Purpose
Now that you’ve read a sample rhetorical analysis and considered approaches to rhetorical analysis, for this discussion you will practice analyzing a sample medical document.
Instructions
INITIAL POST
Read the medical writing document below:
Sample Research Study: Masking for COVID-19 Is Associated with Decreased Emergency Department Utilization for Non-COVID Viral Illnesses and Respiratory Conditions in Maryland
(You can also find this article on The American Journal of Medicine‘s websit Links to an external site..)
NOTE: The sample document is a research study published in The American Journal of Medicine. It is written for a medical audience, so it’s okay if you do not understand all of the technical information and jargon. But, the article is short enough for you to take some extra time to study and interpret the article as you prepare to analyze it for this discussion activity. I strongly recommend reviewing Taylor’s Chapter 11: “How to Write a Report of a Research Study,” which addresses the IMRAD structure and can help you understand the research study genre.
Write a rhetorical analysis (300 words or longer) of the sample medical writing document. When analyzing the document, you could focus on one or two particular areas (like Bakke focused on credibility strategies) or multiple areas. For example, you might consider the purpose of the document, authorship, credibility, persuasive strategies/techniques, style, genre, tone, language/word use, etc.
Remember, when analyzing, you’re helping your reader understand something in a different way, which might not have been obvious or clear before. So, when you analyze the sample document, try to help your classmates understand the document differently.