Professional Writing

Question 1

List five key differences between writing business and personal emails.

Answer 1

• Formal greeting – Dear Mr. Robinson, Dear sir/madam
• Official subject – what to expect from the email
• Use cc appropriately – no need to take action on it, just need to receive it
• Introduce yourself – create sense of familiarity
• State the purpose – clearly state the purpose of your email
• Write the main message
• Conclude formally

Question 2

Describe four criteria used to judge the quality of a list of references.

Answer 2

• Connect with existing knowledge
• Show you have read what key authors have written on the topic
• Present additional evidence to support your arguments
• Involves referring to their work/ paraphrase in own words/quotes

Question 3

List five ways to ensure the effective presentation of a table and/or figure.

Answer 3

• They supplement the text – text must explain later their purpose
• Each figure and table must be independently intelligible without reference to text
• When using figures or data from other sources, make sure to reference properly
• Number all tables sequentially (Table 1, table 2)
• Number all figures sequentially (Figure 1, Figure 2)

Question 4

List five characteristics of the structure and/or writing style of a media article.

Answer 4

• Headline – short, factual, active
• The lead – 2-3 sentences. On 5 W’s what,where,when,why, who
• the body – key information – argument, topic and issue
• tail – minor details
• News and features.

Question 5

Explain the advantages of digital news media compared with print from a news provider’s perspective

Answer 5

• Fast journalism
• Stronger reader insights
• Every single story can make the front page
• Easily accessible via devices
• Less expensive to run