Research Writing and Writing for a Non-Scholarly Audience

A comparison between research writing and writing aimed at non-scholarly audiences, through a close examination of articles by Carol S. Dweck and John O'Sullivan.

1,070 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the differences between research writing and writing for a non-scholarly audience. The paper points out that the most obvious difference is that the former can be very difficult to read, but the latter is almost always relatively easy to read. However, there are many subtler stylistic differences as well. This essay examines the differences between the two styles of writing, by comparing Carol S. Dweck's research article entitled "The Role of Expectations and Attributions in the Alleviation of Learned Helplessness" with her popular article "Caution - Praise Can Be Dangerous", and with John O'Sullivan's popular article "Put Gay Marriage to 'Covenant' Test". To conclude, the paper examines the reliability of academic versus popular articles. The paper maintains that the former are peer-reviewed, making them likely to be more trustworthy, while popular articles are not necessarily trustworthy.

From the Paper:

"One sometimes comes across articles written by the same authors, but written in different styles in order to suit the kind of article being written. Thus, a researcher may write a research article for a scholarly publication, and also write articles for popular audiences. In this way, the researcher is enabled to communicate with a much broader audience. Thus, a researcher who believes her information is very important may make use of the popular media to communicate what she knows. Dweck is an example of such a researcher/author - she is able to write very competently for both audiences. This shows that she clearly has a finely nuanced comprehension of the different stylistic devices employed in the two different kinds of publications. It also affords the opportunity of comparing her writing style in the two different styles of writing."

Sample of Sources Used:

Dweck, Carol S. "The Role of Expectations and Attributions in the Alleviation of Learned Helplessness." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31. 4 (1975): 674-685.
Dweck, Carol S. "Caution - Praise can be Dangerous." American Educator (Spring, 1999): 1-5.
O'Sullivan, John. "Put Gay Marriage to 'Covenant' Test." National Post, Feb. 28, 2004.

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APA Citation:

Research Writing and Writing for a Non-Scholarly Audience (2012, January 15). Retrieved February 10, 2012, from http://www.academon.com/Comparison-Essay-Research-Writing-and-Writing-for-a-Non-Scholarly-Audience/102857

MLA Citation:

"Research Writing and Writing for a Non-Scholarly Audience" 15 January 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://www.academon.com/Comparison-Essay-Research-Writing-and-Writing-for-a-Non-Scholarly-Audience/102857>