Comparison of a Popular and Academic Scientific Article Essay -- Healt

Comparison of a Popular and Academic Scientific Article Retinitis Pigmentosa, (RP) is currently an incurable, degenerative sight disease in which cells located in the retina of an eye die prematurely. Progressively these dead retinal cells lead to complete and irreversible vision loss. Recent scientific breakthroughs and studies involving gene therapy lend support to the fact that it may be possible to heal the blind through nonparticle gene therapy. Two articles published in the spring of 2010 suggests that gene replacement therapy, the modification of genes by means of addition, removal, or alteration, may provide answers and treatment options for patients suffering from RP. The FASEB Journal published the academic article Gene delivery to mitotic and postmitotic photoreceptors via compacted DNA nanoparticles results in improved phenotype in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. A brief overview and summation of the process was published on the Science Daily website in a popular article entitled Toward Making the Blind See: Gene Ther apy Restores Vision in Mice. In these two separate articles it is obvious to see that the purpose, audience, amount of content, and writing styles vary drastically. This variation results primarily from the popular article being written with general public in mind whereas academic articles are normally written to a scientific audience. Other elements such as genre, stance, and subject of focus remain the same throughout the two articles, since both articles, however different, were written about the same retinal disease. In the Popular source it is evident that the article exists primarily to inform readers of a recent finding, that it may be possible to manipulate genes in a way so that it co... ...and his awareness to his writing styles. The contrary applies to academic articles. Academic articles are written as a process and a compilation of found data. Because the data is so complex and the processes so involved this audience typically falls into the hands of those who know it best, therefore resulting in a smaller reader window. Since the process and information must be replicable the amount of content varies wildly with every experiment and technique and writing styles. To tie all pieces together, popular articles are more effective at presenting small amounts of information to a large group, whereas academic articles are great resources for references to experiments and tests. These articles differ greatly but when compared and contrasted it is obvious that each difference is present so that the article can properly cater to its appropriate audience.