PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BELOW -ALSO ALL SOURCES WILL BE GIVEN- Goals of th

PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BELOW -ALSO ALL SOURCES WILL BE GIVEN-
Goals of the Report
− to demonstrate that you are able to research diverse scientific aspects of astronomy
− to compare the quantity and quality of research as reported in popular media sources versus original
scholarly research findings
− to communicate your research in a clear and concise manner, with proper English language grammar,
demonstrating that you understand the topics presented
ANSWER ALL NUMBERED ITEMS BELOW IN QUESTION AND ANSWER FORMAT
1. Complete the following identifier table:
Media Article Research Article Title of Article Source of Article Date of Publication URL to the article Was the research done by the author of the article? Where are the Authors from (if information is available)? Give the name and location of their place of work.
2. Provide a précis (short summary) of each article in your own words. A good way to make sure you write
the précis in your own words is to read the article a few times until you feel you understand its content as
much as possible, and then put the article away and write the précis without looking at the article. Don’t
forget to articulate the significance of this particular discovery/experiment/study to the broader field of
science it is contributing to. Once you have written the précis, reread it and the article together to make
sure you have not missed any important points. If your words seem much simpler than those of the
article, so much the better!
3. Describe the structure or format of the article – how is the information presented to the reader? Is the
article divided up into sections, and if so what are they? (This applies to both media and scholarly
articles).
4. For the media article, how are the experimental results presented? (For example, is it just a general
written description, are actual numbers reported, are there tables, graphs, statistics?)
5. Compare the general conclusions of the media article with the general conclusions of the research paper.
Do they differ in any way, and if so, how?
6. Does either of the articles criticize the data, criticize the conclusions, provide alternate hypotheses or
conclusions to explain the data? If so provide details.
7. Does one article provide criticism or alternate viewpoints that the other article fails to mention? If so,
what are they? (For example, do the authors of the research article mention limitations of their research
NATS 1740A: Astronomy SU 2022
Page 5 of 6
and conclusions that are left out of the media article?)
8. Does the title of the media article accurately reflect the content of both the media article and the research
article? (Explain why or why not.)
9. Has this exercise given you any insights into how scientific research is done and reported, or into how
the media covers such research? What do you think is the main advantage and disadvantage of new
scientific research being presented in media and scholarly articles? (Discuss at least 1 advantage and 1
disadvantage for each media and scholarly article.)
Format and Expectations of the Report
• This is NOT AN ESSAY; therefore, you do not need to have a thesis, or try to ‘prove’ or ‘disprove’
any argument(s). Instead, you are asked to report on the differences between science research as
presented in popular media versus scholarly journals. Your report can simply answer each of the
numbered items as they are presented above, in a numbered sequence. Do NOT include the text of
the questions in your report; simply label each answer with the corresponding question number only.
• The report should be about 1,500 – 2,000 words, of standard font 12 text, single-spaced.
• Use the APA style for references and citations. (You will use only 2 sources in your report, so
citation of them should be quite straightforward.)
• Quoting of the articles themselves should be kept to a minimum, and is NOT to be used as ‘content
substitute’ of your report (even if it is cited). Your report should consist mostly of your own writing.
• The report should be written with proper English grammar; have your report proofread by someone
else who is not in your class (such as your family or friends), especially if English is not your first language.
Sources I want to be used:
Media source- https://phys.org/news/2022-05-scientists-uranus-neptune.html
scholarly source- will be attached in the uploaded files.