Writing Exercise

Writing Exercises

Over the course of the semester, you will complete one writing assignment on a story from a reliable media source that covers findings from a peer-reviewed, published research article on a health-related topic. The writing assignment is due at your leisure. Successful assignments must respond to each of the following areas. You are encouraged to use the headings listed below in your completed assignment.

Summary Tell the reader exactly what the news article is about. Write a summary paragraph or two, in your own words, about the news article. Do not copy verbatim from the article.

Significance Why did you choose the news article and why is it important to society? Think about whom this health-related topic impacts now and moving forward. Will this disease impact you in any way?

Personal Response Tell me about your personal response to the article? Was the news article interesting to you? Do you think it covered an important topic? How might it have been improved to make for better reading? Questions such as these are all fair game for your personal response.

Describe peer-reviewed article (use the peer-reviewed article the media story is about to respond to the prompts below)

● What type of study was conducted? ● What did the study contribute to the field of knowledge? ● What measures of association, if any, were used? ● What were the main findings? ● What were the primary strengths and limitations? ● How would you improve the study design or implementation? ● What questions are left unanswered about the topic (e.g. implications for future research)?

Assignment Writing Specifications:

● Due at your leisure. Please submit via blackboard. ● News Article:

○ You may choose your news article from a number of media sources: newspapers (NY Times, USA Today, etc.), weekly news magazines, MMWR reports, or professional news sources on the internet. The articles must have been published within the last six months.

● Sources: ○ As a reminder, please make sure to cite all sources and provide in-text citations as necessary.

Your paper will be submitted through a program designed to catch plagiarism. ○ Make sure to cite the news article and the peer-reviewed journal article.

● Length: ○ There is no minimum length. Please thoroughly describe each section for full credit.

● Citation: ○ The paper and bibliography should be formatted in APA style. ○ Please provide sub-headings to organize your material.

○ If you are not familiar with APA style, I recommend reviewing directions through the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). They cover all the requirements extensively and provide useful examples.

● Grades are based on content (70%), and Mechanics (30%). See the rubric in Blackboard for more information on how grades will be assessed.

● All reviews must be written in professional prose. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation must be consistent with professional standards.