Journal 1 Instructions
The student will compose a brief essay comparing and contrasting scientific communication, including the role science plays in contemporary society (DSL 200.1), distinguishing between science and pseudoscience, and identifying when science is misrepresented in the media (DSL 200.3). The scientific data must be from reputable source(s) and must be accurately interpreted and cited (DSL 200.4). Additional reliable sources may be referred to, as needed or required.
The journal includes the following processes and requirements:
- Start with an engaging attention getter, identifying the observation/problem addressed by the media communication and in the scientific communication;
- Identify the media communication as a media communication/secondary source and the scientific communication as a scientific communication/primary source
- Write a valid hypothesis statement which is addressed by the research in the scientific article and explain if the hypothesis is presented correctly in the media source;
- Identify additional parts to the scientific method including research methods, results, and research conclusions comparing what is stated in the media source and the scientific source;
- End the journal definitively;
- Use paraphrased information, examples, and evidence to support all points;
- Properly organize information within and between paragraphs;
- Format layout, citations, and references in correct APA style.
- AI may not be used at any point in the course. Scientific literacy is a skill that requires the ability to read and comprehend scientific content well enough to summarize, communicate, and relay key information from scientific studies.
- The use of AI chatbots (such as chatgpt, Jasper, or Perplexity) are strictly prohibited in this assignment. Any attempt to use AI in your academic work including editing, generating ideas, paraphrasing, or creating content will be considered a violation of Lynn University’s Academic Integrity policy and will be reported to the academic dean.
How to complete the assignment
The first source listed at the bottom is a news article discussing the primary study listed below it. The best strategy is to first read and understand the abstract of the scientific study. Abstracts often contain summaries of all parts of the scientific method. Further details can be uncovered by reading the paper, but most information required for the assignment can be found in the abstract. It is recommended that students attempt to read the entire scientific paper to understand the details of the study. There may be scientific jargon in the paper, so do your best to look up terms and notations that are commonly used to fully understand what the study is discussing. If further help is needed to understand the jargon, please reach out and I will do my best to assist.
Once students have read and understood what the study says, they should then move on to reading the news article that is reporting the details of that study. Students should then be able to evaluate how effectively the information is communicated to the lay public in the news article. Students should look for any inaccuracies, omissions, misrepresentations, or obvious biases in the news article and point them out with specific examples. Incidents of well reported sections of the study should also be highlighted with examples where possible.
Wherever possible, students should use the concepts described in the Communications Module on how proper scientific reporting should be conducted. Try to focus on examples of good scientific reporting illustrated while pointing out any areas of poor scientific reporting that deserve appropriate criticism. Bear in mind, a news article will never be as detailed as the original study, but they should relate the important information to their audience with sufficient detail and context without misleading the audience in any way.
Evaluation
For full details on evaluation, please refer to the grading rubric below. The journal includes the following processes and requirements:
Introduction-1 paragraph
- Start with an engaging attention getter, and introduce the topic of the paper by identifying the scientific observations/problems addressed by the media communication and in the scientific communication;
- Identify which source is the media or secondary source, and which source is the scientific or primary source;
- Write a valid hypothesis statement for the scientific article/study and explain if the hypothesis is presented correctly in the media source;
Body-4-6 paragraphs
- Compare and contrast each of the remaining sections of the scientific method including research methods (experiment or methods & materials), results including data table/chart analysis (Note: I require one data chart at minimum from the scientific study to be included in the paper along with the student’s interpretation of the data), and research conclusions comparing what is stated in the media source and the scientific source, and then noting how they’re the same or different;
- Provide a brief summary of the quality of reporting based on the compare and contrast analysis, keeping in mind that while a scientific news report does not have to be as detailed as the study it’s based on, it does need to provide good detail and context of the information for the reader (please refer to lecture materials on this subject presented in the communications module);
Conclusion-1 paragraph
- Move into a conclusion by providing a transition statement that indicates the paper is wrapping up.
- Summarize the key points in your paper, focusing on the compare and contrast analysis as well as the summary of the quality of journalism
- Have a definitive closing statement that wraps up your paper in a meaningful way without making any new claims.
Other Requirements
- Use paraphrased information, examples, and evidence to support all points. Do not use direct quotes unless the exact phrasing is necessary to make your point. Do not forget to cite paraphrased information with appropriate APA style citations in-text;
- Properly organize information within and between paragraphs, including proper transitions between paragraphs/sections and a clear flow of content in the paper;
- Format layout, citations, and references in correct APA style (12 point font);
- The final submission should be roughly between 1-3 pages double spaced (not including title and reference pages) while covering all parts of the grading rubric listed below.
here are the exact links to use for the essay