While many of your research projects will require you to read articles published in scholarly journals, books or other peer reviewed sources of information, there is also a wealth of information to be found in more popular publications. These aim to inform a wide array of readers about issues of interest and are much more informal in tone and scope. Examples include general news, business and entertainment publications such as Time Magazine, Business Weekly, Vanity Fair. Note, special interest publications which are not specifically written for an academic audience are also considered “popular” i.e., National Geographic, Scientific American, Psychology Today. (Evaluating Information Sources, n.d., What is a Popular Source? section)
The above indicates that when reading a textespecially reading to learn and rely on the content of a textwe are to exercise due diligence. We need to exercise critical thinking and not blindly accept all information that passes our way. Our researcher reputations are at stake. And we are accountable to the readers who may rely on the information we provide.
For this assignment, you will locate and download a popular journal article to analyze the authors use of logic.
References
Types of sources. (n.d.). Indiana Wesleyan University Online Campus Library Services.
Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:
The Discerning Reader and Writer
As you read the sourced article for this written assignment, keep in mind the quality writing tips you have learned in your reading. One significant way to begin improving your writing skills is to improve your reading skills. By reading at-once on different levels, you will not only be taking in and processing the words (and information) that are displayedbut you will also be consciously assessing the quality of the information, the craft of the writing, and the aesthetics of the formatting. In other words, you will begin to read differently as a resultyou will become a discerning reader. By reading actively, you will inherently build habits of observation that can carry over into your doctoral and professional writing through use of new words and a multitude of ways to articulate what you want to say.
As you analyze the logic of the article selected for this assignment, be on the lookout for the phrases that should be avoided at the start of a sentence. If you reviewed your most recent coursework submissions or contributions to the ADP, would any of the sentence start taboos be found?