Assignment Rubric: Written Assignment 1 (15%): How Does the Media Portray Nutrition Science?Oftentimes the public consumes nutrition and health information not from original research but from media reportsof research. For this assignment, you will write a review article evaluating the credibility of a popular press portrayalof a published nutrition research paper. You will be provided the media article and the research paper during thefirst week of class. The overarching goal of this essay is to make an argument about the implications of the media’srepresentation of scientific research, using the media article and the scientific paper. This review should be between2,000 and 2,500 words. Your review should have an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. The introductionshould contain a thesis statement or your main argument about how well the media article portrayed the researcharticle. Within the body of your review, you should include the following:a. How well does the media portray the study design? What, if any, are key misinterpretations orinformation gaps in the media article portrayal of the study design?b. What are the key findings in the scientific paper? How well does the media portray the keyfindings? Were key findings omitted? What are the implications of these omission ormisrepresentations?c. Does the title of the media article portray the findings of the article? If not, suggest a new titlethat is more accurated. Are key limitations of the scientific article acknowledged in the media article? Can you think of anyother limitations not mentioned in either article that should be included?e. Does the media article provide adequate background information on the topic? If not, whatadditional context would be helpful to readers?f. What are the implications of potential misrepresentation of scientific studies? Be specific aboutthe scientific paper’s coverage in the media, if you think the media misrepresented aspects of thestudy. Also, comment more broadly on how misrepresentation of scientific research, especially when itcomes to food and health, could be problematic.Students may quote passages from the texts to strengthen their arguments; however, these should be used tohighlight and exemplify arguments rather that comprise the entirety of the paper.
Guidelines: Assignments should be in Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced with 1-inch margins. Whennaming your assignment file, be sure to include your last name and the first initial of your first name and theassignment number (e.g., BeckM_Assignment2). References should be formatted according to the AmericanPsychology Association (APA) style guide and should be submitted on a new page in the document, instead ofdirectly below the assignment text. Using a reference manager such as RefWorks or Mendeley is highlyrecommended for formatting references and can help save time. Be sure to spell-check your paper. Put the totalword count after the title of your assignment. Submit as a Word document or PDF file to the assignment link in 2CH. Papers that exceed the maximum word limit will receive a 2-point deductionfor each 100 additional words. Paper submitted late will receive a deduction of 1 point for every 24 hours late. Word count 2000-2500 words.Papers later than 72 hours will be given a 0
Criteria:
Introduction
Study Design
Author Viewpoints of Key Findings of Article
Analysis
Title
Limitations
Background
Misrepresentation
Summary Paragraph and Conclusion
Research Article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl8007
Media Article: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221021163559.htm
