800 N.

State College Boulevard

Fullerton, CA 92831

May 11, 2017

Dr. Leslie

Bruce

800 N. State College Boulevard

Fullerton, CA 92831

Dear Dr. Bruce,

This course has improved my communication skills as a scientific writer through

various readings, activities, and projects. In addition to this cover letter, I have

chosen to include my annotated bibliography and a peer review in my portfolio to

demonstrate my mastery the six student learning outcomes (SLOs). Each

paragraph in this letter corresponds to one of these assignments, and provides

evidence for my claims.

My annotated bibliography fulfills multiple SLO requirements, including ethical

citation, organization, and language and design (SLOs 2, 4, and 5). After reviewing

numerous discipline-appropriate sources on the mechanisms of post-activation

potentiation, I chose the four most informative primary research articles from four

different scientific journals to include in my review article (SLO 2). I listed these

sources in alphabetical order, citing them in APA format (SLO 2). I organized this

information clearly using various headings and subsections in proper annotated

bibliography format, including a working title, purpose, introduction, and

annotations for each source (SLO 4). My annotations included a twenty-five word

summary on each sources conclusions and a one hundred word explanation of each

sources contributions to my review. I was able to effectively convey this complex

information in such a concise manner by employing contexts of language such as

suitable sentence structure, vigorous verbs, and eliminating unnecessary

prepositions (SLO 5).

In addition, this cover letter exemplifies the SLOs of rhetorical focus and persuasion

(SLOS 1 and 3). I persuasively summarize the merits of my works and formally

address the audience (Dr. Bruce) through appropriately elevated word choice and

tone (SLO 1). For example, in the first sentence of this paragraph I use the word

exemplifies, suggesting emphatic demonstrative power. Also, I highlight the

satisfaction of SLOs in each document by supporting my claims with evidence, as

illustrated by my argument for the fulfillment of SLO 4 in the first paragraph (SLO 3).

Finally, I chose to include a peer review to demonstrate my mastery of the

remaining SLOs (1 and 6). My comments to my review article partner illustrate that

I can write for a variety of audiences and purposes (remainder of SLO 1). As

opposed to my cover letter, my peer review is written informally, at times providing

constructive criticism in short points and incomplete sentences. For instance, I

remarked Good information base for PAP and Perhaps also for complex

formation. Through this peer review, we worked together to improve our writing

and demonstrate the best possible representation of our efforts. The process of

giving my partner concrete advice to improve her writing, and reflecting on her

assessment of my work to improve my own writing, meets the criteria for

collaboration (SLO 6).

The development of my writing abilities through the six SLOs, illustrated by these

assignments, has made me a better consumer and student of science. I plan to

utilize this knowledge and build upon the skills I have learned in this class in my

future academic career, whether in the lab or with fellow scientists. Hopefully, you

share my enthusiasm about my improvement and find this cover letter helpful as

you review my portfolio.

Sincerely,

Cameron