Scholars in every academic discipline share certain expectations and norms for publication in their scholarly journals and texts. While experts and/or professionals in some disciplines uphold a strict standard of academic writing, others allow a more flexible rhetorical style. In general, academic writers strive to influence the communities of their respective discipline by following the norms.

While communities of scholars strive to ensure quality in their disciplines, they also recognize a certain level of subjectivity in determining the quality of academic writing. Analyzing each author’s quality of evidence, awareness of the target audience, and potential for personal bias will help you determine the appropriateness of books, articles, and other documents that are read.

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For this Assignment, you evaluate a scholarly article. As you review the article, consider the ways that the different backgrounds of the authors and their readers may affect both the creation and the interpretation of the writing.

To Prepare
In Week 2, you explored ways to search for articles. For this Assignment, search the Walden Library and select a scholarly, peer-reviewed article related to public policy and administration or in your field of interest.
Consider how different audiences might interpret the selected article. Pay particular attention to the quality of evidence that the author(s) present.
The Assignment (1–2 pages)
Summarize the article you selected.
Evaluate the quality of evidence, appropriateness of the content, and writing style for the target audience, and the author’s potential bias, if any.
Explain whether the article meets professional standards for scholarly writing and why.
Explain how different audiences (e.g., domestic vs. international perspectives) could interpret the article differently and why.