Module 3
- Select a document, such as an article from a Web site, newspaper, magazine, or a piece of writing you have completed for a course. Evaluate the document according to the four main categories described in this section. Could the document benefit from revision in any of these areas? Discuss your findings with your classmates.
Mailonline, J. S.-P. F. (2010, August 5). Depression? It’s just the new trendy illness! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1278510/Depression-Its-just-new-trendy-illness.html.
The document selected was meant to be a news report post although it did not meet the criteria of a well-written news document. The content in the post was relevant but it was not supported by any evidence and it fails to address the 5W and H components. The post did not follow the organization style of a news report known as the inverted triangle and also it was written in the format of a feature story instead of a news article. The style of the news article was not appropriate as it lacked consistency and had a mixture of facts and opinions. The document would benefit from revision to ensure that it meets the criteria of a well-written news article, give it a good style, organization, and coherence.
- Interview a coworker or colleague and specifically ask how much time and attention they dedicate to the revision process of their written work. Compare your results with classmates.
From an interview, I conducted with one of my colleagues I realized that some people put a lot of effort into time and work in their revision process. My colleague told me that his revision process is usually done in multiple steps before producing the final copy of the material. The first step is usually for him to write a draft of what he is required to write on. The first draft usually has no flow or coherence of ideas and has multiple grammatical errors.
After he is done with the first draft he takes some time to relax, he takes a walk or engages in other activities then goes back to the material and starts revising giving it a fine-tune to create the second draft. He repeats the same process of finishing revising the paper taking a break and getting back to the paper until he makes the final document. With this process, although it is time-consuming it allows him to create an excellent written final paper which he can submit for peer review.
- Find a particularly good example of writing according to the above criteria. Review it and share it with your classmates.
According to my own opinion, this article is a well-written piece of literature that fits the criteria of a good article. The document is well organized it has a good flow of ideas, it is chronologically organized, and it is clear. The style used to create the document is also good as it is coherent, and the formatting style is appropriate. The document is written in a format that is easy to read it shows where one idea ends and the other begins hence it is readable. The content in the article is relevant and supported by evidence from scholarly materials.
Akram, W., & Kumar, R. (2017). A study on the positive and negative effects of social media on society. International Journal of Computer Sciences and Engineering, 5(1), 351-354. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Waseem_Akram27/publication/323903323_A_Study_on_Positive_and_Negative_Effects_of_Social_Media_on_Society/links/5ab1c064a6fdcc1bc0bfefef/A-Study-on-Positive-and-Negative-Effects-of-Social-Media-on-Society.pdf
- Find a particularly bad example of writing according to the above criteria. Review it and share it with your classmates.
Stephen, E. (2014). Email to employees. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/jnicotra/bad-professional-writing-example-microsoft-email
The chosen document is a particularly bad example of a well-written document as it does not follow the criteria set for good writing. The document is an email that Microsoft CEO Stephen Elop wrote as an email to the employees. The document does not have any organization as it does not have a flow of ideas and it is not coherent. The document was meant an email but the style it was written in does not fit the format of an email, it is full of grammatical errors and lacks consistency. The document is not readable due to the grammatical errors they make it hard for anyone to read the document. Shockingly, the CEO of one of the biggest organizations in the world can write such a poorly done piece of writing.