Purpose: 2-3 lines. State the purpose of your memo.
Summary: 4-6 lines. Summarize your memo, including your thesis.
Journal and Article
A. Information about the Journal. (MUST WRITE IN COMPLETE PARAGRAPH)
• Journal named: Slow dynamics process observed in civil engineering structures to detect structural heterogeneities
• Peer-reviewed: a high-quality professional peer-reviewed technical journal
• Available for subscription:
EUR 5225.00 subscription per year in Europe to institutions (effective 2020)
GBP 4428.00 subscription per year in United Kingdom to institutions (effective 2020)
JPY 694100.00 subscription per year in Japan to institutions (effective 2020)
USD 5853.00 subscription per year elsewhere to institutions (effective 2020)
• Published monthly: 24 times a year m. until 2014
• Publisher’s names: Elsevier Ltd
• Intended audience: academic and special adult
B. The Author(s). Include all of the following (A BRIEF PARAGRAPH)
Country(ies) of origin? Universities attended. Degrees? Working in the industry or teaching at a university? Where? Other publications?
(You will have to go online to find this information)
Note: if the article is written by more than 3 authors, provide complete information on the first two and list the names, degrees, and current employment of the remainder.
Introduction
A. Article’s main purpose or thesis.
a. Who is the intended audience for the article?
b. State the author’s thesis.
B. Your own thesis. What is your conclusion concerning the readability and scientific methodology of the article? Address the following:
a. How do the writing and presentation help or hinder your understanding of the author(s) thesis? and
b. How has/have the author(s) used sound scientific methodologies to prove their thesis?
Note: this section should be written last, after you have analyzed the article and written other sections.
Readability of Article
To analyze the readability of the article, refer to specific characteristics of technical writing and measures of excellence that Markel discusses in his text. It is important that you support your analysis with specific evidence from the article; for example,
It is evident that this article was “produced collaboratively,” a desirable characteristic of a technical document (Markel, 2011, p. 7) because it was written by three authors: a Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering at San Jose State University professor of electrical engineering and his two graduate students.
A. Characteristics of Technical Writing.
a. Identify and explain the extent to which the article addresses at least five of Markel’s six major characteristics of technical writing.
b. Support your explanations with evidence (specific examples) from the article.
B. Measures of Excellence in Technical Writing.
a. Identify and explain the extent to which the article addresses at least five of Markel’s eight measures of excellence in technical writing.
b. Support your explanations with evidence (specific examples) from the article.
The Article’s Scientific Validity
A. Scientific method or Design process.
Briefly explain the scientific method or the design process.
B. Scientific hypothesis or Design model. Address the following:
a. What method(s) did the author(s) follow to prove or disprove their hypothesis or design process?
b. When possible, provide visual examples such as architecture, charts, graphs, mathematical formulas.
Conclusion
A. Briefly describe the conclusion drawn by the author(s) based on the results of their research, which are included in the Discussion section of the article.
B. Briefly explain whether or not this article has contributed to your understanding of a concept, and
C. Make specific recommendations as to how the author(s) could further revise this article (areas for improvement if any) or
Provide reasons for which you believe the article does not need further revision.
References
Include complete citations (APA style) for all references used: the article, Markel, others?