Kristina Knaggs

Humanities room 526

800 N. State College Boulevard

Fullerton, CA 92831

Dear Dr. Bruce,

My abilities as a scientific writer have been challenged and strengthened by

this course throughout this semester. Specifically, I demonstrated exemplary
written communication skills that coherently detail the student learning
outcomes (SLOs). My mastery of the SLOs is demonstrated throughout this
cover letter and my previous work in this portfolio. The included documents,
a definition, a review of literature grid, retraction watch article review, and
including this cover letter, clearly provide evidence of my specialty and
expertise in all objectives.

This first work presented, a discussion of the retraction of a scientific article,

Retraction watch, shows advanced skill in persuasive arguments. By pointing
out where and when the article practiced plagiarism, I argued that there
could have been no mistake in the authors false results and submission of
stolen work when originally it was claimed to have been a mix-up. By
deeming the author and his work fraud by making credible and factual
points, I successfully mastered the skill of argumentative persuasion.

The next work presented, a grid reviewing literature, satisfies the

comprehension of organization and focus and collaboration. The document is
organized in the format of a scientific paper but broken down into its main
components. In this fashion, the reader can identify the focus and objective
of each article and clearly understand their importance. This piece was
completed through collaboration between myself and group members which
improved my writing skills by assessing and critiquing others abilities.

My last, and perhaps my most important, presented work, a definition of

transcription, satisfies the SLO for ethical research, rhetorical focus, and
academic language and design. I have mastered ethical research because in
my definition I researched articles, expertly cited sources, and
communicated the information the authors conveyed into a coherent format.
The sources cited were clearly marked and proves my proficiency for the
appropriate format. My definition also provides clear rhetorical focus by
simplifying scientific processes in order to demonstrate sensitivity to all
intended audiences, whether they were familiar with my subject or not. I
understood the audience were readers, from all backgrounds, of an
encyclopedia, which is shown by my careful and concise wording when
describing difficult mechanisms. This definition also shows expertly crafted
language and design techniques with the addition of pictures, for visual
learners, and detailed descriptions of key terms. These design techniques
allow the reader an advanced comprehension of the work.

By exemplifying mastery of the student learning objectives, my abilities as a

scientific writer have flourished and my confidence in conveying important
information to any audience has risen. The exercises given have been very
beneficial by showing my flaws and ability to improve them and turn them
into strengths. For the remainder of my undergraduate degree, I plan to
apply and establish my improved communication skills and continue to prove
my abilities. I hope this selection of work shows my increased development
of the student learning objectives.

Sincerely,

Kristina Knaggs