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2009 in Review -- My Favorite Articles
Like many of the other editors, it was definitely hard for me to narrow down this list to a couple of articles. We made some great strides in improving quality in 2009, and I picked one article that I feel illustrates those improvements. With that said, some of our enhancements of the last year have created confusion, particularly with some of the formats. The other article I picked is one that I feel demonstrates the correct way to execute a format that many writers struggle with: Fact Sheets.
Yoga for Parkinson’s Disease
Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of lululemon athletic
Who Wrote It: Karen Jean Gaskell
What I Like About It: This article is extremely informative and intuitive, and it contains some of my favorite things: solid references and in-text citations. As we’ve stressed before, references add so much credibility to an article, and in-text citations are even better. Karen uses solid references, and she sources the authoritative experts of the topic. Additionally, I love the way this article is structured. This is an About article, and it clearly adheres to the format. The overview, while long, provides detailed information about the topic. It explains how Parkinson’s disease affects a person, which is directly tied to why yoga might help. Each section flows naturally into the next, first explaining the logistics of why yoga can help Parkinson’s, then explaining the different aspects of yoga that helps Parkinson’s and finally concluding with a well-rounded summation stating that yoga can’t cure or stop Parkinson’s from progressing but that it can lessen its symptoms. The article left me with no additional questions; I know everything I need to know about this topic.
How You Can Copy It: Include in-text citations. Yes, references are required in the References section, but we urge writers to go one step further and add them within the body of the article. It doesn’t take long to attribute your facts within the article, and when readers see this, they know the information is credible. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve researched information, only to come across a writer who didn’t back up any of his/her claims with sources—and as a result, I closed the article and didn’t finish reading it.
Additionally, pay attention to the format. Read our guidelines. I know we have a lot of formats and guidelines, and it can be overwhelming at first. Trust me, I understand. Try sticking to one format for a while and really nailing that down until you have a solid grasp of it. Then move onto another. Once you clearly understand one format, it’s much easier to recognize the differences between the other formats.
Bad Carbohydrates
Who Wrote It: Kevin Rail
What I Like About It: The main reason why I like this article is because it clearly demonstrates the Fact Sheet format. Many of our writers struggle with Fact Sheets, particularly Fact Sheets that can be written as Lists. This article could have easily turned into a List by simply listing the different kinds of bad carbs (which many writers do); however, Kevin correctly executed the format by providing a well-rounded overview of bad carbs. He first explained the physical impact of bad carbs on the human body, then moved into the function they serve. Next he identified the types and features of bad carbs and closed with a description of how to recognize the immediate effects of bad carbs. Though this article could have been improved with references and images, it’s essentially a solid example of a well-executed Fact Sheet.
How You Can Copy It: As I mentioned above, many writers write Fact Sheets as Lists. When you claim a Fact Sheet title that has a plural noun, such as Symptoms, Signs, Types, etc., think long and hard about how to get away from what is most likely your first inclination: to provide a list. Look at our suggested subheads in the guidelines and brainstorm how to write the article using those subheads. As the guidelines point out, a Fact Sheet is a mini-version of an About article. When looking at the title, imagine the word “About” preceded it, such as “About Bad Carbohydrates.” Likewise, if you had the title “Symptoms of Depression,” imagine the title was really “About Symptoms of Depression.” What does the reader need to know ABOUT the symptoms. Some things to think about might be: First, what are the types of symptoms? Second, what is the significance of the symptoms? How do they impact your life? Then, is there a time frame for the symptoms? Do they only last a certain amount of time before progressing into something bigger? Are there any warnings associated with the symptoms? Demographics? Do the symptoms affect a certain age, race, location? Considerations? Can the symptoms of depression be masked as something else? Ask yourself some of these questions, and flesh the answers out into an article that addresses the who, what, when, where and why of the topic.
Yoga for Parkinson’s Disease
Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of lululemon athletic
Who Wrote It: Karen Jean Gaskell
What I Like About It: This article is extremely informative and intuitive, and it contains some of my favorite things: solid references and in-text citations. As we’ve stressed before, references add so much credibility to an article, and in-text citations are even better. Karen uses solid references, and she sources the authoritative experts of the topic. Additionally, I love the way this article is structured. This is an About article, and it clearly adheres to the format. The overview, while long, provides detailed information about the topic. It explains how Parkinson’s disease affects a person, which is directly tied to why yoga might help. Each section flows naturally into the next, first explaining the logistics of why yoga can help Parkinson’s, then explaining the different aspects of yoga that helps Parkinson’s and finally concluding with a well-rounded summation stating that yoga can’t cure or stop Parkinson’s from progressing but that it can lessen its symptoms. The article left me with no additional questions; I know everything I need to know about this topic.
How You Can Copy It: Include in-text citations. Yes, references are required in the References section, but we urge writers to go one step further and add them within the body of the article. It doesn’t take long to attribute your facts within the article, and when readers see this, they know the information is credible. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve researched information, only to come across a writer who didn’t back up any of his/her claims with sources—and as a result, I closed the article and didn’t finish reading it.
Additionally, pay attention to the format. Read our guidelines. I know we have a lot of formats and guidelines, and it can be overwhelming at first. Trust me, I understand. Try sticking to one format for a while and really nailing that down until you have a solid grasp of it. Then move onto another. Once you clearly understand one format, it’s much easier to recognize the differences between the other formats.
Bad Carbohydrates
Who Wrote It: Kevin Rail
What I Like About It: The main reason why I like this article is because it clearly demonstrates the Fact Sheet format. Many of our writers struggle with Fact Sheets, particularly Fact Sheets that can be written as Lists. This article could have easily turned into a List by simply listing the different kinds of bad carbs (which many writers do); however, Kevin correctly executed the format by providing a well-rounded overview of bad carbs. He first explained the physical impact of bad carbs on the human body, then moved into the function they serve. Next he identified the types and features of bad carbs and closed with a description of how to recognize the immediate effects of bad carbs. Though this article could have been improved with references and images, it’s essentially a solid example of a well-executed Fact Sheet.
How You Can Copy It: As I mentioned above, many writers write Fact Sheets as Lists. When you claim a Fact Sheet title that has a plural noun, such as Symptoms, Signs, Types, etc., think long and hard about how to get away from what is most likely your first inclination: to provide a list. Look at our suggested subheads in the guidelines and brainstorm how to write the article using those subheads. As the guidelines point out, a Fact Sheet is a mini-version of an About article. When looking at the title, imagine the word “About” preceded it, such as “About Bad Carbohydrates.” Likewise, if you had the title “Symptoms of Depression,” imagine the title was really “About Symptoms of Depression.” What does the reader need to know ABOUT the symptoms. Some things to think about might be: First, what are the types of symptoms? Second, what is the significance of the symptoms? How do they impact your life? Then, is there a time frame for the symptoms? Do they only last a certain amount of time before progressing into something bigger? Are there any warnings associated with the symptoms? Demographics? Do the symptoms affect a certain age, race, location? Considerations? Can the symptoms of depression be masked as something else? Ask yourself some of these questions, and flesh the answers out into an article that addresses the who, what, when, where and why of the topic.
