This page describes the objectives, project details, recommended approaches, hints and tips, submission guidelines, and evaluation standards for the Article project.
The Article is an exploration of a topic of interest to you with which you have some scholarly or professional expertise. The Article project challenges you to conduct research, and to craft a well-reasoned argument appropriate to the venue(s) you explored in the VA project.
Document type(s): memo, article
Document length(s): 150 words (memo), 1500 to 2000 words (article)
Project value: 250 points (50, draft; 200 final submission)
Evaluation rubric: _RPW324_Eval_Article.pdf
The Article should pursue a publishing opportunity appropriate to your findings from the Venue Analysis project, and consistent with your professional/scholarly goals. Key to your success is joining a conversation about a topic with which you have some interest and expertise.
Your final project submission will include the following elements.
A memo of transmittal introduces the accompanying document to its audience(s). You will craft such a memo with each submission for the project. Your memos should be addressed from you to me, and should introduce the accompanying project. Your memos should incorporate the following content elements.
The article should construct an argument that contributes to an existing conversation of professional or scholarly relevance to you. Because articles might take many forms, many approaches, and address a variety of audiences, the specific details
Your article should incorporate all of the following content and design elements.
Recommended tool(s): Adobe InDesign (or Scribus Team Scribus)
This section offers guidance for how to interpret the project, and for how to proceed with your work on it. Therefore, as you work, consider the following strategic recommendations:
The goal of any article, whether professional or scholarly, should be to contribute to a conversation. Good articles do this. Lower quality articles never quite get there. Participating in a conversation requires you to read and be aware of the contributions of others, and to develop a sense for yourself of the issues, the stakes, and the potential movements within the discussion of your topic.
This project relies heavily on specific details. Whatever the genre and venue, examine specific examples of articles that have been published in your target venue(s), and locate specific publishing guidelines. Such details give you better understanding of what is required for successful publication.
This section is designed to help you anticipate and avoid problems as you work on this project. Therefore, as you work, consider the following hints and tips:
Always strive for high levels of professionalism and consistency in your work. Impress the editor(s) with your attention to detail, and it increases your chances of having your submission accepted for publication.
The revisions and refinements you make from the draft to the final submission may help you understand your design process, and therefore your professional development in more-sophisticated ways. Archive your drafts of projects throughout your coursework, so you are able to examine your growth and maturation.
Read and attend carefully to these submission guidelines. Failure to do so may result in delays in receiving feedback on the draft of your project, or in points lost on the final evaluation of your project.
Create a project folder inside your shared class folder on Dropbox.com. Remember, I can only view files that you place inside the class folder. Until you place files in that space, you have not in practice submitted them.
However, do not share your project folder with me. I will not accept that invitation to view its contents. As long as you place your project files in the folder you created and shared in response to the Week 1 discussions, you are set for the semester.
Name the folder Article.
Make sure the files listed below are available to me in the project folder by the description and draft deadlines. Model your filenames on the listed examples:
Make sure the files listed below are available to me in the project folder by the final deadline. Model your filenames on the listed examples:
Note that the Feedback file is one you receive from me in response to your draft submission. Move it into your project folder when you assemble your final submission.
This section describes the standards by which your draft and final submissions will be evaluated.
There are 50 possible points each for the description and video draft. You will earn points according to the following standard.
There are 100 possible points for the final project. You will earn points according to the standard described on the policies page (40% content development, 20% design execution, and 20% professionalism & attention to detail, and 20% impact of revision; see Policies). The specific areas of emphasis for this project are drawn from the description and discussion of the project, and are detailed in the evaluation rubric (_RPW324_Eval_Article.pdf).
Remember that I will only post the point values for projects on the Grades page in SVSU Canvas. I will post the details relevant to that evaluation in your class folder in a project-specific file.
If you are here because of random chance, or because this content came up in a search, then poke about, and read if you see something useful or interesting. If you are a teacher in any context, and would like to use any of this content in your courses, feel free to do so. However, if you do so, please do two things: