Bibliography & Magazine Analysis

In this first assignment, I would like you to create a brief bibliography in which you list at least eight articles about your proposed topic. You'll cull these from various publications. The idea is to get a sense of the discussion that has been going on about this topic before you have come along.

Beneath each citation (you can do this in APA, MLA, or any other citation method you prefer), write a paragraph summarizing it, so that I know without looking at the article what I can expect to find in it.

For the magazine analysis part of this assignment, I'd like you to write a short (250 word) synopsis of the magazine your team is leaning toward. You can use any of the following questions to help you think about what your magazine is all about:

An integral part of writing your article is understanding the nuances of the magazine or journal you?re writing for. To help you reach a better understanding of this audience, I would like each team to write a memo (somewhere in the 750-1000 word range, plus or minus) in which you examine an article from the (current) target publication for your team?s article.

To do this, select an article similar to the one you want to write (e.g., if you're addressing a new technology, look for articles addressing new technologies). In your memo, use the below guidelines to focus your analysis. You need not respond in the same numbered fashion; these are simply aspects of the article and publication that I would like you to consider as you respond.

1) What are the publication's constraints in terms of audience, style, tone, and related factors.

2) How your project will fit into those constraints.

3) What audience does the article seem aimed for? Consider issues such as how much (what kind of) knowledge the audience seems to possess, as well as factors such as their age(s), genders, education level, occupations, income, and moral or political views.

4) Who else might turn to this source for information? For example, although the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) addresses physicians, individuals with a specific illness may also read it while searching for information about treatments or breakthroughs concerning that illness.

5) To what extent does the article use technical language? Do you see any examples of jargon? Consider listing examples.

6) How long is the average sentence? Paragraph? Does this tell you anything about the audience?

7) How formal/informal is the style? Why?

8) Is there advertising in the magazine or journal? If so, what do the ads tell you about the reader?

9) Are formulas or equations present? How important are they to the article?

910 Does the writer use tables, graphs, or figures? Could the article make sense without them? What do they accomplish?

11) Does the article use any sidebars (adjoining "mini-articles" next to the main text or available as links on a web page) to explain key terms or provide more detail? If so, would such sidebars be effective for your article?

12) How long are the average articles in this journal? (Provide a rough estimate in number of words/pages and number of pages.)

13) What kinds of titles are customary? Can you make a guess why?

14) Are there any headings and subheadings? How are they written (as questions, statements, phrases)? How are they used? Why?

15) What other matters of style do the articles in this publication share?

16) Why/how will your article "fit" the audience you discovered in this journal? What is the purpose for your article given the magazine/journal (content, organization, sentence length, technical language, visuals, etc.).

Due Date: June 1

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