This document provides guidance for an article review assignment for a COMM 310 course. Students must review one of two provided articles and submit a response that includes: 1) identification information, 2) a summary of the article, 3) an evaluation, 4) an explanation of the article type, 5) an explanation of the primary audience, 6) an explanation of the article's importance to that audience, 7) what was gained from reading it, and 8) bibliographic documentation. The response should apply the CMAPP model and be submitted via email attachment through myDROPBOX.

1. C M A P P Approach/Strategy/Exercise
C C M M A A P P P P
Context
Message
Audience
Purpose
Product
© 2000 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning
© 2001 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning
Technical/Business Communications
© 2001 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning
Context
Personal relationships
Time, place, weather, etc.
Situations, circumstances of influence
Internal & External Interference
© 2001 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning

2. Message
Situation overview
Principal facts, issues, questions
Significant details
Primary and secondary?
© 2001 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning
Audience
Identification critical for technical
communication
Receiver in transactional model
Primary: principal, immediate
Secondary?
© 2001 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning
Purpose
Motivation
Expectations
Audience response
Type:
* Inform * Persuade
* Describe * Instruct
© 2002 DIWIS 1

3. © 2001 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning
Product
Shape of communication
Physical (document)
» Memo, letter, presentation, e-mail, etc.
Job (function)
» Summary, proposal, etc.
Transmission vehicle
© 2001 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning
CMAPP Questions (1)
Context
Underlying /sur-
rounding situation?
Impact on audience
response?
Relationship with
audience?
Other relationships
of consequence?
Message
Precise facts?
Independent /
segment?
Everything?
Specifics needed /
wanted?
Secondary?
Sequence?

4. © 2001 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning
CMAPP Questions (2)
Audience
Who, precisely?
Already know?
Need / want to
know?
Level of technicality?
Favorable?
Benefits?
Purpose
Rationale?
Expectations?
Type?
Requested?
Action request?
Deadlines?
© 2001 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning
CMAPP Questions (3)
Product
Write? Phone? Visit?
Shape: physical?
Shape: job?
Format / Professionalism?
Ensuing changes to Context, Message,
Audience, Purpose?

5. CMAPP Strategy
1. Identify Basics
obvious context (what
influences?)
basic message (what do
you want to say?
primary (immediate)
audience: to whom?
primary purpose (why? what
is goal?)
2. Analyze Audience
Primary (immediate)
Secondary (positive/
negative ripple effect?)
3. Re-evaluate Purpose
Short-term, intermediate,
long-term (inform, persuade,
etc.?)
4. Re-evaluate Context
As audience and purpose
analysis develop, watch for
additional influences on
“product setting”
5. Re-evaluate Product
Appropriateness and
professionalism?
© 2000 Nelson, a division of Thomson Learning

6. 2 © 2002 DIWIS
CMAPP Strategy Analysis
Use the CMAPP strategy to plan any technical, business, or
professional document or presentation. Before
creating your “product”, establish the main points.
After you have initially defined the particular context, the
principal message, the primary audience, the
purpose, and the product, begin drafting your work. As you do
so, examine each of the elements in more
detail. You will note how each component affects the others.
Consider questions like the following.
Context What is the underlying/surrounding situation?
How will it affect how my audience responds to me/my
message?
What is my audience’s relationship to me?
What product (memo, letter, report, presentation, etc.) should I
use?
Is this message “independent”, or is it the initial, middle, or
final
segment of a longer process?
Message Do I have something to say? What is it—exactly?
Do I have a clear idea of what I am writing/speaking about?
Have I excluded all unnecessary information?
Do I have more than one message: a primary and one or more
secondary messages?
If so, have I ranked them in order of importance?
Am I responding to what my audience(s) need(s) / want(s) to
know?
Audience Who will read this?
What does my audience know already?
What does my audience need/want to know? (Does my Message
respond to this?)
How specialized (technical) is my audience? (What have I

7. assumed?)
How will my audience benefit?
Purpose Why is this document/presentation needed?
What do I want to achieve?
Am I trying to inform, explain, persuade, advise, recommend,
evaluate, describe?
Was this information requested?
Am I specifying any/appropriate action?
Are there deadlines involved? Have I specified them?
Product What is the best way to deliver this message?
Are there organizational or other constraints that affect my
choice of product?
How will receipt of this product affect my audience?
Does my product convey a professional image?
Does my product reflect “me” and “my image” the way I want
it to?
N.B.
You should be able to sum up the content of any technical,
business, or professional document or presentation
in a single statement. This might then serve to introduce a
report, summarize a memo, provide an abstract of
an article, or describe a seminar for a conference. Remember: if
you cannot develop this succinct statement,
you likely do not yet know what you are doing or why you are
doing it.
© 2002 DIWIS 3
Exercise
Scenario: You will tell someone about new computer system
that you intend to buy.

8. Case 1— A personal friend
Context
• In this scenario, are you female or male?
• Relationship (time, durability, intimacy, etc.)
• Friend’s knowledge of computers compared to
your own?
• Friend’s need for a computer—your old one, for
example?
Message
• What specific details and explanations will your
friend need or want in order to respond as you
would like?
• What should you include? (Should you exclude
anything?)
• Appropriate level of technicality?
Audience
• Male? Female?
• How close a friend?
• Audience’s level of technicality?
• What does he/she know, need to know, want to
know?
Purpose
• Why are you telling your friend about the
computer?
• What do want him/her to do with the

9. information?
Product
• What product are you using here? Why?
Case 2— Banker from whom you would like a loan to buy the
computer system
Context
• What is your relationship with the banker?
• What kind of reputation do students have?
• Have you dealt with this bank before? Impact?
Message
• What specific details and explanations will the
banker need or want in order to respond as you
would like?
• What should you include? (Should you exclude
anything?)
• Appropriate level of technicality?
Audience
• How will the bank benefit from the transaction?
• What does he/she know, need/want to know?
• Audience’s level of technicality?
• Is anyone else likely to see/use the information?
(Secondary audience?)
Purpose

10. • Why are you telling the banker about your
computer?
• What—precisely— do want him/her to do with
the information?
Product
• What product is involved, here? Why?
4 © 2002 DIWIS
© 2002 DIWIS 5
Case 3— Your college or university instructor
Context
• What is your relationship?
• What does the instructor teach?
• How would he/she view your obtaining the new
system?
• Might your purchase have an impact on your
marks in the future? How might this be relevant
to the instructor?
Message
• What specific details and explanations will

11. he/she need or want in order to respond as you
would like?
• What should you include? (Should you exclude
anything?)
• Appropriate level of technicality?
Audience
• Why would he/she even want to help you?
• How will he/she benefit from helping you?
• How “technical” an audience is he/she?
• What would be of most interest to him/her?
Purpose
• Are you simply offering information—and
hoping there is a reaction?
• Are you, in fact, requesting something? What?
• Precisely what do you want him/her to do? When,
and how? Have you been clear?
Product
• What product should I use here? Why?
Case 4—The sales representative in a “computer” store
Context
• Is there any special sale or promotion going on
in the store?
• Are sales staff on salary or commission?

12. • How did you come to deal with this rep?
• On what basis will you make your decision
regarding exactly what to buy?
Message
• What are the main points he/she needs or wants
in order to respond as you would like?
• Are additional, specific details necessary? If so,
which?
• What should you include? Should you exclude
anything?
• What would be the appropriate level of
technicality?
Audience
• What can you deduce about the rep within the
first moment or two? How are these
observations relevant to you?
• How will he/she benefit from helping you?
• How “technical” an audience is he/she?
• What does the clerk need and want to know?
Purpose
• Do you intend to buy from this store or are you
“comparison shopping”?
• Is your motivation short term or something else?
How does this affect your message?

13. • Precisely what do you want the rep to do? When,
and how? Have you been clear?
Product
• What is your product?
• How does this product affect the other CMAPP
components
CMAPP Strategy AnalysisExerciseCase 1— A personal
friendContextMessageAudiencePurposeProductCase 2— Banker
from whom you would like a loan
toContextMessageAudiencePurposeProductCase 3— Your
college or university
instructorContextMessageAudiencePurposeProductCase 4—The
sales representative in a “computer”
sContextMessageAudiencePurposeProduct
COMM 310 2014 – Article Review Assignment
Before undertaking this assignment, you might find it useful to
re-examine the Article Review posting on this website.
You must review one of the following two articles. (Both were
available when indicated below. Please inform me immediately
of any problem accessing either one.)
Irimescu, D. (2008). Deployment of Open Standards in the
Public Administration. Revista Informatica Economica, 3(47),
64-69. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from
http://www.revistaie.ase.ro/content/47/12Irimescu.pdf
Soukup, C. (2008, December). 9/11 Conspiracy Theories on the
World Wide Web: Digital Rhetoric and Alternative
Epistemology. Journal of Literacy and Technology, 9(3).
Retrieved March 16, 2014, from
http://www.literacyandtechnology.org/volume9_3/jlt_v9_3_souk

14. up.pdf
Although the following points need not constitute headings,
your submission must include, formatted as you think best and
bearing in mind the CMAPP model’s complementary attributes:
1. identification information: course name, assignment name,
your surname and first name;
2. a summary (the main points and significant details) of the
article you have chosen;
3. your own evaluation/assessment of it;
4. your reasoned explanation of the type of article you believe it
to be, e.g., research study, tutorial;
5. your reasoned explanation of the likely primary audience (in
CMAPP terms):
6. your reasoned explanation of the likely importance of the
article to that primary audience;
7. an explanation of what (if anything) you have gained from
reading the article;
8. appropriate bibliographic documentation.
You may find it useful to examine the following sources:
Lord Fairfax Community College. (n.d.). Types of Articles in
Scholarly Journals. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from The
Library:
http://lfcc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=177721&sid=1502560
Queens University. (2013, May 28). Distinguishing Scholarly
Journals from Other Periodicals. Retrieved March 14, 2014,
from Stauffer Humanities & Social Sciences Library:
http://library.queensu.ca/inforef/tutorials/qcat/qeval.htm
University of Illinois - Springfield. (2009, April 9). How to
Critique a Journal Article. (C. f. Learning, Ed.) Retrieved
March 16, 2014, from http://www.uis.edu/ctl/wp-
content/uploads/sites/76/2013/03/Howtocritiqueajournalarticle.p
df
University of Illinois - Springfield. (2009, April 9). How to
Critique a Journal Article. (C. f. Learning, Ed.) Retrieved
March 16, 2014, from http://www.uis.edu/ctl/wp-
content/uploads/sites/76/2013/03/Howtocritiqueajournalarticle.p

15. df
Do not forget to examine the Article Review Grading Sheet
available in this same Moodle file folder.
Submit your assignment to me as an attachment (that I will open
in MS Word) to an email sent through UCW’s myDROPBOX.