Criteria
Below are a list of criteria I would like my end product (my article) to fulfil:
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1) My end product should explore in detail the advantages and disadvantages of both workout sessions and drumming. This way, I can present all the information that the readers need in order for them to make the right personal choice for their lifestyle.
2) My end product should be either 1 or 2 pages long. All articles from any publication are always either 1 or 2 pages long. When an article is 2 pages long, it spans both pages that are visible to the reader in the magazine. I will decide the size of my article based on how much information I can gather. I am aiming to have a 2 page article filled with research and testing information. I am writing an article as though for a fitness magazine. A famous fitness magazine is Muscle and Fitness, and I will use their articles as inspiration on how to layout and design the magazine. I could have also written a blog instead of an article, but my problem is that a blog is based more around personal opinion whereas an article is more about presenting research and facts. As the information I will present is research and factual, it is better for me to write an article. As for word count, I am aiming to have between 1000 and 2000 words. This range is large, but I know that with a word count anywhere in this range I can present all of the information I want to. Many articles (ones based purely around research) are sometimes even 5000 words. I don’t want to make my article too long, as then it will be long for most people to read. A key rule of writing an article is minimalism. As entrance should only contain the necessary words to convey the point, nothing more. Short sentences make the reader want to read more, and helps make the article feel faster and easier to read and understand.
3) My end product should draw a clear and unbiased answer to my inquiry question. In my article, I will use mainly research to draw a conclusion. The only personal opinion I will have is when I will recap my experience when drumming and working out, when I’m comparing drumming for a week with working out for a week. In order to assure that my article does not come across as biased in any way, I will have it reviewed by my peers and my parents. I will also give a copy to my English teacher, as English teachers are quite experienced in understanding and analyzing pieces of text. I will use this feedback to improve my article. If my article is biased, it defeats the whole purpose of an article, which is to use research and facts to present a valid argument.
4 ) For my research, I should have at least 10 sources. My aim for this research project is quality over quantity. As such, I have not set any minimum requirement for how many pages/words my research should have. I would prefer having 800 words worth of valuable and useful information rather than 2000 words worth of research in which only 500 is useful and relevant. But, I want to have a variety of sources. This way I can gain new information from many sources, and verify the information I have already gained. It helps make my research more concrete.
5) All these images should be relevant and closely related to what I’m writing about in the article. One of the main aspects of an article is that every sentence, every image, every fact is closely linked to the argument/ point the article was created to make. The number of images I want to have is between 2 and 3 per page. Above 3 images will make my article look more like a gallery, and will give me less space to write. I want to also use graphs to present my information, mainly when showing my testing results. The human mind can process images 60,000 times faster than it can process written information. By using graphs, I can make it easier for the reader to process and understand the information, making my reader want to read my article more.
