AGCJ 404
Agricultural Communications and Journalism

1. Find an appropriate empirical (research) journal in your major field of study. If you do not know of an appropriate journal, ask an advisor or professor in your major. If you're uncertain the journal is an empirical source, please bring an issue to class for instructor approval. See examples of approved journals (Note: this list does not include all available empirical journals). You will find two related research articles to review for this assignment.

2. Be certain the articles selected are appropriate for the Research Brief, Fact Sheet, Press Release, and News Brief assignments, due later in the semester.

3. Locate current research in journals and select two articles pertaining to a recent agricultural product, service, or discovery. Current research implies it was published within the past five years (2003-present). Current research is found using the TAMU Library Subject Guide, or in departmental libraries and resource rooms. NOTE: while Internet-only journals are allowed for this project, they must be "refereed" sources; each student is responsible for selecting refereed sources prior to completing the project.

4. Read and photocopy the articles to be submitted for this assignment.

5. Submit your journal article reviews with the following information:
   • APA Citation - Complete bibliographic reference using APA style; APA Manual (pg. 240).
   • Intended Audience - Specifically, who would read this journal?
   • Library Location - Where is this journal located in the library, or what is its complete Web site address, if online?
   • Article Review - What were the most important points in the background, methods, findings, and conclusions for each article?
   • Critical Analysis - How will you use this information in the Research Brief. Why is this research important to your future AGCJ 404 projects?

6. This assignment is limited to two-pages with the review portion of the assignment single-spaced (Times New Roman, 12-point font, 1 inch margins, left aligned) and copies of both articles attached to the review. Check the following link for an example of the finished product.

Journal Article Reviews	Journal Articles (first page only)
Example #1	Example #1
Example #2	Example #2
Example #3	Example #3

Refer to the Tutorial for more information on locating and citing empirical research journals.