ENGR 100w Dr. Anagnos
Analysis of a Professional Journal Article
for Readability and Pseudoscience versus Real Science
Objectives of Assignment:
· Become familiar with elements of a professional journal.
· Understand the meaning of a refereed journal.
· Perfect skills in finding relevant literature using library databases.
· Perfect skills in citing sources and formatting references.
· Analyze article for clarity
· Analyze article for use of standard scientific methods
Due: Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Format: 2-3 pages, single spaced, blank line between paragraphs.
Grading: 10% of course grade. Grading criteria will include:
· Followed format directions: memo, page numbers, single line spacing, APA format for reference list / 5· Introduction: title and author of article, journal and date, why chose, and how found / 10
· Analysis section: / 20
· Discussion of Pseudoscience and Scientific Method: / 5
· Conclusion: Overall quality of article, one key lesson from analysis / 5
· Spelling, grammar, punctuation / 5
Total / 50
Please attach a grade sheet to your analysis before you hand it in.
Assignment:
First, find a technical article from a high quality professional technical journal, preferably from the key professional organization in your major (as described in our visit to the library and on http://sjlibrary.org/services/literacy/info_comp/articles_scholarly.htm). I have compiled a list of some of the journals published by professional organizations in your field (see: http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/tanagnos/ENGR100W/resources/journals.htm)
The article must be from a journal dated 2007-2010. Glance through it quickly to determine its main topic, and get a general idea of what it is about and how it is organized.
Next, look at your technical writing text and determine what the author summarizes as the criteria for a good empirical research report (see Markel Chapters 8, 12, 13, and 18). Analyze the introduction, the main discussion, and the terminal section for its content as well as the author’s writing style. What is the article’s purpose? Who is the article’s intended audience?
Read the article carefully, and while you are reading it, establish your analysis of its quality using objective evaluation criteria. Look for good and bad points and determine the “why” as well as “what” for each item. Write a memo with your summary of the evaluation. Do not restate or summarize the contents of the article; focus on the specific analysis. What is good or bad? Are there tables, charts, and graphs? Helpful? Needed?
Use critical thinking and check for pseudoscience versus real science (examples in lecture, the first chapter of the Cunninghams’ Principles of Environmental Science text, Chapter 1 of Wright’s Environmental Science, or look on the ENGR 100w Resources web page for some links about pseudoscience).
When you have evaluated the report and searched for the strong and weak points, you should be better prepared to write and evaluate your own reports in the future. Would this be a good professional journal to submit an article that you have written?
Include an introduction explaining the purpose of the memo. Only indicate the title, author, publication, and date in the introduction, and then use the complete APA format for the article in a formal reference section at the end of your memo. Follow this by an analysis section, a discussion of pseudoscience, and a conclusion that provides your evaluation of the overall quality of the article along with one lesson you gained from the article analysis.
Sample References in APA format:
Journal Articles:
Rhoades, D. A., & Evison, F. F. (2004). Long-range earthquake forecasting with every earthquake precursor according to scale. Pure & Applied Geophysics, 161(1), 47-72.
Klimoski, R., & Palmer, S. (2004). The ADA and the hiring process in organizations. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 45 (2), 1036.
Journal Article from Print-based Journal Viewed only in its Electronic Form:
VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2003). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates [Electronic version]. Journal of
Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123.