CSCM 2040-A Professional Communication | Summer 2019 | Donald E. Simpson, PhD Study Guide for Journal 06: due Week 04, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. Readings: Rebecca Moore Howard, Writing Matters, ch. 14, 15, 16, “Research Matters (part II),” pp. 233-275; see also ch. 19, “APA Style,” pp. 363-396. Journal #6: As knowledge workers, your future career may depend on locating vital information and alerting your audience (employer, employee, colleagues, stockholders, clients, etc.) of its importance, often with recommendations as to how your business, department, or industry should respond. How do you determine the credibility of information and opinion sources in an era of “Fake News,” spoofing, and hacking? How do you go about interpreting credible information for your specific audience in a way that allows them to usefully respond? Note: Substantive journals will consist of two full pages in standard manuscript format (see syllabus). If you have done the reading and considered the prompts below, you should have plenty to say. 1. (WM 14a) How does the text advise you to proceed in evaluating sources of information for credibility? Summarize their checklist. What criteria seem most crucial to you? What are some key differences between scholarly and popular sources (14b-c)? How are you advised to proceed with internet sources? Do you always check to see how sources cite their sources? 2. (WM 15a-e) Keeping track of the information you discover is crucial in maintaining credibility with your professional audience. What are some of the major pitfalls to avoid? Why does the text raise the issue of patchwriting, and have you ever used this technique in your school work? How do you absorb diverse sources while avoiding patchwriting? Paraphrase what advice the text has to offer. 3. (WM 15f-h) Often, academic and professional communication involves reporting facts and opinions of others, offering an argument in support of one side or another, and interpreting the relevance for your audience. Very little room is left for “originality” as such. Why then is it so important for your own understanding as well as your audience’s to avoid plagiarism, cite clearly, and summarize in your own words? When does the text advise quoting and when better to paraphrase? 4. (WM 16a-d). Understanding that reporting is largely a matter of synthesizing and interpreting a set of information for a particular audience, summarize the method of drafting and organizing a research report as discussed by the text. What are the key principles to keep in mind throughout the process? When would it become necessary to revise your thesis, restructure your outline, and possibly investigate further information? 5. (WM 19) How many different sources have you used in the Quick Reference on p. 366? How many on pp. 376-377? (Use numbers, e.g.: “10. Edited book or anthology.”) Which sources will you be most likely to use in the forthcoming Article Assignment group or individual paper, do you think? Which if any types of sources will be of almost no importance to you or your audience in your future career? 1 
Purchase answer to see full attachment