This reflection papers responds to the informative paper. It discusses areas in need of improvements, and also discusses well written areas.

Informative Reflection Paper

Jennifer Sanchez-Flores

10/1/18

Writing for the Sciences

An informative review paper has a purpose. To educate the reader and give the audience the proper information surrounding a topic. Science writing requires knowledge on rhetorical situations. Genre includes the features of a paper, and the way it is presented. My informative paper was overall about cloning and I presented both sides of the cloning argument. A stance is the writer’s attitude surrounding the topic. Since my stance was objective, I had to stay away from presenting my information as if I was taking a side. I remained neutral as best I could. The audience is who the writer and paper is talking to. For my paper, the audience were those who had little prior knowledge on the subject but where still interested in it. In order to educate them on the topic, I had to give many definitions and talk about the controversy surrounding cloning. Exigence is a rhetorical situation focusing on the writer instead. It focuses on the motivation surrounding the writer. Our purpose of writing was to inform readers of cloning because it was a topic of controversy after the news that Planned Parenthood has been keeping fetuses after abortion. I used a cover photo for my media. Media/design also allows a writer to portray their message clearer since a picture can catch the reader’s attention. My visual image was a photo of the same person multiple times. I chose this to catch the reader’s attention. It was a sarcastic image that most people think of when they hear the word ‘cloning.’ Since it was stereotypical, I chose to put in on the front to hopefully change the perspective of the reader once they finished reading my paper.

The audience plays a major role in science writing. Writers write to a potential audience. If your potential audience know little about the topic, your writing requires a section explaining terms. My potential audience wasn’t familiar with cloning so my first body paragraph was mainly terms. I explained the different types of cloning and its uses. If the potential audience knows the concept already, this background information can be shortened. I chose to place this informational paragraph at the beginning so when these terms are used later in the paper, the reader already has some knowledge. My opening paragraph began with a quote to capture the interest of the reader. I then continue to talk about science in general. By doing this, I hope the reader gets excited to learn about cloning. I also include the first part of the narrative of Dolly the Sheep that I continue briefly throughout the paper. Since the main point of my paper is to inform, I make it clear to the reader that this unawareness is an issue. My conclusion ends off talking about our responsibility to research an important controversial topic that isn’t fully explained in the media. It is also my thesis “Although the idea of cloning raises many ethical concerns, there is various information that the public lacks in order to determine their perspective on cloning” and in some of my topic sentences “The word cloning brings up certain false images and ideas in someone’s head”.

The peer-review assignment is what helped me the most as I prepared my final draft of my informative paper. I was paired with a very helpful partner. Her feedback allowed me to greatly improve my paper and I was able to see what areas of my paper needed improvement. One of my hardest struggles as a writer is reading over my own work because I don’t expect any errors so I mainly skim it. Having someone else read your paper for the first time is better than skimming it yourself over and over. The use of secondary sources was used to expand my research and help the reader obtain even more information. I used secondary sources only when necessary and to help my arguments. Deciphering information when it isn’t clear is challenging at first. However, personally I look for unfamiliar words and reread sentences that were unclear to make sure I understand the whole article. Understanding all the smaller sections, although it seems useless, helps in the end when you understand everything.