Reflection on Project 2 QRG

This is my favorite blog post to do, as I will be reflecting on the completed work of project 2. Hopefully as I reflect I will see what I did right and what I did wrong so I can do better on project 3.


One of the major successes of this week was the editing I was able to do. I feel like I put a lot of effort into making my QRG fit the genre conventions. This is due mostly to the day in class where we peer reviewed others and looked up the genre examples from other classes. Not having written a QRG before, it was very helpful to see some examples.


One challenge I had was knowing if my content fit. The peer reviews all say the content was good but I think this may just be because they may not have any suggestions, which is understandable because presumably they would know nothing about the genres of neuroscience.


I am very excited for the next projects because I think I have a good system now. Making a schedule really took pressure off, now that I can see everything laid out for me. That being said, the only genres left are podcasts and videos, which I have never been good at doing. This is the only concern I have about next week.


I am feeling better in the area of genre conventions for this project but more worried in the area of content. It's not that I do not think my content is accurate, I just don't know if it works for how I organized my QRG. After editing this week, I feel this is the best version of my project that it can be so I have to feel satisfied with it.

Editorial Report B

Here is another comparison between my rough cut and re-edited version. Again, I focused a lot on the content for the rough cut, in order to make sure I had good material to work with. I focused more on form for the re-edited version, as I tried to familiarize myself with the QRG genre.


Rough cut:

Power Point Presentations

This is the genre Dr. Nighorn and Dr. Tolbert claim to enjoy the most. There is a lot more room for adding personal touches and being more entertaining. In fact, power point presentations should aim to be very entertaining, in comparison to the scientific journal.

At this point, your audience should be aware of the kind of research and content you can produce, probably from reading your research focused article in a scientific journal. Now is the time to sell yourself.

It is common for these power points to have minimal text on the slides, making more room for more attractive content like pictures, and using the slides as talking points. Using this technique is the effective because it allows credibility and personality to be presented simultaneously. When a researcher can explain his or her work through spoken word, it is a sign for invertors, and peers, that the researcher thoroughly understands what is going on. It shows a level of professionalism and readiness that will help close the deal and receive a grant or donation.

This will also allow personal comments to be added in, showing a level of sociability and charisma. Assuming the quality of content is adequate, investors also need to see the “x factor” or quality that sets you apart from other researchers. 


Re-edited version:

Power Point Presentations

This is the genre Dr. Nighorn and Dr. Tolbert claim to enjoy the most. There is a lot more room for adding entertainment and personal touches. In fact, power point presentations should aim to be very entertaining, in comparison to the scientific journal.

At this point, your audience should be aware of the kind of research and content you can produce, probably from reading your research focused article in a scientific journal. Now is the time to sell yourself.

While discussing the needs of young neuroscientists looking to advance his or her career, Dr. Leslie Tolbert said,  

“If you can’t talk about it, you might as well not have done it.”

Dr. Tolbert was referring to the power point presentations and seminars used to address a focused audience. To have a full impact with research, one has to be able to present it in person, closing the gap between paper presentations and funding.

Here is a picture of Dr. Lynne Oland, another professor at The University of Arizona, talking to the local news. While the future of a neuroscientist’s career may not infringe on these specific outlets, they can help tremendously by generating interest of the general public and potential investors.

The major content changes I made was to add in the picture (of Dr. Oland talking to the news) and its caption. I did not think I needed it before but I think it is a nice aside. It stays on topic but is different enough to keep the reader interested. I also added in Dr. Tolbert's quotation. This helps a lot with my credibility, as I source an experienced neuroscientist. 

Again for this section, I did a lot of work on form. I made the sub headers blue and underlined. I also made Dr. Tolbert's quotation blue to match the sub headers. Another major change was the addition of the picture. This helps tremendously to give a clear image of what is going on. Overall, I think the changes help by organizing the text and making it easier to read, some major genre conventions for a QRG. 

Editorial Report

Below are two versions of the same section in my project. The first one is a rough cut where I focused more on content, and the second one is a re-edited version where I focused more on form.


Rough cut section:

Understanding the Genres of Neuroscience: Tips for Beginners

In the competitive community of science and research, it is crucial to understand the platforms and genres in which researchers publish their work. Specifically, in the field of neuroscience. While it would be worth while to familiarize yourself with all the possible genres available, the three most important and widely used genres today are power point presentations and scientific journal publications.

These genres are essential in the advancement of your career. After interviewing Dr. Nighorn and Dr. Tolbert from the University of Arizona Neuroscience and Cognitive Science department, I learned some of the secrets of publication they had been using for decades.

There are two dominating reasons why power point presentations and scientific journals are the most prevalent genres in neuroscience. Thinking about the many years of science carried out before the age of the internet, paper publication was the most effective way for a scientist to share his or her findings. Since we live in a capitalistic society, naturally certain journals gained more popularity and rose to the top.

Re-edited selection:

Understanding the Genres of Neuroscience: Tips for Beginners

In the competitive community of science and research, it is crucial to understand the platforms and genres in which researchers publish their work. Specifically, in the field of neuroscience. While it would be worth while to familiarize yourself with all the possible genres available, the three most important and widely used genres today are power point presentations and scientific journal publications.

                                               

Dr. Alan Nighorn from the UA Honors College website               Dr. Leslie Tolbert from her personal page

These genres are essential in the advancement of a neuroscientist’s career. After interviewing veterans Dr. Nighorn and Dr. Tolbert from the University of Arizona Neuroscience and Cognitive Science department, I learned some of the secrets of publication they had been using for decades.

There are two dominating reasons why power point presentations and scientific journals are the most prevalent genres in neuroscience:

1.   Stubborn publication systems

2.   Intimacy in a presentation

The only real content changes I made were very minor. This was something I focused a lot on when I was making my rough cut so I had already edited it a lot to begin with. After breaking up the text and adding pictures, I did change a few sentences around, but nothing too major.

Form was the biggest thing I worked on when revising my rough cut. I needed to add a lot more graphics and appealing text. In my re-edited version, for this section, I added the two pictures of my interviewees and made my "two dominating reason" stand out more with color and size.