BuzzFeed
NASA Says There’s A 99.9% Chance A Big Earthquake Will Soon Hit L.A. By Claudia Koerner |
Earth and Space Science
Potential for a large earthquake near Los Angeles inferred from the 2014 La Habra earthquake By Andrea Donnellan et al. |
Design
Layout:
The layout between both the BuzzFeed article and the Earth and Space Science article is very similar. Both articles have blocks of text separated by pictures. The BuzzFeed article however, begins the article with a picture. The BuzzFeed article is shorter in length than the Earth and Space Science paper, and is also double spaced in order to keep reader's interest and assist in the ease of reading. The average person cannot hold their attention very long, so this spaced, short-length format works well for articles like this BuzzFeed article, that have audiences of the general public. Figures and Images: The figures are largely different between the two articles. The BuzzFeed article has an amalgamation of figures from different websites. It has an image from the web, a map from the United States Geological Survey Facebook page, and a figure from the Earth and Space Science article that is a combination of a map and table. There are no straight tables or graphs. The article uses images from many sources to provide credibility, as the author, Claudia Koerner, is a journalist not a scientist. Using images from different sources also presents different perspectives on the same topic. It helps bring all sides of the story together in one article. Koerner also uses the pictures of the boys under the desk (pictured below) to draw readers in. The boys are small and cute, which catches readers' attention and makes readers want to see what the article is all about. The images and figures used in the BuzzFeed article are much simpler and easier to understand than the images and figures used in the Earth and Space Science (ESS) journal paper. This is because BuzzFeed readers are the general public. Therefore, the figures need to be able to be understood quickly and correctly by everyone. |
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Layout:
The layout of the Earth and Space Science paper is similar to the layout of the BuzzFeed article. There are blocks of text separated by pictures and figures, however the Earth and Space Science paper also includes tables. Instead of beginning the paper with a captivating picture, the paper begins with a scientific abstract that acts like a summary of the paper. The paper is also single spaced and is separated into numbered sections. The paper is also much longer than the BuzzFeed article because it is a scholarly research paper, which requires a more in-depth discussion on research methods. As far as a research paper goes, the Earth and Space Science article is rather short at only 5 pages. Figures and Images: The Earth and Space Science article has figures, tables, and graphs, however they are all from the authors' own research, or their colleagues' research. Every image, figure, and table has a purpose. This is because the authors of the Earth and Space Science article are presenting their own research in an academic setting. In academic journals, pictures, figures, and tables serve a purpose, which is typically captioned below the image. There are no pictures to draw readers in, or pictures just "for looks." Rather, the images provide further explanation by illustrating the argument that is being made. In the figures presented below, each figure is more than just an image. Figure 1 shows the La Habra earthquake main shocks, aftershocks, and faults associated with the earthquake. Figure 2 is an earthquake forecast map. Lastly, figure 3 includes 2 graphs that depict horizontal and vertical earth movement due to the La Habra earthquake. These 3 figures are certainly more complex than the figures presented in the BuzzFeed article. This is because the Earth and Space Science journal's audience is typically scientists or earth and space science educated individuals. The average person would not seek out this journal, therefore the images and figures presented in the journal's articles are meant to add to the academic discussion, rather than act as an attention-grabber. |
Writing Style
Language:
The vernacular used in the two articles are quite different, as expected. The BuzzFeed article uses common, simple words that are easy for readers to understand. An example of this is when Koerner says "The authors also found a magnitude 5.0 earthquake was “missing” for the region, based on a seismic analysis. Together, their findings suggested a moderate — or larger — earthquake would take place somewhere within the L.A. region’s intricate fault system soon" [Koerner, 2015]. In this example, Koerner strays away from large words, and makes the sentence easily readable to all. Koerner's use of words like "moderate" and "intricate" makes the article more professional, while still sticking to a vocabulary everyone can understand. If Koerner does have to use a larger word or phrase that is not common knowledge, she explains the word, and the significance of it. For instance, she says, "...the researchers found most of the deformation was shallow — suggesting deeper pressure remained to be released" [Koerner, 2015]. Most of the general public wouldn't know what shallow deformation is, so Koerner makes sure to explain that shallow deformation means that the dent put into the earth due to the earthquake was not very deep, and that in terms of earthquakes, shallow deformation indicates a deeper pressure below the Earth's surface that still needs to be released. Koerner doesn't expect readers to understand every word, so she wrote the article in a way that makes readers able to skip phrases like "shallow deformation" that are sprinkled throughout the article, and still logically follow the concept of the article. Style: Language is not the only difference between these two articles, style also plays a key role. In the BuzzFeed article, author Claudia Koerner uses a great number of quotes in her article. These quotes come from Andrea Donnellan, the lead author for the Earth and Space Science article, and Lucy Jones, a United States Geological Survey (USGS) seismologist. Since Koerner got her information from both the Earth and Space Science article and the USGS Facebook page, it makes sense to include quotes from representatives of both parties. Instead of in-text citation, Koerner simply references the source of the information right in her article. An example of this is when Koerner says "'The unreleased strain accumulation is equivalent to a [magnitude] 6.1-6.3 earthquake,' lead author Andrea Donnellan told BuzzFeed News" [Koerner, 2015]. In this example, the source of the quote, author Andrea Donnellan, is directly mentioned within the regular sentence text, rather than as an in-text citation at the very end of the sentence. Between quotes, Koerner supplies supplementary information and clarification. Together with the quotes and supplementary material, Koerner created a quilted article, that has pieces of information from different sources all sewn together by Koerner to make one cohesive story. The BuzzFeed article by Koerner only has two references for the entire article. This is typical for a regular news article, such as this one. Since the article is much shorter in length, it is rather unnecessary to have a lot of references imbedded in the article. Numerous different references would just make the article muddy, so readers wouldn't be able to easily read the article, quickly gather the information presented in the article, and move on with their life. In contrast to a typical research paper flow, the BuzzFeed article simply has an Introduction, Main Body, and Conclusion. Again, this is quite typical for a short news article. The general public does not care what methods researchers went to, to get their results, readers just care what the results are. Professionals in the field of earth science, that are interested in reading more, will likely have already searched out the full-text Earth and Space Science article that is mentioned in the BuzzFeed article, for a more in-depth analysis of the probability of an L.A. earthquake in the near future. |
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Language:
The vernacular and phrasing of the Earth and Space Science article is understandably much different then the BuzzFeed article. Donnellan and co-authors do not shy away from large words, or field-specific terms. Since the readers for the Earth and Space Science journal are typically fellow colleagues and scientists, or educated individuals in earth or space science, this audience is expected to be able to read and understand at a higher reading level than the general public. An example of this higher reading level is when Donnellan and colleagues state, "The northeast trend of aftershocks is consistent with one of the focal mechanism solutions, indicating main shock rupture of a northeast striking, northwest dipping left-lateral oblique thrust fault" [Donnellan et al., 2015]. Where many average-joe's would trip over every other word in that sentence and have absolutely no clue what that sentence is even trying to say, those educated in the earth sciences understand basic earthquake and geological terminology used in the aforementioned statement. These educated professionals would have no trouble understanding that the sentence is simply using properties of earthquakes, such as the location of an aftershock, to determine what exact type of fault movement would have caused the earthquake in the first place. The use of a higher-level, field-specific vocabulary allows Donnellan and colleagues to more effectively communicate with fellow earth scientists. The field-specific vocabulary especially, gives Donnellan, her co-authors, and her peers a better understanding of the research Donnellan and colleagues performed, and opens the doors to not only academic discussions between the authors and readers, but also further research on this topic. Style: The Earth and Space Science article has a much different writing style than the BuzzFeed article. Most of the wording comes directly from Donnellan and her co-authors. Instead of implementing quotes, Donnellan and colleagues use in-text citation. This style of citing is very popular, and is a standard in journal papers. This allows the authors to give credit where credit is due, while still maintaining their own level of authenticity and authorship within the paper. This also allows the reader to find the cited information's source, if they wish to, by looking up the full reference at the bottom of the paper. This is especially helpful for peers and students who are reading the paper for more than simple entertainment or curiosity. If peers want to replicate or complete further research on the topic, they have full access to the sources used in this journal article. As well, if students are doing a project, they also have access to the sources used within this article. The Earth and Space Science journal paper also has a vast amount of references in and for the paper, which is typical for a scholarly paper. It takes a village of references to raise a single academic journal article. In this way, this journal article is also a quilt composed of a number of different squares with different colors, patterns, and sizes of information. In a broader sense, the Earth and Space Science article has a certain style of flow that is mandated by scholarly science articles. This style is to start with an Abstract, followed by an Introduction, Methods and/or Materials, Results, Analysis, Conclusion, and lastly References and Acknowledgements. Journal article readers expect this flow, and it becomes second nature to journal article readers. Both articles use the style that is typical for their medium. |
Purpose & Audience
The articles as a whole are written differently because they have a different purpose and audience. The BuzzFeed article is writing to the general public, and their essential purpose is to quickly and efficiently inform their audience , the public, without bias. Thus, language, writing style, and design, as described above, are intentionally laid out for the reader to be able to be informed in a quick, efficient manner.
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In the Earth and Space Science article, the ultimate article purpose is different. than the BuzzFeed news article. Academic journals are not always meant for the general public. These journals are meant for fellow peers and educated peoples in scientists' fields to read the paper, interpret it, and potentially build on the paper by doing further research and/or experiments. Thus, the language, writing style, and design cater to a higher level of academia, in this case specifically to scientists in the field of earth science.
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Conclusion
While the two articles have some major differences, both are effective at reaching their target audience. The BuzzFeed article has a reader-friendly layout, basic vocabulary, and simple writing style, perfect for the every-day person. In contrast, the Earth and Space Science paper has a typical academic research article format, which is scientist and educated-professional friendly. The squished and numbered sectioned layout, combined with the higher-level, field-specific vocabulary and writing style leave much to be desired for the average-joe. But for the educated professional, this format is familiar, this format is desired. Although the two articles are different in appearance, they both communicate the same message to all readers, especially to readers in the Los Angeles area: be prepared, for a major storm is coming for L.A. in the near future.
References
Donnellan, A., L. Grant Ludwig, J. W. Parker, J. B. Rundle, J. Wang, M. Pierce, G. Blewitt, and S. Hensley (2015), Potential for a large earthquake near Los Angeles inferred from the 2014 La Habra earthquake, Earth and Space Science, 2, 378–385, doi:10.1002/2015EA000113.
Koerner, C. (2015), NASA Says There's a 99.9% Chance A Big Earthquake Will Soon Hit L.A., BuzzFeed, October 21, 2015, News p. 1.
Koerner, C. (2015), NASA Says There's a 99.9% Chance A Big Earthquake Will Soon Hit L.A., BuzzFeed, October 21, 2015, News p. 1.