows a style and a set of

rules that are consistent with the scientific literature—regimented, concise and technical.

Similarly, much writing done in university by non-science students is also rule-bound as

required by the standards of scholarship in those disciplines. However, it is also

important to be able to communicate academic ideas, including scientific discoveries, in a

less intimidating and technical manner and this is what this assignment is about.

In this assignment, you will be converting a research paper that was published in a

scientific journal and deals with migration into a magazine article. Choose ONE of the

scientific articles posted on Moodle in the Assignment 3 folder for this, you decide which

one of these you want to use for this assignment, but only use one. You will play the role

of a free-lance e-zine (=online magazine) science writer, and you will be required to

reduce the paper to its essence by creating a non-illustrated* magazine-style piece that

your editor requires to fit a space of 500 words, excluding your catchy title. I will deduct

50% if your submission is less than 450 words or more than 550 words, no

exceptions! Editors would not publish pieces that are shorter or longer than agreed upon.

I will post links to examples on Moodle that show you the type of writing we are

seeking—no formal references, no essay styles! Make sure you use your own words, do

not copy/paste or directly quote from the articles.

You need to have a catchy title that sparks interest. The writing must capture the reader’s

attention immediately (you need to have a hook), and it must set up the context almost as

fast. The writing should be precise, but not burdened by any jargon. Imagine that you are

writing for well-informed adults, but who are not formally trained in ecology or

environmental science or migration or biology etc..

Some comments on format: Do not use the traditional subheadings of Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion.

Remember this is a magazine article NOT a lab report or scientific journal article. It is up

to you whether you wish to use any sub-headings at all. No specific font, size, or

paragraph formatting (but please use a standard font that is readable) and it does not have

to be formatted like a newspaper article, it is the content that counts.

NATS 1550

Do not use references; you never see formal referencing in magazines or e-zines (online

magazines). If you do wish to refer to someone else’s work within the body of your

article, simply do so, such as: “The researchers were interested in following up on an idea

proposed by a Dutch group of scientists who had found...” Or, refer to the posted

examples to give you an idea how to do this.

All words, excluding title (but including any subheadings, if you have them), are part of

the word count (450 to 550 words)

You do not need to create a title page, but write your name and student number and the

(original) name of the article you are using at the top of the page. Below that should be

your magazine article including your own catchy title that you created for it. At the end,

also include your word count.

*Note: If you wish to be creative you may add illustrations, but I will ignore these and

not take these into consideration for marking.

What am I looking for? Articles that

• Have a catchy title that immediately grabs a readers’ interest

• Right at the start grab my interest and make me want to read on (without being overly sensational) and hold my interest throughout

• Are written in the style of a reputable magazine or newspaper article (not a lab report or essay etc.)

• Are well-written, flow well and are easy and enjoyable to read

• Have a logical structure and present ideas clearly

• Do an excellent job accurately presenting the information from the scientific article and in getting the main points across, without loosing themselves in

extraneous details

• Cater to a well-informed, but non-specialist audience, e.g. by avoiding jargon

• Have good grammar and spelling

• Are within the allowed word count range of 450-550 words you will loose 50% of your marks if you have fewer or more words

Tip: ask your non-science friends or family to read it and give you feedback on how

interesting and easy to read they found it!