Writing Project 2: Inquiry, Infographics, and Bibliography

Overview. In Writing Project 1, you analyzed a popular visual text to determine how well the text
achieved its rhetorical purpose. Yet, in many ways WP1 also introduced us to considering how well a
text represented the race, class, gender, sexuality, ideology, and issues of various social groups. In
Writing Project 2, we will shift our attention to the issues that impact the lives of various social groups
and how we might work to understand them more thoroughly.

Essentially a two-part project, you will spend the next several weeks exploring issues through a
variety of research methods and then you will compile that research into an informative infographic
that demonstrates what you have learned. During the inquiry portion of this assignment you will
collect several different kinds of texts, and annotate them using a variety of techniques. Once you
have collected a number of sources, you will then design an infographic that highlights the novel,
compelling, and impactful aspects of your research.

Overused Topics: Unless you (1) have more than a causal connection to a topic AND (2) have
obtained instructor permission, do not engage the following topics, as they regularly do not promote
innovative thought or inspired writing:

Abortion; death penalty or capital punishment; legal drinking age; decriminalization of / medical
use of marijuana; addiction; euthanasia; religion; stem cells or cloning; steroids; concussions;
recycling; homelessness; gun control; animal testing; terrorism; immigration; conspiracy
theories; eating disorders or body image; global warming; social media; psychological
disorders

Requirements
1. One infographic using a minimum of 5 secondary sources complete with in-text citations
2. One design statement (minimum 500 words) explaining the infographic’s purpose and design
3. One bibliography

The Infographic: Functioning as a “greatest hits” or “highlights” of the research you’ve collected
over the past three weeks, your infographic should be informative, included balanced perspectives on
the issue, and appeal to an audience who may not know much about your topic.

Rhetorical Principles
❏ Display a clear purpose
❏ Designed to suit the purpose (ex: serious topic would not use goofy cartoons)
❏ Is informed by audience expectations (“How is this appropriate for the reader?”)
❏ Is informed by genre conventions (“How does this meet the criteria for an infographic?”)
❏ Develops and follows an organizing principle such as
- A story (narrative)
- A map (journey)
- A process (path, flowchart)
 - A central image, object, shape or symbol
- A timeline
- A venn diagram
❏ Displays an awareness of the rhetorical situation as it applies to the research topic

Design Characteristics
❏ Defines and follows a color scheme (3-5 colors)
❏ Defines and follows a font scheme (3-5 variants, each with its own purpose)
❏ Consistent and appropriate use of whitespace
❏ Use of symbols to emphasize the order of or relationship between various design
elements
❏ Use of images and pictures to illustrate and supplement data
❏ A balance between visualizations and text
❏ Use of guiding and explanatory text (title, data, quotes, etc)

Design Statement. Your infographic should be accompanied by a statement (minimum 500 words)
explaining the infographic’s purpose and design. This statement should briefly introduce the topic
being researched, note the research question or motive, explain the purpose of the infographic,
explain the major choices made in the design, and explain how the infographic is rhetorically informed
by your research and topic.

The Bibliography: Your infographic should be accompanied by a bibliography, or “References Page”

that includes the sources referenced in your infographic AS WELL AS all of the sources you
discovered during the research phase of Writing Project 2.

Bibliographic entries should be APA formatted, alphabetized by the first element of each citation, and
included on a separate sheet of paper.

Suggested Reading

from The Norton Field Guide

● Chapter 12 “Reporting Information”
● Chapter 45 “Developing a Research Plan”
● Chapter 46 “Finding Sources”
● Chapter 47 “Evaluating Sources”
● Chapter 48 “Synthesizing Sources”
● Chapter 49 “Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing”
● Chapter 50 “Acknowledging Sources, Avoiding Plagiarism”
● Chapter 55 “Designing Text”

from They Say / I Say

● Chapter 1. “They Say”: Starting with What Others Are Saying
● Chapter 2. “Her Point Is”: The Art of Summarizing
● Chapter 3. “As He Himself Puts It”: The Art of Quoting