Rhetorical Analysis of Academic Journal

   Journals are articles that are updated (sometimes monthly) by professionals in that field. The journal I chose is called IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems. They publish research about the interaction between mechanical systems and the body.

  The journal that I chose has twenty four different authors. Their names are: Florian Kölbl, Gilles N'Kaoua, Frédéric Naudet, Florent Berthier, Emilie Faggiani, Sylvie Renaud, Abdelhamid Benazzouz, Noëlle Lewis, Brad E. Paden, Hadi Bahrami, S. Abdollah Mirbozorgi, Reza Ameli, Leslie A. Rusch, Benoit Gosselin, Shiwei Wang, Enrico Mastropaolo, Rebecca Cheung, Thomas Jacob Koickal, Alister Hamilton, Andrew Abel, Leslie S. Smith, Lei Wang, Muhammad Awais Bin Altaf, and Jerald Yoo. All of the authors have a masters degree in electrical engineering, but they also have different degrees. Some specialize in neuroscience, while others have professional degrees in physics.

  Although none of them are mentioned specifically in the article itself, there is an "about the author" section. Each of the professors are described very professionally. The paragraphs simply state where each of them got their degrees from and what they are currently involved in (research, teaching, etc.). 

      This journal is certainly written for individuals who are in the field of biomedical engineering or electrical engineering. The reason for this is quite simple. The language use and concepts discussed are far too complicated for anyone not in the field to understand. For instance, the general population would certainly not know a thing about low-power electrical stimulation. Not only this, but it constantly describes voltage supplies and circuits, none of which anyone outside the field would understand. 

       The only glimpse of a secondary audience is at the beginning of the research journal. It discusses the use of electrical stimulation in treating degenerative diseases. After that, the article gets far too specific and complicated. 

  

  For one, the journal is published by an organization called IEEE. This is a highly professional group that publishes hundred of journals relating to biomedical engineering. They are also linked to Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (a professional organization) and Pub Med (a governmental website). All of this helps establish the article's credentials and makes the journal more valid and hold more eight.

   Because Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases have no known cure, there is a plethora of research being done to try and solve the issue. One method (first paragraph) stopped the tumor. but did not cure some of the other diseases associated with the cancer. This research team set out to test a method of brain stimulation on rats in response to the current ability of healthcare in curing these diseases. 

   The message of the journal is that the researchers found a way to produce a safe stimulator to help treat diseases in rats. This is significant because we now know of a way to cure Parkinson's and other illnesses. This research can be developed further in order to make new electronic stimulators. This can be found in the discussion/conclusions section. 

  The purpose of the journal is to inform people, in the field, of research being done to help cure diseases. It is also to educate people on how they conducted the experiment. This can be seen in the discussion section of the journal. 

Meyer, Benjamen. "IEEE 2016" Public Domain