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  • How to write a feature...

How to write a feature article

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  • Peer review
  • Rebecca Ghani , freelance journalist, London
  • bexghani{at}live.co.uk

Interested in writing for a medical journal? Rebecca Ghani finds out from the experts where you can start

You have an excellent idea for a feature article that you would like to publish: you know that the topic is relevant; you’re sure the audience would be interested; you can access the facts and statistics; and you know that you could source a great interview or two.

So where do you go from here?

Know the publication

Read the latest copies of the publication or journal to get a feel for the style and tone. Think about the different sections and where your idea would best fit.

Scan the online archives for similar subjects: it’s unlikely that your piece will be commissioned if the topic has already been covered recently.

Edward Davies, editor of BMJ Careers, says, “The first thing that I would say is absolutely crucial for anyone submitting a pitch is to make sure we haven’t done it before. Google is your friend on this; Google the idea you’re thinking of—and search within the BMJ , BMJ Careers, and Student BMJ websites to see if there’s anything that’s been done on this before.”

Know your audience

If you’re writing for the Student BMJ , and you’re a medical student, you’ll have a good idea of what your peers will be interested in reading about. Sound it out with your colleagues and get input about your idea. Remember that the Student BMJ has an international readership and that your piece should be accessible and relevant to a worldwide audience.

Other medical journals have an even wider reach: the BMJ has a circulation of over 100 000 and a mixed audience of hospital doctors, GPs, retired doctors, and almost 5000 international doctors. 1

Even though most of your readers will be medics, don’t assume knowledge: there is always a lay audience, and keep in mind that the mainstream media often pick up on stories published in medical journals. Don’t dumb it down, but ensure it is accessible to a layperson.

In particular, spell out acronyms, explain colloquialisms, and use straightforward language. It shouldn’t be written as a research piece, so steer clear of academic jargon.

Udani Samarasekera, senior editor at the Lancet , makes the point that features are different from academic work: “Features are actually very different from essays: they’re a lot more colourful and journalistic and much more engaging. My advice would be not to think too much along the lines of an essay, which can be some students’ downfall,” she says.

Samarasekera also advises researching what makes a good feature: “There is a certain structure: they have an intro, background, new development, and then some debate. And often if it’s a journalistic piece it will describe the scene or have a character that draws you into the beginning of the story as well. So, very different from essays.”

When is a feature not a feature?

It’s important to understand what a feature is. Such articles showcase a topic or subject and weave in quotes, facts, and statistics to frame a topic and give it context and flavour. Although there is a place for opinion writing, this is a distinct type of writing and should be approached differently. A straight feature should not include your opinions: it will be your writing style that adds personality to the piece, not your viewpoint.

Davies outlines why it’s important to avoid airing your views if you’re pitching a standard feature: “We get a lot of things pitched as features that are actually opinion—so, people who’ve done a little survey or found a topic that bugs them. And actually what they’re writing about is their feelings on it, what they think of it. And you’ve got to be quite careful with that.”

Features will generally take straightforward news items or topical stories and examine them in more depth, bringing in original quotes from experts and often adding a human interest angle.

Profile articles focus on one person and should include a first hand interview and contextual information about the subject. The BMJ , BMJ Careers, and Student BMJ all publish profiles of eminent doctors or healthcare professionals, as do most general medical journals: the Lancet publishes a profile in its perspectives section.

This section of a publication can include editorials and first hand experience pieces; in Student BMJ and BMJ there’s the personal view section, and in BMJ Careers there is an opinion slot each week. Here, your voice and your opinions shape the piece and give readers an understanding of your experience and viewpoint. You should still support your opinions with facts and evidence, where appropriate.

Most features will have a peg or a hook on which the rest of the item will hang. This helps to shape the piece and give it a focus. Think about what will draw in your reader: something funny, controversial, or shocking; a new angle on an old subject; or something that generates conflicting viewpoints.

Human interest stories usually work well and can liven up an otherwise dry feature. Generally, features published in medical journals have a topical peg. One example is “The case of M,” 2 which took a recent court ruling about a patient’s right to die and then looked more closely at the current debate and research about ethics and the law surrounding this issue.

Samarasekera of the Lancet emphasises the importance of this: “Topicality is a big thing,” she says. “A feature needs to have something that’s interesting—maybe a recent controversy with an issue, but also a recent development to expand the feature—and to tell your readers why you’re covering it now.” She goes on to say the peg can be “a new piece of research, a report, a pending court case, or something like the first world hepatitis day or some big global health news.”

Once you have a firm idea of your subject, the publication, the audience, and the appropriate section, you are ready to make a pitch to the editor.

Be targeted —Once you’ve selected the journal, think about which section to target within the journal, and make this clear.

Be concise —Your pitch should be one or two paragraphs in the main body of an email. Do not send attachments, as editors may not have time to open them. Ensure that the subject line of the email is descriptive and introduces the pitch in a few words.

Engage —Say why your idea is relevant, why the audience will be interested, and what it adds to existing published work.

Follow up —If you don’t hear back within two weeks, follow up with a phone call to talk your idea through.

Davies says: “Put it down in writing—send an email pitch. And then if you haven’t heard within two weeks, get the phone number and pester them.

“And while the editor might not like it, giving them a quick nag on the phone is no bad thing, as your pitch comes back to the top of their pile and they reconsider it,” he advises.

Liaise with your editor

If your pitch is successful, your editor might allow you to run with it in your own style or could be more prescriptive and will brief you with some guidelines on tone, style, and what to include or avoid.

Make sure you and your editor are thinking along the same tracks. Should the piece be informal, chatty, or serious? Is there anyone specific you should be interviewing? Do you need to reference any other research or articles—particularly if the BMJ itself has published a relevant piece.

Agree a word count and deadline and stick to them.

Be organised

Although the final product will be one article, you will use many sources of information to inform your piece, which can easily get lost or mixed up.

Approach writing a feature like a mini-project. Keep your electronic files in a properly labelled folder and use descriptive file names—labelling a file “interview” probably won’t be that useful. Use dates and names to help you keep track of your research and interviews.

Log all requested interviews with latest notes, press office details, contact details, and any other notes that could be useful. Note whether a potential interviewee is in your own time zone or abroad and calculate time differences to make sure that you don’t call them in the middle of the night.

Keep links to any online research. You might find the perfect statistic or fact to back up your article, but it will be of no use if you can’t reference it properly.

Interviews can be face to face or on the phone. Although face to face is best, Skype is a great way to conduct international interviews.

Keep interviews to the point. Although it’s tempting to veer off to other topics, this can waste time and means that you have more audio to wade through.

Record or take shorthand notes. If you’re quoting someone directly, this needs to be an accurate representation of what they have said. Request permission if recording, and check equipment beforehand.

Don’t allow copy approval. It’s sometimes acceptable to show interviewees their words before publication, but for viewing—not for approval.

Interviewees

Features should contain original quotes from experts in the subject area. This will give your piece a fresh angle on a subject and first hand quotes will help to bring the story to life.

Allow interviews to shine through and don’t stifle with too much “framing”—often direct quotes don’t need much explanation and add to the authority of the piece.

Try not to use “quote sluts” 3 —overused media friendly sources who can churn out the same old line to each interviewer they speak to. Think about who might give a different, fresh, and possibly more controversial viewpoint.

Approach more interviewees than required. People may not respond, may be too busy, or just might not be interested. The risk here is that you end up with too much material, but that is better than not enough.

Your piece needs to be accurate, and any statements should be backed up by well sourced references. Try to verify statistics and facts from at least two sources, at first hand from the original source if possible. Don’t just repeat a fact you’ve read elsewhere. Libel laws apply each time a defamatory comment is repeated. If you’re using a non-primary quote or text, reference it properly so that the reader can see it in its original context.

Unlike news stories, which are written with the least important information at the end, the final paragraphs of a feature often tie up the loose ends. This could be an answer to the original question; a quote that sums up the gist of the piece; or a weighing up of the arguments within.

Competing interests: None declared.

From the Student BMJ .

  • ↵ BMJ Group Journals Division. Media Pack 2012 http://group.bmj.com/group/advertising/BMJ%20Group%20Journals%20Division%20Media%20Pack%202012.pdf .
  • ↵ Jacobs B. The case of M. Student BMJ 2012 ; 20 : e236 . OpenUrl
  • ↵ Matalin M, Carville J. All’s fair. Random House, 1994.

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Feature writing: Crafting research-based stories with characters, development and a structural arc

Semester-long syllabus that teaches students how to write stories with characters, show development and follow a structural arc.

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by The Journalist's Resource, The Journalist's Resource January 22, 2010

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The best journalism engages as it informs. When articles or scripts succeed at this, they often are cast as what is known as features or contain elements of a story. This course will teach students how to write compelling feature articles, substantive non-fiction stories that look to a corner of the news and illuminate it, often in human terms.

Like news, features are built from facts. Nothing in them is made up or embellished. But in features, these facts are imbedded in or interwoven with scenes and small stories that show rather than simply tell the information that is conveyed. Features are grounded in time, in place and in characters who inhabit both. Often features are framed by the specific experiences of those who drive the news or those who are affected by it. They are no less precise than news. But they are less formal and dispassionate in their structure and delivery. This class will foster a workshop environment in which students can build appreciation and skill sets for this particular journalistic craft.

Course objective

To teach students how to interest readers in significant, research-based subjects by writing about them in the context of non-fiction stories that have characters, show development and follow a structural arc from beginning to end.

Learning objectives

  • Explore the qualities of storytelling and how they differ from news.
  • Build a vocabulary of storytelling.
  • Apply that vocabulary to critiquing the work of top-flight journalists.
  • Introduce a writing process that carries a story from concept to publication.
  • Introduce tools for finding and framing interesting features.
  • Sharpen skills at focusing stories along a single, clearly articulated theme.
  • Evaluate the importance of backgrounding in establishing the context, focus and sources of soundly reported stories.
  • Analyze the connection between strong information and strong writing.
  • Evaluate the varied types of such information in feature writing.
  • Introduce and practice skills of interviewing for story as well as fact.
  • Explore different models and devices for structuring stories.
  • Conceive, report, write and revise several types of feature stories.
  • Teach the value of “listening” to the written word.
  • Learn to constructively critique and be critiqued.
  • Examine markets for journalism and learn how stories are sold.

Suggested reading

  • The Art and Craft of Feature Writing , William Blundell, Plume, 1988 (Note: While somewhat dated, this book explicitly frames a strategy for approaching the kinds of research-based, public affairs features this course encourages.)
  • Writing as Craft and Magic (second edition), Carl Sessions Stepp, 2007, Oxford University Press.
  • On Writing Well (30th anniversary edition), William Zinsser, Harper Paperbacks, 2006.
  • The Associated Press Stylebook 2009 , Associated Press, Basic Books, 2009.

Recommended reading

  • America’s Best Newspaper Writing , edited by Roy Peter Clark and Christopher Scanlan, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006.
  • Writing for Story , Jon Franklin, Penguin, 1986.
  • Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University , edited by Mark Kramer and Wendy Call, Plume, 2007.
  • The Journalist and the Murderer , Janet Malcolm, Vintage, 1990.
  • Writing for Your Readers , Donald Murray, Globe Pequot, 1992.

Assignments

Students will be asked to write and report only four specific stories this semester, two shorter ones, one at the beginning of the semester and one at the end, and two longer ones, a feature looking behind or beyond a news development, and an institutional or personal profile.

They will, however, be engaged in substantial writing, much of it focused on applying aspects of the writing-process method suggested herein. Throughout the class, assignments and exercises will attempt to show how approaching writing as a process that starts with a story’s inception can lead to sharper story themes, stronger story reporting and more clearly defined story organization. As they report and then revise and redraft the semester’s two longer assignments, students will craft theme or focus statements, write memos that help the class troubleshoot reporting weaknesses, outline, build interior scenes, workshop drafts and workshop revisions. Finally, in an attempt to place at least one of their pieces in a professional publication, an important lesson in audience and outlet, the students will draft query letters.

Methodology

This course proceeds under the assumption that students learn to report and write not only through practice (which is essential), but also by deconstructing and critiquing award-winning professional work and by reading and critiquing the work of classmates.

These workshops work best when certain rules are established:

  • Every student will read his or her work aloud to the class at some point during the semester. It is best that these works be distributed in advance of class.
  • Every student should respond to the work honestly but constructively. It is best for students to first identify what they like best about a story and then to raise questions and suggestions.
  • All work will be revised after it is workshopped.

Weekly schedule and exercises (13-week course)

We encourage faculty to assign students to read on their own at least the first 92 pages of William Zinsser’s On Writing Well before the first class. The book is something of a contemporary gold standard for clear, consistent writing and what Zinsser calls the contract between writer and reader.

The assumption for this syllabus is that the class meets twice weekly.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13

Week 1: What makes feature stories different?

Previous week | Next week | Back to top

Class 1: News reports versus stories

The words “dispassionate,” “factual” and “front-loaded” might best describe the traditional news story. It is written to convey information quickly to the hurried reader. Features, on the other hand, are structured and told so that readers engage in and experience a story — with a beginning, middle and end — even as they absorb new information. It is features that often are the stories emailed to friends or linked on their Facebook pages. Nothing provides more pleasure than a “good read” a story that goes beyond basic information to transport audiences to another place, to engage an audience in others’ lives, to coax a smile or a tear.

This class will begin with a discussion of the differences in how journalists approach both the reporting and writing of features. In news, for example, reporters quote sources. In features, they describe characters, sometimes capturing their interaction through dialogue instead of through disembodied quotes. Other differences between news and story are summarized eloquently in the essays “Writing to Inform, Writing to Engage” and “Writing with ‘Gold Coins'” on pages 302 to 304 of Clark and Scanlan’s America’s Best Newspaper Writing . These two essays will be incorporated in class discussion.

The second part of the introductory class will focus on writing as a continuum that begins with the inception of an idea. In its cover blurb, William Blundell’s book is described as “a step-by-step guide to reporting and writing as a continuous, interrelated process.”

Notes Blundell: “Before flying out the door, a reporter should consider the range of his story, its central message, the approach that appears to best fit the tale, and even the tone he should take as a storyteller.” Such forethought defines not only how a story will be reported and written but the scope of both. This discussion will emphasize that framing and focusing early allows a reporter to report less broadly and more deeply, assuring a livelier and more authoritative story.

READING (assignments always are for the next class unless otherwise noted):

  • Blundell, Chapter 1
  • Clark/Scanlan, “The Process of Writing and Reporting,” pages 290-294.

ASSIGNMENT:

Before journalists can capture telling details and create scenes in their feature stories, they need to get these details and scenes in their notebooks. They need, as Blundell says, to be keen observers “of the innocuous.” In reporting news, journalists generally gather specific facts and elucidating quotes from sources. Rarely, however, do they paint a picture of place, or take the time to explore the emotions, the motives and the events that led up to the news. Later this semester, students will discuss and practice interviewing for story. This first assignment is designed to make them more aware of the importance of the senses in feature reporting and, ultimately, writing.

Students should read the lead five paragraphs of Hal Lancaster’s piece on page 56 of Blundell and the lead of Blundell’s own story on page 114. They should come prepared to discuss what each reporter needed to do to cast them, paying close attention to those parts based on pure observation and those based on interviewing.

Finally, they should differentiate between those parts of the lead that likely were based on pure observation and those that required interviewing and research. This can be done in a brief memo.

Class 2: Building observational and listening skills

Writing coach Don Fry, formerly of the Poynter Institute, used the term “gold coins” to describe those shiny nuggets of information or passages within stories that keep readers reading, even through sections based on weighty material. A gold coin can be something as simple as a carefully selected detail that surprises or charms. Or it can be an interior vignette, a small story within a larger story that gives the reader a sense of place or re-engages the reader in the story’s characters.

Given the feature’s propensity to apply the craft of “showing” rather than merely “telling,” reporters need to expand their reporting skill set. They need to become keen observers and listeners, to boil down what they observe to what really matters, and to describe not for description’s sake but to move a story forward. To use all the senses to build a tight, compelling scene takes both practice and restraint. It is neither license to write a prose-poem nor to record everything that’s seen, smelled or heard. Such overwriting serves as a neon exit sign to almost any reader. Yet features that don’t take readers to what Blundell calls “street level” lack vibrancy. They recount events and measure impact in the words of experts instead of in the actions of those either affected by policy, events or discovery of those who propel it.

In this session, students will analyze and then apply the skill sets of the observer, the reporter who takes his place as a fly on the wall to record and recount the scene. First students will discuss the passive observation at the heart of the stories assigned above. Why did the writers select the details they did? Are they the right ones? Why or why not?

Then students will be asked to report for about 30 to 45 minutes, to take a perch someplace — a cafeteria, a pool hall, a skateboard park, a playground, a bus stop — where they can observe and record a small scene that they will be asked to recapture in no more than 150 to 170 words. This vignette should be written in an hour or less and either handed in by the end of class or the following day.

Four fundamental rules apply:

  • The student reporters can only write what they observe or hear. They can’t ask questions. They certainly can’t make anything up.
  • The students should avoid all opinion. “I” should not be part of this story, either explicitly or implicitly.
  • The scene, which may record something as slight as a one-minute exchange, should waste no words. Students should choose words and details that show but to avoid words and details that show off or merely clutter.
  • Reporters should bring their lens in tight. They should write, for example, not about a playground but about the jockeying between two boys on its jungle gym.

Reading: Blundell, Chapter 1, Stepp, pages 64 to 67. Students will be assigned to read one or more feature articles built on the context of recently released research or data. The story might be told from the perspective of someone who carried out the research, someone representative of its findings or someone affected by those findings. One Pulitzer Prize-winning example is Matt Richtel’s “Dismissing the Risks of a Deadly Habit,” which began a series for which The New York Times won a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2010. Richtel told of the dangers of cell phones and driving through the experiences of Christopher Hill, a young Oklahoma driver with a clean record who ran a light and killed someone while talking on the phone. Dan Barry’s piece in The Times , “From an Oyster in the Gulf, a Domino Effect,” tells the story of the BP oil spill and its impact from the perspective of one oysterman, placing his livelihood into the context of those who both service and are served by his boat.

  • Finish passive observational exercise (see above).
  • Applying Blundell’s criteria in Chapter 1 (extrapolation, synthesis, localization and projection), students should write a short memo that establishes what relationship, if any, exists between the features they were assigned to read and the news or research developments that preceded them. They should consider whether the reporter approached the feature from a particular point of view or perspective. If so, whose? If not, how is the story structured? And what is its main theme? Finally, students should try to identify three other ways feature writers might have framed a story based on the same research.

Week 2: The crucial early stages: Conceiving and backgrounding the story

Class 1: Finding fresh ideas

In the first half of class, several students should be asked to read their observed scenes. Writing is meant to be heard, not merely read. After each student reads a piece, the student should be asked what he or she would do to make it better. Then classmates should be encouraged to make constructive suggestions. All students should be given the opportunity to revise.

In the second half of class, students will analyze the origins of the features they were assigned to read. The class might be asked to form teams and to identify other ways of approaching the material thematically by using Blundell’s methods of looking at an issue.

Feature writers, the author writes, are expected to find and frame their own ideas.

“The feature writer who doesn’t have two or three projects bubbling on his own stove is doing only half a job,” he writes.

Conceiving stories, Blundell notes, involves more than clear and original thought. Reporters need idea files and source files. They need to read prolifically in areas about which they know little. They need to look for areas that are under covered by their publications. They need to walk through their communities with the wonderment of tourists who have just landed in a foreign city.

This degree of organization and engagement assures reporters far greater success in applying some of Blundell’s other tools of analysis.

These include:

  • Extrapolation — Looking for the “why” or principal cause of a story. After the explosion that killed BP workers and spewed oil into the Gulf of Mexico, some feature stories likely told the dramatic, but relatively narrow, story of the night things went bad. Others, based on much weightier investigation, traced the series of bad decisions BP made that ultimately led to catastrophe. Both, in their way, would have been considered backgrounders to the news development.
  • Synthesis — Looking for common threads that can broaden a story’s impact. Blundell offers the example of a series of mishaps in the city of San Diego that made the city ripe for a feature on its dubious claim to being the American capital of civic embarrassment.
  • Localization — Examining big events or developments in smaller ways — either by taking a national or global event and examining its impact within the writer’s local area or by viewing a broad, thematic problem — post-traumatic stress disorder in the military, for example — through the experiences of an individual whose story represents the more universal experience. (In his book, Writing for Your Readers , Donald Murray writes: “Most good stories say one thing. They tell the story not of a battle, but of a soldier: they talk not about governance, but a deal; they discuss not a socioeconomic group, but reveal a person and a life.” Blundell writes that it is easier for most feature writers to be miniaturists than muralists.)
  • Projection — Looking beyond the news development by writing a story that considers how the news affects a person or group of people. In Richtel’s story about the dangers of cell phones and driving, he builds the story around one young man whose life was shaken when he ran a stop light and took a life while talking on the phone.

Conceiving a story is only the first step. The reporter must go deep to report and write the story well. “To me,” Blundell writes, “the most important part of reporting is knowing what you need to make the story go.”

Reading: Blundell Chapter 3 and 4

Assignment: Students should either use materials posted on the Journalist’s Resource web site at the Shorenstein Center or developed at a research center at their university to identify and background a news or research development that can serve as the basis for developing a unique feature angle or approach. This feature should not profile, or tell the story of, either of an institution or an individual. Profiles will be assigned later in the semester. Instead students should look for features that either look behind a news development, such as the BP backgrounders described earlier, or features that look at the impact of a news development on those most directly affected by it or those who would be expected to translate it into policy. Students should keep in mind that they are conceiving and finding a thematic thread for a feature, not reporting a policy story filled with expert voices only. For example, if the Department of Defense releases data showing that suicides have increased in the military, the student might propose a feature like one published on page 1 of The New York Times in July 2010. It told the story of those working on a suicide hotline to keep anguished members of the military alive. The stories that grow out of this assignment should be substantial in their research and be worthy of between 1,300 and 1,500 words. They will be due in four weeks (Class 2 or Week 6).

By the second class of Week 3 students will be expected to have identified a topic and a way of approaching it that allows each to:

  • Craft a single-sentence theme statement establishing its focus.
  • Identify and obtain research-based material that will provide a specific contextual foundation for the story.
  • Provide at least four sources, with their contact information, and an explanation of why the student has chosen them.
  • Provide a brief reporting plan.

Class 2: The importance of backgrounding (starting the reporting process)

Too many students mistake reporting for a journalistic version of a police dragnet: They pull in everything they can find and then try to figure out what the story is. Such an approach results in stories riddled with holes and lacking any dominant focus. Reporting always demands lots of legwork. But that legwork must be informed by forethought, which, in turn, is informed by the process of backgrounding. Backgrounding moves a story from the conceptual stage to the point at which a reporter can draw up a well-established working thesis or plan, a focus which, while it might still change, sets the direction of future reporting and writing.

“The good writers I know always do some kind of planning before they report,” writes Blundell.

Part of that planning means to review what’s been written about the topic before, both to find useful information and to see what hasn’t been broached. It means identifying and locating documents to help establish a line of questioning and lend authority to the story. It means identifying different kinds of sources, from the “rabbis,” who point the way but rarely are quoted to “wise men,” who can offer a big picture overview of the landscape; and from authorities who can give the official version of things to what Blundell calls the “street-level” people who live the story and among whom the reporter likely will find a central character.

In this class, students will begin with a discussion of the steps needed to background a story well and then apply those steps to the individual stories they have begun researching. Among the issues that will be discussed are: Where to look for authoritative sources and digital or print documents, how to distinguish between different kinds of sources, and how to use background material to establish a line of questioning, identify potential sources and narrow the story’s focus.

READING/ASSIGNMENT:

  • Agree with Blundell’s assessment of the theme of the story as expressed on page 116
  • Find that the story stays tightly focused on the thematic Blundell describes. In each case, students should explain why the agree or disagree.
  • Continue background work on first feature.

Week 3: Honing the story’s approach

Class 1: Focus or theme statements

Nearly every effective and interesting story is built around a single, dominant theme, using varied types of material to develop it. Writers who fill stories with exhaustive documentation but fail to establish a clear storyline file copy that reads like a government report. Writers who cobble together a series of colorful scenes that are not connected by a clear story spine run the risk of confusing readers to the point at which they will turn away.

The best features engross or entertain readers as they inform them. They offer content, structure and style, or, as Carl Sessions Stepp writes, “typically … share the following three virtues: 1. storyline: a special idea 2. Surprise: compelling material and 3. Stylishness: engaging writing.

To arrive at 2 and 3, the writer must first establish 1, the storyline. “A limited tale well told has more impact and persuasiveness than a sweeping story that can’t be adequately illustrated,” Blundell writes.

It is difficult to write that limited tale, however, unless the reporter sets out on a course to report it. That usually means narrowing and sharpening the story’s concept to the point at which the writer can express it in a clear and specific theme or focus statement. (For example, on page 116, Blundell gives this theme statement for the profile he deconstructs in the same chapter: “My theme statement for this story was simple — the life and work of a real cowboy in an age of cowboy hype.”)

Most serious storytellers would agree with Blundell that writing such a theme sentence must precede the bulk of reporting. This does not suggest the journalist embarks on his reporting with a bias. It suggests he is reporting with purpose. If the reporter finds a better story along the way, he can recast the theme statement. But entering the reporting process without one is like running through brambles instead of along a clearly marked path. The reporter who chooses the brambles may still get to the end, but only with multiple nicks and cuts.

As students sharpen their stories’ themes, they should consider some of the questions Blundell raises in Chapter 4 (assigned earlier). They also might ask themselves these questions, among others:

  • Is the story’s scope too broad?
  • Do I have time to report and write a story of the scale I’m proposing?
  • Am I getting down to street level in my reporting?
  • Can I establish an element of suspense or anticipation at the outset of the story that isn’t answered until near the end?
  • Does something happen in the story? Does something change? (Action often informs character and stories are easier to construct if they arrive at a resolution. In his excellent book on narrative nonfiction, Writing for Story , author Jon Franklin notes that the best stories are built around sympathetic characters forced to confront and resolve a conflict or complication in their lives. “A story,” he writes, “consists of a sequence of actions that occur when a sympathetic character encounters a complicating situation that he confronts and solves.”)
  • Does the story’s contemporary context or its past make it more interesting to tell?

To help internalize the process of writing theme statements, students can be asked to select an article from the Journalist’s Resource web site, to deconstruct it and to craft a single theme sentence that captures its purpose. They then should compare their efforts, either in small groups or a discussion of the entire class.

Class 2: Pitching the story

Students will read their theme or focus statements aloud in class. These will be critiqued by the instructor and class. Using the memos submitted by students, the instructor should work with them to sharpen the focus of their stories and troubleshoot the direction of their reporting.

Reading: Blundell, page 95 (four stages), 126 to 140 and 148 to 152; Zinsser, pages 55 to 58; Stepp, 99 to 101 and 149 to 153.

  • The first draft of the 1,500-word public affairs feature article described above will be assigned for the second class of Week 5 (in two weeks).
  • Those students with a weak focus statement will be expected to recast them for the following class.
  • Students should come prepared to discuss which lead in Appendix 2 of Blundell’s book they consider most effective and why. They also should consider which ending they consider most effective and why.

Week 4: Organizing stories

Class 1: Leads and endings

Journalism textbooks love to categorize lead types. Among the feature leads they’ll list are anecdotal leads , short vignettes that exemplify or show what the main point of the story will tell; scene setters , that paint a picture and create a mood of a place central to a story’s central theme; zingers , short, sharp leads that pull readers in with a quick turn of phrase or sharp contrast; and narrative leads , which foreshadow what’s to come and build suspense without giving away the story’s ending.

Categories aside, though, every lead serves the same purpose and has the same mission: To engage readers immediately and to do so well enough to keep them reading.

Reporters, particularly those writing for newspapers or web sites, don’t have the time or space to luxuriate in the scenes they create. They cannot afford to waste space or words. They must, in the words of E.B. White, “make every word tell.” This is as true in writing features as in writing news. The forms and style change. The mission remains the same.

In his book, On Writing Well , William Zinsser puts it like this: “The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn’t induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead.”

He notes that leads must not only force the reader to keep reading but that to do so, each sentence must do “real work.” It needs to build on the sentence before, to introduce information even as it entices or draws the reader in.

Leads must do something else: They must be honest. A lead about a shark surfacing a few feet from a swimmer off Cape Cod likely would draw the reader to the next sentence. But if the story had nothing to do with sharks other than they were swimming in the waters near a controversial site where offshore windmills will soon be built, the lead would be deceptive and tangential to the story. A lead must fit the story — in its content, its tone and its direction. Readers will resent the writer who deceives.

The second most important sentence in a good feature is its last. It should leave the reader with a sense of finality or resolution, a strong image, a reminder of the story’s main theme. The best endings both surprise and resonate. This is not the long windup of the college English essay. Students are urged to leave out their editorial opinions and to eschew that dreadful term-paper transition: “in conclusion.” Instead, the best stories stop, sometimes abruptly, often before the reader is quite ready.

When an opening anecdote or scene introduces a broader theme, the writer often circles back or bookends the story to where it began. Stories that return to where they began offer a sense of symmetry, a sense of completion. Other stories end by looking ahead, to the future. Or, in the case of narrative, they reach the solution readers have been seeking since they were enticed into the story in the opening scene.

The best way to learn to write different kinds of leads and endings is to (a) read many writers and take note of their approaches and (b) to try multiple leads and endings to the same story.

In this session, the class should discuss Blundell’s four stages on page 95. The first. “tease me, you devil” is the anecdotal or scene-setter lead of the conventional public affairs feature and, perhaps, the first chapter of the pure narrative. The second stage, “tell me what you’re up to” is the nut graph , the paragraph or two in traditional features that resolves the anecdote before it by telling what it showed and then, by placing it in broader context. The second stage is a theme or focus statement with a bit more muscle on the bone. The third stage, “I’m from Missouri. You’ll have to prove what you just said,” is the story’s middle, its evidence and its story development, often woven together. And the last, “I’ll buy it. Help me remember,” is the ending.

In addition to critiquing the leads and endings in Blundell’s Appendix B, the class, time permitting, might either evaluate how well one piece meets these four stages and/or recast the lead for one of the stories, a means of matching their wits against a master and also, perhaps, proving to themselves that no story has a single right lead.

Reading: Blundell, Chapter 5; Stepp, pages 141 to 149, 182 to 192; 52 to 54

Class 2: Managing the middle

Good organization can’t rectify weak content. That’s why students should start this class by playing close heed to Blundell’s “rule of threes” (page 54), a means of layering strong reporting into story. The author notes that readers need repetition to understand ideas and concepts. But, he adds, that repetition should take different forms. So, for example, if a sentence says the catch of Gulf oystermen has been cut by a third since the BP oil spill, the next sentence should give a specific example, perhaps showing the diminished haul of the story’s main character on a specific day. The third sentence might be a salty quote from that main character on how bad things have become.

Fact, followed by example, followed by quote: That is one application of the rule of threes. Working in tandem, these different kinds of story “proofs” build knowledge and entertain the reader. The rule of threes also can apply to multiple examples from different places. If, for example, new research shows a rise in foreclosures in more states, the reporter might give examples from three of them.

Regardless of their structure, stories work well when like ideas are kept together. Those ideas might be related material, as in the rule of threes, or related themes. A feature about preparations to enforce Arizona’s harsh new immigration law would have one section that looks at the efforts of those interested in enforcing the law and another that examines efforts of opponents to block that enforcement. It would not whipsaw back and forth from one group to the other.

Since we all live by the clock — 24 hours a day, seven days in a week, four weeks in a month, and so forth — writing often works well if at some point it returns to the beginning and progresses to the end. The story, in other words, is organized chronologically . When explanatory passages or sections are needed, writers can step back from this chronological framework by alternating expository “chapters” with the personal narrative ones.

In class, students should analyze Blundell’s story about the loss of farmland in Chapter 5 (it begins on page 103), reviewing not only its structure but the content he musters. Does he apply the rule of threes? In what ways? Does he keep like ideas together? In what way? Contrast this story to the story that begins on page 114. This story relies heavily on chronology for its structure.

Reading: Review Blundell, Chapter 4; Read Stepp, page 72 to 76, 138 to 139

Assignment: Students should come prepared to discuss the following:

  • William Blundell writes: “The story is happening on streets where there are no PR men strewing palms in the reporter’s path, no computers disgorging blocks of seductive statistics, and a lot of people who have nothing to gain from doing pirouettes for the press. This territory can be tough on strangers, but we have to go there to gather details and direct experiences that show the reader what we’re talking about.”Students should discuss what he means by this. Blundell further suggests that a good half of reporting can be spent seeking the right person to talk to at that street level. Students should discuss how close to that street level they’ve gotten in their reporting and what else they might do to close the gap.
  • Students also should consider whether and how they’ve used Blundell’s method of planning and execution to inform their reporting and come prepared to discuss this. Has it helped them? Confused them? Have they applied it or ignored it? Why?

Each student should weigh:

  • What gaps remain in reporting his or her story.
  • Whether the reporting has unearthed sound, research-based data at the story’s foundation.
  • Whether or not the data is recent.
  • Whether sources interviewed carry authority.
  • Whether they show a range and balance.
  • Whether they take the story to street level.

Week 5: Working through the reporting process

Class 1: Reporting at ground level

This class will be run like a newsroom in which the instructor, as editor, coaches students through the latter stages of their reporting process. Students should be challenged to defend their initial theme statement. Does it still stand up? Should it be tweaked in any way? They should be pressed on what data they’ve gathered to support that premise. And they should be asked to explain and, if necessary, defend their choice and breadth of sources.

Reading: Stepp, pages 85-88

Assignment: Each student should craft a two- to three-page memo containing the following:

  • An updated theme or focus statement
  • A list of primary points that support that focus, tied, if possible, to Blundell’s six question areas on pages 70-75.
  • A lead that shows (or, as Blundell says, teases)
  • A nut graph (or graphs) that establishes the story and summarizes its main point.
  • A contextual section that places the story into a broader perspective and reinforces its main point
  • Sections or chapters built around like ideas
  • Anecdote or scenes interspersed as examples. These support the ideas and reintroduce the main character.
  • A closing section that circles back to the main character.
  • An example to support each primary story point.
  • A summary of research-based evidence that supports the story’s main thesis.
  • An assessment of what reporting gaps remain and how they might be filled.

Class 2: Outlining the story

Students, working in teams of two, should read each other their revised theme statements (and consult the instructor on an as-needed basis). Teammates should listen as readers and coach as editors. Each should ask his or her teammate to talk through the story. What did he/she find most interesting? What alternative leads has he/she attempted? What gaps does the story have?

After finishing the critiques, each student should:

  • Read through notes and mark key facts, key quotes and key examples
  • Fast-draft a rough lead through the nut graph
  • Identify contextual material that would enhance the story
  • Order key points/facts that should be in the story
  • Identify interior scenes that belong in the story
  • Highlight any information that needs to be verified or double-checked.

In organizing key points, students should remember to keep like ideas together. They should seek examples that support all general statements. Some long-form feature writers work with a master chronology that sets all facts and scenes in a timeline of when they took place. This helps with fact checking and with chronological organization.

Reading: Blundell, Chapter 7; Stepp, 51-57 and 176-192

Week 6: The roots of good writing

Class 1: Using language with style and precision

This class will review the elements of good journalistic writing, from active, right-branching sentences to specificity and simplicity of language. Among the issues instructors might touch on and model are:

  • The cadence, pace and rhythm of good writing. It should become second nature for students to read their work aloud.
  • Selective detail and its use. (Using Journalist’s Resource or news web sites, students might look for examples of selective detail that are enhanced by features and examples that detract because they don’t reinforce storyline.)
  • Specificity versus generality. How does Blundell’s rule of threes ensure specificity?
  • The use of analogy in translation and definition. (The value of comparing the unfamiliar to what we know.)
  • The importance of consistency of tone, person, tense and style.

After the discussion, students should draft either a lead anecdote or an interior scene from their stories. Some of these will be critiqued in class.

DUE: First draft of 1,500-word backgrounder or impact feature. Selected stories will be due the night before class so they can be distributed to the entire class in advance.

Class 2: Workshopping first drafts

Selected students should read their stories aloud, discuss obstacles they faced in drafting them, explain how they tried to overcome these obstacles, and identify what they liked best about their stories and what they lacked confidence in. Classmates then will weigh in with their critiques.

Reading: pages 76 and 77 (Blundell’s profile outline) and these stories in his book: pages 44 to 47 and 242 to 248 (personal profiles), 248 to 254 (institutional profile) and 114 to 119 (occupational profile).

Assignment: Students weigh the differences between a profile, a depth interview with a subject and story about their background. What does Blundell mean when he says that profiles, like other stories, need a clear theme? Students also should try to determine some of the ways that Blundell’s outline on page 76 and 77 helped define the structure of his own work.

Week 7: The profile (personal and institutional)

Class 1: Finding a subject, finding a theme, finding out information

Few aspects of journalism are more interesting and challenging than to write about someone else, — to capture what motivates that individual, what makes that person “tick.” Profiles can be written as well about organizations and about what makes them distinctive or unusual. Good profiles demand backgrounding, patience, legwork, independent engagement and curiosity.

First, however, the reporter has to answer the questions, “Whom should I profile and why?” Sometimes those answers can be found in the news: Who has surfaced as an interesting figure? Sometimes the answers can be found in something interesting that a subject does, or doesn’t do (note the profiles in Blundell’s book of the Disney corporation, still living in the shadow of its deceased founder.) Or the answers can be found by looking for someone who exemplifies a larger group or population in the news, a veteran with PTSD, for example. Whomever or whatever the subject, writers don’t merely want to catalogue that individual’s or company’s accomplishments. Corporate biographies and resumes serve that purpose. Profiles dig beneath the surface, capture the subject complete with quirks and blemishes. They help readers understand what makes someone “tick” and what lies behind that person’s passions.

As with other features, backgrounding plays a central role in establishing the profile’s theme. Backgrounding can help the reporter identify how a subject has changed and uncover inherent contradictions between the subject’s words and actions. It allows the writer to separate what has been written about someone from what hasn’t. And it can open doors. For example, when Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Breton of The Providence Journal interviewed two actresses co-starring in a theatrical performance, she had done “her homework.” She knew that decades earlier one had understudied for the other, a fact the actresses had forgotten until reminded and one that helped Breton break the ice.

The patience to gather information in varied ways often comes into play in reporting. Profiles require multiple interviews with a subject, preferably in a setting that shows who the person is.

Profiles also benefit from the times the reporter can simply observe. Author Gay Talese, one of the most respected of a generation in the 1960s that experimented with forms of narrative nonfiction storytelling, has written and spoken about “the art of hanging out,” of observing a subject and capturing the scenes that reflect that person’s manner and personality.

To learn about subjects, reporters don’t only interview them and read what they’ve written or what has been written about them. Reporters also interview others who can provide insight — family and friends, competitors and former employees, customers and patients. That’s legwork. Whom they seek out depends largely on what the story’s focus is. A profile of a Las Vegas card shark might lead to the subject’s high school or college math teacher, his mother and his competitors around the table. It likely wouldn’t call for an interview with his former piano teacher or swim coach.

To win a subject’s trust, reporters must show sincere interest in that individual. At the same time, the reporter has to maintain his or her independence. Good profiles reveal some aspect of a subject’s life. They are neither intended to promote nor diminish, simply show the subject as he or she really is.

Finally, reporters must be curious enough to delve beneath the surface. Most people have a public persona and a more private one. The profile writer wants to tap into both.

During this class, students will critique the profiles published in Blundell’s book and the elements of framing, reporting and writing interesting, informative profiles.

Assignment: In teams of three or four, students should research their professor, then draft a tentative focus or theme statement for a profile. It might focus on the professor’s research, a hobby or passion, his or her teaching style, some recent notable achievement (a book, for example) or something else. Teams should prepare to interview the professor “for story” during the next class, developing whatever themes their focus statements outline.

Class 2: Carrying out and critiquing an interview with the professor

A member of each team should read that team’s theme statement and other members should explain how the team decided on its focus. After all teams have finished, students will vote on which story offers the most promise. (Team members cannot vote for their own idea.) When the vote and subsequent discussion are finished, the winning team will interview the professor. Certain rules apply.

  • Questions cannot be read.
  • Team members should listen closely to the answer and try to build on each question in their subsequent question.
  • Students on the other teams, meanwhile, should observe, take notes, and evaluate the content and quality of their classmates’ interview. (They might consider, for example, how well each questioner engages, whether they are asking “open-ended” or “close-ended” questions, whether they are probing for emotion and insight as well as fact, and whether they appeared to be listening and taking cues for follow-up.)

After the interview and discussion about its effectiveness, the class should reflect on what steps would be needed to finish the profile.

Assignment: During the second class of next week, students will be expected to propose a profile subject and submit a theme or focus statement that identifies their approach. They should contact the subjects before preparing their pitches. They should also thoroughly background their subjects and identify at least two other people whom they can interview to develop the story further.

Reading: Article, “The Power of Listening,” Scanlan, Poynter Institute; “Rules to Interview By,” Rubinkowski, Poynter; Zinsser, pages 100 to 116; Stepp, 68 to 72; “Frank Sinatra has a Cold,” a Gay Talese profile, published in Esquire and available in full online. Finally, students should read Anna Quindlen’s essay from The New York Times “Hers” column on April 10, 1986. It begins with the words, “For most of my adult life, I have been a emotional hit-and-run driver, that is, a reporter.” The essay is an excellent starting point for a discussion of the ethics of depth reporting and interviewing.

Week 8: Interviewing for story

Class 1: Logistical and ethical considerations in interviewing for story

Successful interviews start with strong preparation and curiosity. Reporters who know next to nothing about their subject, who seem bored or hurried, who work off a set list of questions instead of listening to answers, who seek facts rather than knowledge or understanding, will leave with little.

Jacqui Banaszynski, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and now a Knight professor at the University of Missouri, says at times the most effective question can be a sympathetic nod or an interjection, such as “really.” This keeps the subject talking. Granted. It is not wise to start an interview this way. But often reporters are so intent on their questions that they don’t hear the answers and don’t encourage subjects to say more, to elaborate.

The first step in interviewing for story is to choose the right setting, a place that shows something about the subject and a place in which the subject feels comfortable. Then, says Banaszynski, the reporter’s job is to “peel back the layers of the onion,” to get to the story behind the story, to engage the real subject not the public persona. This takes time, patience, lots of directed yet open-ended questions, and genuine interest in what the subject has to say. Bored reporters conduct boring interviews.

It’s no small matter for a green reporter to park the jitters before knocking on the door. Several things help:

  • Know as much as possible about the subject beforehand.
  • Prepare questions in advance, but never read them. Preparation helps the reporter think through the interview’s purpose. Their questions shouldn’t be obvious — or left sitting on the table.
  • Ask permission to tape as well as take notes. It can ease the anxiety of keeping up. But do take notes, listening for details and quotes and hints that bear follow-up.
  • Ease in with questions that relax the subject and establish rapport. The props of setting can help. Ask why the subject has chosen a particular meeting place. Comment on pictures on the wall.
  • Listen. The reporter’s job is not to ask brilliant questions but to get brilliant answers.

This class discussion should focus on the techniques and pitfalls of interviewing for story. It is a skill that requires instinct and humanity as well as thoughtful preparation. (Banaszynski describes it as a dance in which the reporter must lead, but the interview subject gets to choose the music.)

At times reporters don’t get the opportunity to interview a profile’s central character. Such was the case in Talese’s “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.” Students should discuss how Talese compensated for this.

This session should end with a discussion of Quindlen’s essay. What are the ethical dilemmas raised by interviewing for story and emotion as well as for information? What are the ethical responsibilities of the reporter in setting out on a project that will involve considerable revelation on the part of the subject (for example, a profile of a family caring for an Alzheimer’s patient)?

Assignment: Students should prepare a memo for pitching their profiles, which should be roughly 1,500 words in length. The memo should include:

  • A theme or focus statement
  • Key background information about the subject.
  • Key contacts and contact information for the subject and other people the student will interview to gain insight.
  • A few reflective paragraphs considering the story’s approach in the context of Blundell’s story development criteria on pages 76 and 77.

Class 2: Pitching profile ideas

Students will read their theme statements aloud and explain why they’ve proposed specific profile approaches. Students and instructor should react to each theme statement and offer constructive criticism. Those students lacking clear themes will be expected to recast their theme statements for the following class.

Week 9: The writer’s voice

Class 1: How voice emerges

Inexperienced writers frequently make the mistake of approaching “voice” as something that can be superimposed. They overwrite, laboring to create something that neither sounds like them nor reflects their style. In On Writing Well , Zinsser cautions that his students seem determined to “create an act of literature,” only relaxing paragraphs into a story to emerge as themselves.

Students should rest assured. For the writer who reads widely and writes frequently, voice emerges naturally over time. It is not a construct of big words and fancy phrases, nor is it an affected effort to sound carefree and breezy. It is not a celebration of the writer’s opinion. It comes from within, something akin to a slightly more polished version of the writer’s spoken voice.

Writes Stepp: “Voice probably comes more naturally than most writers believe. Many writers describe the struggle to ‘find’ their voice, but most writers’ voices will emerge spontaneously if they just clear away some of the obstructing professional underbrush: the artificial constraints, expectations, and hobgoblins that haunt many newsrooms, writing studios, and writer-editor collaborations. Writers who are steeped in good material, relaxed and enthusiastic about their assignment, comfortable in their surroundings, and encouraged to be original and inventive do not have to find a voice It rings out intuitively.”

In this class, students should discuss what concerns they have about voice and how they believe they should and have gone about developing it. They should then take a scene or section of their revised first features and write through it as they might tell a friend. The class should listen to a few of these and critique them.

Class 2: Workshopping the revised first feature

The instructor should identify two or three students who will be asked in advance to distribute their work to the class. They should read their stories aloud in class, be given the opportunity to discuss what worked for them and where they struggled. Then classmates should weigh in with a discussion of these stories, starting with what they liked best and then making suggestions for improvement.

Week 10: Working through the reporting process

Class 1: Sharpening the story’s angle and content

Both classes in this week largely replicate the critiquing and outlining goals set in Week 5, with the instructor acting as coach to shepherd students through the latter stages of their reporting process.

Students should be asked whether their initial focus holds up; what facts, examples, quotes and scenes they have to support it; who they’ve interviewed (in addition to their profile subject) and what these individuals have to add. Much class time will be spent troubleshooting obstacles to reporting.

Each student should craft a two- to three-page memo containing the following:

  • A brief summary of key details, anecdotes and examples that give support to the theme.
  • A structural design for the story (at some point within most profiles, the writer moves chronologically through at least a portion of the subject’s life)
  • A summary of key insights into the subject provided by other sources.

Class 2: Building an outline

Week 11: Workshop profile drafts

The instructor should keep a list throughout the semester of which students have read their work in front of the class. All students should have their work subjected to class-wide critique before any individual is given a second opportunity.

Class 1: Workshop profile drafts

Assignment: Bring a local newspaper and The New York Times to the next class.

Class 2: Finding stories off the news

Reporters need to be nimble. The best, it is said, can “speed” as well as “bleed.” The feature writer often does not have the luxury to report and write depth public affairs stories. She’s given a day to find, report and write a story, not a week or two. This places even more weight on the challenge of conceiving something interesting and narrowing its scope. Writing stories on deadline can be a high-wire act. The reporter must gather fact and push for scene, show patience and interest in interview subjects yet race the clock, write and revise, but on the same afternoon.

Next week, the class will be expected to pitch and then write a feature off the news in the two to three days between classes. This class is designed to help students identify stories off the news.

Asking a number of questions of the news can help:

  • Who is left out?
  • Who is affected? How?
  • What’s behind the news? (An 85-year-old becomes a citizen or graduates. Why?)
  • How does the past inform the story? (The calendar and unusual anniversaries suggest stories daily.)
  • What led up to the news?
  • What’s the reaction to the news? (Blundell’s moves and counter-moves.)
  • Who is the person behind the newsmaker?
  • How can the reporter localize a national or international event?
  • Do a number of similar actions — beaches closed for a high bacteria count — constitute a trend?
  • Can the reporter show this, or other developments, by taking readers to a place?

In teams, reporters should scour the day’s paper, drawing up and prioritizing a list of possible features that might be turned quickly. The class will critique and respond to each team’s ideas.

Assignment: Background and write theme statements for two stories off the news. Students will be assigned one during the next class to turn in 48 hours.

Week 12: Pouring it on

Class 1: Pitching the feature off the news

In this class, the instructor should coach students toward features they can reasonably report and write in a day or two. This discussion should reinforce the importance of ingenuity and scope in turning features fast.

Class 2: Workshop features off the news

This class should begin with a discussion of the challenges of turning features fast. As time permits, students should workshop these efforts.

Week 13: Finding a niche

Class 1: Researching publications, framing queries

The topsy-turvy pace of technological changes makes this an extraordinary time to start a career in journalism. In some ways, it has never been easier to be published: Register for a blog at WordPress or Blogspot and write. It’s that easy. In other ways, it’s rarely been harder to get noticed and paid. Students interested in doing serious journalism should pursue a few parallel paths. Even in college, they can begin building their “brand,” a word that still makes older journalists shudder (their job was to cover the news, not market themselves or be the news). Students can build brand by building a website, preferably one named after them. This should be linked to blogs, a Facebook account, Twitter accounts, a resume and examples of their writing that they hope someone significant in the world will visit and read.

If today’s journalism students should act aggressively in asserting a voice and marketing their work, they also should be smart and circumspect about what they post. Too many horror stories circulate today about students denied jobs because of ill-advised party pictures posted on social media accounts. As a rule of thumb, students should sleep on anything they are tempted to post in the glow of the moment.

Marketing freelance work has been streamlined in the digital age. Most newspapers and some magazines today prefer emailed query letters pitching an article to letters sent by post.

Again, however, speed can kill rather than enhance. Sizable percentages of pitches never make it past the first gatekeeper (often an intern) for a variety of reasons:

  • A misspelled name
  • A letter sent to the wrong editor
  • A letter sent to the right editor at the wrong publication
  • Grammatical errors
  • Spelling errors
  • Ill-conceived or boastful ideas
  • Efforts to negotiate price before a piece is sold
  • Offers to write for free

Once again in journalism, the query begins with research. Reporters need to research not only stories and story ideas but which publications serve an audience that would read them. They can learn a great deal about publications, their freelance guidelines and their freelance rates in the library’s most recent edition of Writer’s Market or by subscribing online to WritersMarket.com.

As a rule, query letters should be a single page long. At their best, they show a writer’s talent and sell a clearly conceived and substantive story that fits the publication’s style and audience.

The query’s first paragraph tries to hook the reader very much like the first sentence of a feature does. This, however, is not the place for elegant anecdotes. It is best to settle for a quick turn lead, one that grabs the reader’s attention. The second paragraph pitches the story’s particulars. How long is the piece the writer is proposing? How will it develop? What’s its purpose? The third paragraph introduces the writer and answers the question “why me — why this writer?” This is where writers talk about special qualities — expertise, access to the subject, experience. The final or closing paragraph makes clear that the writer will follow up.

The entire letter should be businesslike. Pleading or begging editors for a chance does not work. One more tip: Always call the publication before sending a query to check whether an editor still works there, what the editor’s title is, and how to spell his or her name.

In addition to discussing queries, instructors should consider inviting in a local newspaper or magazine editor to talk about the queries they’ve received, which queries they liked and which ones they discarded immediately. Such visits give students a chance to network, a significant aspect of building a niche.

Assignment: Students should research a publication to which they will pitch one of their articles from the semester. They should come to the next class knowing the appropriate editor’s name and title, the submission guidelines of the publication, and the nature of the articles it publishes.

Class 2: Writing and revising the query

Students will spend this class crafting and revising query letters for one of their stories from the semester. In most cases, these should be ready to email to the publication by the end of class.

Exam week: Revised profiles are due

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How to Write a Feature Article: A Step-by-Step Guide

Feature stories are one of the most crucial forms of writing these days, we can find feature articles and examples in many news websites, blog websites, etc.  While writing a feature article a lot of things should be kept in mind as well. Feature stories are a powerful form of journalism, allowing writers to delve deeper into subjects and explore the human element behind the headlines. Whether you’re a budding journalist or an aspiring storyteller, mastering the art of feature story writing is essential for engaging your readers and conveying meaningful narratives. In this blog, you’ll find the process of writing a feature article, feature article writing tips, feature article elements, etc. The process of writing a compelling feature story, offering valuable tips, real-world examples, and a solid structure to help you craft stories that captivate and resonate with your audience.

Read Also: Top 5 Strategies for Long-Term Success in Journalism Careers

Table of Contents

Understanding the Essence of a Feature Story

Before we dive into the practical aspects, let’s clarify what a feature story is and what sets it apart from news reporting. While news articles focus on delivering facts and information concisely, feature stories are all about storytelling. They go beyond the “who, what, when, where, and why” to explore the “how” and “why” in depth. Feature stories aim to engage readers emotionally, making them care about the subject, and often, they offer a unique perspective or angle on a topic.

Tips and tricks for writing a Feature article

 In the beginning, many people can find difficulty in writing a feature, but here we have especially discussed some special tips and tricks for writing a feature article. So here are some Feature article writing tips and tricks: –

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1. Choose an Interesting Angle:

The first step in feature story writing is selecting a unique and compelling angle or theme for your story. Look for an aspect of the topic that hasn’t been explored widely, or find a fresh perspective that can pique readers’ curiosity.

2. Conduct Thorough Research:

Solid research is the foundation of any feature story. Dive deep into your subject matter, interview relevant sources, and gather as much information as possible. Understand your subject inside out to present a comprehensive and accurate portrayal.

3. Humanize Your Story:

Feature stories often revolve around people, their experiences, and their emotions. Humanize your narrative by introducing relatable characters and sharing their stories, struggles, and triumphs.

4. Create a Strong Lead:

Your opening paragraph, or lead, should be attention-grabbing and set the tone for the entire story. Engage your readers from the start with an anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a vivid description.

5. Structure Your Story:

Feature stories typically follow a narrative structure with a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning introduces the topic and engages the reader, the middle explores the depth of the subject, and the end provides closure or leaves readers with something to ponder.

6. Use Descriptive Language:

Paint a vivid picture with your words. Utilize descriptive language and sensory details to transport your readers into the world you’re depicting.

7. Incorporate Quotes and Anecdotes:

Quotes from interviews and anecdotes from your research can breathe life into your story. They add authenticity and provide insights from real people.

8. Engage Emotionally:

Feature stories should evoke emotions. Whether it’s empathy, curiosity, joy, or sadness, aim to connect with your readers on a personal level.

Read Also: The Ever-Evolving World Of Journalism: Unveiling Truths and Shaping Perspectives

Examples of Feature Stories

Here we are describing some of the feature articles examples which are as follows:-

“Finding Beauty Amidst Chaos: The Life of a Street Artist”

This feature story delves into the world of a street artist who uses urban decay as his canvas, turning neglected spaces into works of art. It explores his journey, motivations, and the impact of his art on the community.

“The Healing Power of Music: A Veteran’s Journey to Recovery”

This story follows a military veteran battling post-traumatic stress disorder and how his passion for music became a lifeline for healing. It intertwines personal anecdotes, interviews, and the therapeutic role of music.

“Wildlife Conservation Heroes: Rescuing Endangered Species, One Baby Animal at a Time”

In this feature story, readers are introduced to a group of dedicated individuals working tirelessly to rescue and rehabilitate endangered baby animals. It showcases their passion, challenges, and heartwarming success stories.

What should be the feature a Feature article structure?

Read Also: What is The Difference Between A Journalist and A Reporter?

Structure of a Feature Story

A well-structured feature story typically follows this format:

Headline: A catchy and concise title that captures the essence of the story. This is always written at the top of the story.

Lead: A captivating opening paragraph that hooks the reader. The first 3 sentences of any story that explains 5sW & 1H are known as lead.

Introduction : Provides context and introduces the subject. Lead is also a part of the introduction itself.

Body : The main narrative section that explores the topic in depth, including interviews, anecdotes, and background information.

Conclusion: Wraps up the story, offers insights, or leaves the reader with something to ponder.

Additional Information: This may include additional resources, author information, or references.

Read Also: Benefits and Jobs After a MAJMC Degree

Writing a feature article is a blend of journalistic skills and storytelling artistry. By choosing a compelling angle, conducting thorough research, and structuring your story effectively, you can create feature stories that captivate and resonate with your readers. AAFT also provides many courses related to journalism and mass communication which grooms a person to write new articles, and news and learn new skills as well. Remember that practice is key to honing your feature story writing skills, so don’t be discouraged if it takes time to perfect your craft. With dedication and creativity, you’ll be able to craft feature stories that leave a lasting impact on your audience.

What are the characteristics of a good feature article?

A good feature article is well-written, engaging, and informative. It should tell a story that is interesting to the reader and that sheds light on an important issue.

Why is it important to write feature articles?

Feature articles can inform and entertain readers. They can also help to shed light on important issues and to promote understanding and empathy.

What are the challenges of writing a feature article?

The challenges of writing a feature article can vary depending on the topic and the audience. However, some common challenges include finding a good angle for the story, gathering accurate information, and writing in a clear and concise style.

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Aaditya Kanchan is a skilled Content Writer and Digital Marketer with experience of 5+ years and a focus on diverse subjects and content like Journalism, Digital Marketing, Law and sports etc. He also has a special interest in photography, videography, and retention marketing. Aaditya writes in simple language where complex information can be delivered to the audience in a creative way.

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A Reporter Explains His Approach to Writing News and Features

Brooks Barnes, a correspondent who covers Hollywood for The Times, explains how his writing process changes depending on the type of article he is working on.

thesis feature article

By Sarah Bahr

Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

Brooks Barnes’s head is constantly on a swivel.

As a domestic correspondent covering Hollywood’s leading celebrities, companies and executives for The New York Times, he writes both daily news articles about media companies and long-lead features about subjects such as Walt Disney World’s animatronic robot crew and the Polo Lounge , a Hollywood hot spot that attracts the who’s who of the film industry.

Those two types of articles — news and features — are the yin and yang of journalism. As the name suggests, news articles provide readers with new information about important events, often as they unfold. They can cover nearly any topic, are generally 500 to 1,000 words long and are packed with the need-to-know facts of a given situation. Features, which need not be tied to a specific event, dive deep into a particular topic or person, are usually longer than news articles and often offer more comprehensive context about their subjects.

Every day, The Times publishes both. While many journalists specialize in writing news or feature articles, Mr. Barnes flips between the two.

“I have eight to 10 features on the assembly line at any given time,” Mr. Barnes said, adding that he often has to drop what he’s working on to chase the news and that he focuses on writing features when the news is slow. Generally, he can finish a news article in a couple of hours or less; a major feature can take upward of six months.

For Mr. Barnes, the main difference between a news article and a feature isn’t the word count, the number of interviews involved or how long he spends drafting it: “The writing process changes,” he says.

Interviewing Sources

A news article is all about gathering the essential information and publishing quickly.

He begins working on a news article by making calls to sources, often contacts he has built up over more than 20 years of reporting. He says he jots down his most important questions before he calls a source, even if he’s on a deadline and knows the conversation will only last a few minutes.

For a feature, Mr. Barnes said he will do around 10 interviews, not all of which may appear in the final article. If he’s writing a profile, he aims to spend a few hours with his subject on a Friday or Saturday, when the person is more relaxed and available.

As with news articles, he writes out his interview questions in advance, though he tries not to do too much research before meeting a profile subject for the first time so that he won’t come into the interview with a preconceived idea of what the subject might say.

“You want to report, not interview your thumb,” he said.

Getting Down to Writing

Mr. Barnes never outlines his news or feature articles, but instead works off his notes, which he’ll consult as he’s writing.

He gathers all of his notes from his interviews and research, both typed and handwritten, and inputs the best quotes, facts and figures into a Microsoft Word document. Unlike a news article, a feature may involve several attempts at a compelling first few sentences — known as the lede — and lots of rewriting. “I’ve been known to fixate on a lede for much longer than I should,” he said.

Structurally, a news article is much more straightforward than a feature: In a news article, the most important and timely information appears in the first few sentences, with the remaining facts generally provided in descending order of importance. In a feature, by contrast, the writer often delays the revelation of certain details in order to build suspense.

Landing on the Voice

Another difference, Mr. Barnes said, is the voice that he interjects — or doesn’t — into an article. A news article is usually devoid of personal flavor, while a feature can be saturated with it. He says he sometimes tries to “self-censor” his voice in a news article. In a feature, there is room for more lyrical description; Mr. Barnes is able to dwell on how a subject dresses, talks and reacts to his questions.

Working on Edits

The editing process also differs. With features, it can involve lots of fine-tuning: Ledes may be thrown out and paragraphs rewritten. With a news article, an editor acts more like a safety net than a pruner or a polisher, ensuring that reporters on deadline aren’t overlooking important information or relevant questions, and that they aren’t committing any obvious factual errors.

Enjoying Both Forms

The greatest challenge in writing a news article, in Mr. Barnes’s opinion, is achieving both speed and accuracy on deadline. Features present a different conundrum: A writer must carefully condense hours of interviews and research into a gripping-yet-accurate narrative that doesn’t get bogged down with superfluous information.

Though Mr. Barnes says he enjoys both forms, he’s always had a clear preference.

“I’m a feature writer who’s somehow managed not to get fired as a business reporter for 20 years,” he said.

He added: “I like luxuriating over words and trying different stuff. I could tinker with a story forever.”

How to Write a Feature Article

How to Write a Feature Article

Have you ever wondered what makes feature articles so engaging? Unlike straightforward news, feature articles offer deep dives into topics, presenting a unique blend of storytelling, fact, and emotional connection. This guide will walk you through the nuances of writing compelling features that not only inform but also resonate with your audience.

Table of Contents:

  • Understanding Feature Articles: What They Are and Why They Matter

Essential Elements of a Captivating Feature Article

Step-by-step guide: from concept to completion, optimizing your feature for readers and seo, editing for excellence: refining your narrative, getting published: platforms and promotion strategies, continuous learning and improvement, what are feature articles.

Feature articles bridge the informational gap with flair, offering readers insights into various subjects from personal stories to in-depth explorations of complex issues. They cater to those seeking more than just facts, providing a narrative that draws the reader into a well-rounded experience.

A successful feature article captures the reader’s interest from the start with a compelling headline and a hook in the introduction. It includes:

  • Engaging Headlines : Craft headlines that intrigue and inform.
  • Strong Lead : Start with a hook that grabs attention.
  • Narrative Flow : Maintain a smooth, logical progression of ideas.
  • Visuals : Use relevant images, infographics, and videos to complement and enhance the text.
  • Fact-Checking : Ensure all facts are accurate to maintain credibility.
  • Evaluate Your Story Ideas : Identify angles that are fresh and relevant.
  • Do Your Research : Gather detailed information from diverse sources.
  • Choose a Feature Type : Decide the style of feature that best fits your topic.
  • Craft a Compelling Headline : Make it catchy yet informative.
  • Write an Engaging Introduction : Set the scene and introduce the main themes.
  • Develop the Body : Weave facts and narratives into a cohesive story.
  • Conclude Effectively : Leave the reader with a strong, lasting impression.

Implement SEO best practices to enhance visibility:

  • Keyword Integration : Use relevant keywords throughout, especially in headlines and subheadings.
  • Meta Descriptions : Write clear, engaging meta descriptions.
  • Alt Text for Images : Describe images using keywords.
  • Readable Structure : Use subheadings and bullet points to break up text and make it easier to read.

Polish your article with thorough editing to ensure clarity and flow. Get feedback from peers, revise for structure and content, and proofread multiple times to catch any grammatical errors or inconsistencies.

Select appropriate platforms that resonate with your target audience and use social media and other digital marketing strategies to promote your article. Analyze the performance to refine future strategies.

Stay updated with the latest writing trends and continuously seek feedback to improve your skills. Consider enrolling in writing workshops or courses to enhance your abilities further.

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How to write a thesis statement + examples

Thesis statement

What is a thesis statement?

Is a thesis statement a question, how do you write a good thesis statement, how do i know if my thesis statement is good, examples of thesis statements, helpful resources on how to write a thesis statement, frequently asked questions about writing a thesis statement, related articles.

A thesis statement is the main argument of your paper or thesis.

The thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any piece of academic writing . It is a brief statement of your paper’s main argument. Essentially, you are stating what you will be writing about.

You can see your thesis statement as an answer to a question. While it also contains the question, it should really give an answer to the question with new information and not just restate or reiterate it.

Your thesis statement is part of your introduction. Learn more about how to write a good thesis introduction in our introduction guide .

A thesis statement is not a question. A statement must be arguable and provable through evidence and analysis. While your thesis might stem from a research question, it should be in the form of a statement.

Tip: A thesis statement is typically 1-2 sentences. For a longer project like a thesis, the statement may be several sentences or a paragraph.

A good thesis statement needs to do the following:

  • Condense the main idea of your thesis into one or two sentences.
  • Answer your project’s main research question.
  • Clearly state your position in relation to the topic .
  • Make an argument that requires support or evidence.

Once you have written down a thesis statement, check if it fulfills the following criteria:

  • Your statement needs to be provable by evidence. As an argument, a thesis statement needs to be debatable.
  • Your statement needs to be precise. Do not give away too much information in the thesis statement and do not load it with unnecessary information.
  • Your statement cannot say that one solution is simply right or simply wrong as a matter of fact. You should draw upon verified facts to persuade the reader of your solution, but you cannot just declare something as right or wrong.

As previously mentioned, your thesis statement should answer a question.

If the question is:

What do you think the City of New York should do to reduce traffic congestion?

A good thesis statement restates the question and answers it:

In this paper, I will argue that the City of New York should focus on providing exclusive lanes for public transport and adaptive traffic signals to reduce traffic congestion by the year 2035.

Here is another example. If the question is:

How can we end poverty?

A good thesis statement should give more than one solution to the problem in question:

In this paper, I will argue that introducing universal basic income can help reduce poverty and positively impact the way we work.

  • The Writing Center of the University of North Carolina has a list of questions to ask to see if your thesis is strong .

A thesis statement is part of the introduction of your paper. It is usually found in the first or second paragraph to let the reader know your research purpose from the beginning.

In general, a thesis statement should have one or two sentences. But the length really depends on the overall length of your project. Take a look at our guide about the length of thesis statements for more insight on this topic.

Here is a list of Thesis Statement Examples that will help you understand better how to write them.

Every good essay should include a thesis statement as part of its introduction, no matter the academic level. Of course, if you are a high school student you are not expected to have the same type of thesis as a PhD student.

Here is a great YouTube tutorial showing How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements .

thesis feature article

How to Craft Your Ideal Thesis Research Topic

How to Craft Your Ideal Thesis Research Topic

Table of contents

thesis feature article

Catherine Miller

Writing your undergraduate thesis is probably one of the most interesting parts of studying, especially because you get to choose your area of study. But as both a student and a teacher who’s helped countless students develop their research topics, I know this freedom can be just as intimidating as it is liberating.

Fortunately, there’a a step-by-step process you can follow that will help make the whole process a lot easier. In this article, I’ll show you how to choose a unique, specific thesis topic that’s true to your passions and interests, while making a contribution to your field.

thesis feature article

Choose a topic that you’re interested in

First things first: double-check with your teachers or supervisor if there are any constraints on your research topic. Once your parameters are clear, it’s time to identify what lights you up — after all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time thinking about it.

Within your field of study, you probably already have some topics that have grabbed your attention more than others. This can be a great place to start. Additionally, consider using the rest of your academic and extra-curricular interests as a source of ideas. At this stage, you only need a broad topic before you narrow it down to a specific question. 

If you’re feeling stuck, here are some things to try:

  • Look back through old course notes to remind yourself of topics you previously covered. Do any of these inspire you?
  • Talk to potential supervisors about your ideas, as they can point you toward areas you might not have considered.
  • Think about the things you enjoy in everyday life — whether that’s cycling, cinema, cooking, or fashion — then consider if there are any overlaps with your field of study.
  • Imagine you have been asked to give a presentation or record a podcast in the next three days. What topics would you feel confident discussing?
  • Watch a selection of existing lectures or explainer videos, or listen to podcasts by experts in your field. Note which topics you feel curious to explore further.
  • Discuss your field of study with teachers friends and family, some with existing knowledge and some without. Which aspects do you enjoy talking about? 

By doing all this, you might uncover some unusual and exciting avenues for research. For example, when writing my Master’s dissertation, I decided to combine my field of study (English teaching methodology) with one of my passions outside work (creative writing). In my undergraduate course, a friend drew on her lived experience of disability to look into the literary portrayal of disability in the ancient world. 

Do your research

Once you’ve chosen your topic of interest, it’s time to dive into research. This is a really important part of this early process because it allows you to:

  • See what other people have written about the topic — you don’t want to cover the same old ground as everyone else.
  • Gain perspective on the big questions surrounding the topic. 
  • Go deeper into the parts that interest you to help you decide where to focus.
  • Start building your bibliography and a bank of interesting quotations. 

A great way to start is to visit your library for an introductory book. For example, the “A Very Short Introduction” series from the Oxford University Press provides overviews of a range of themes. Similar types of overviews may have the title “ A Companion to [Subject]” or “[Subject] A Student Companion”. Ask your librarian or teacher if you’re not sure where to begin. 

Your introductory volume can spark ideas for further research, and the bibliography can give you some pointers about where to go next. You can also use keywords to research online via academic sites like JStor or Google Scholar. Check which subscriptions are available via your institution.

At this stage, you may not wish to read every single paper you come across in full — this could take a very long time and not everything will be relevant. Summarizing software like Wordtune could be very useful here.

Just upload a PDF or link to an online article using Wordtune, and it will produce a summary of the whole paper with a list of key points. This helps you to quickly sift through papers to grasp their central ideas and identify which ones to read in full. 

Screenshot of Wordtune's summarizing tool

Get Wordtune for free > Get Wordtune for free >

You can also use Wordtune for semantic search. In this case, the tool focuses its summary around your chosen search term, making it even easier to get what you need from the paper.

thesis feature article

As you go, make sure you keep organized notes of what you’ve read, including the author and publication information and the page number of any citations you want to use. 

Some people are happy to do this process with pen and paper, but if you prefer a digital method, there are several software options, including Zotero , EndNote , and Mendeley . Your institution may have an existing subscription so check before you sign up.

Narrowing down your thesis research topic

Now you’ve read around the topic, it’s time to narrow down your ideas so you can craft your final question. For example, when it came to my undergraduate thesis, I knew I wanted to write about Ancient Greek religion and I was interested in the topic of goddesses. So, I:

  • Did some wide reading around the topic of goddesses
  • Learned that the goddess Hera was not as well researched as others and that there were some fascinating aspects I wanted to explore
  • Decided (with my supervisor’s support) to focus on her temples in the Argive region of Greece

thesis feature article

As part of this process, it can be helpful to consider the “5 Ws”: why, what, who, when, and where, as you move from the bigger picture to something more precise. 

Why did you choose this research topic?

Come back to the reasons you originally chose your theme. What grabbed you? Why is this topic important to you — or to the wider world? In my example, I knew I wanted to write about goddesses because, as a woman, I was interested in how a society in which female lives were often highly controlled dealt with having powerful female deities. My research highlighted Hera as one of the most powerful goddesses, tying into my key interest.

What are some of the big questions about your topic?

During your research, you’ll probably run into the same themes time and time again. Some of the questions that arise may not have been answered yet or might benefit from a fresh look. 

Equally, there may be questions that haven’t yet been asked, especially if you are approaching the topic from a modern perspective or combining research that hasn’t been considered before. This might include taking a post-colonial, feminist, or queer approach to older texts or bringing in research using new scientific methods.

In my example, I knew there were still controversies about why so many temples to the goddess Hera were built in a certain region, and was keen to explore these further.

Who is the research topic relevant to?

Considering the “who” might help you open up new avenues. Is there a particular audience you want to reach? What might they be interested in? Is this a new audience for this field? Are there people out there who might be affected by the outcome of this research — for example, people with a particular medical condition — who might be able to use your conclusions?

Which period will you focus on?

Depending on the nature of your field, you might be able to choose a timeframe, which can help narrow the topic down. For example, you might focus on historical events that took place over a handful of years, look at the impact of a work of literature at a certain point after its publication, or review scientific progress over the last five years. 

With my thesis, I decided to focus on the time when the temples were built rather than considering the hundreds of years for which they have existed, which would have taken me far too long.

Where does your topic relate to?

Place can be another means of narrowing down the topic. For example, consider the impact of your topic on a particular neighborhood, city, or country, rather than trying to process a global question. 

In my example, I chose to focus my research on one area of Greece, where there were lots of temples to Hera. This meant skipping other important locations, but including these would have made the thesis too wide-ranging.

Create an outline and get feedback

Once you have an idea of what you are going to write about, create an outline or summary and get feedback from your teacher(s). It’s okay if you don’t know exactly how you’re going to answer your thesis question yet, but based on your research you should have a rough plan of the key points you want to cover. So, for me, the outline was as follows:

  • Context: who was the goddess Hera?
  • Overview of her sanctuaries in the Argive region
  • Their initial development 
  • Political and cultural influences
  • The importance of the mythical past

In the final thesis, I took a strong view on why the goddess was so important in this region, but it took more research, writing, and discussion with my supervisor to pin down my argument.

To choose a thesis research topic, find something you’re passionate about, research widely to get the big picture, and then move to a more focused view. Bringing a fresh perspective to a popular theme, finding an underserved audience who could benefit from your research, or answering a controversial question can make your thesis stand out from the crowd.

For tips on how to start writing your thesis, don’t miss our advice on writing a great research abstract and a stellar literature review . And don’t forget that Wordtune can also support you with proofreading, making it even easier to submit a polished thesis.

How do you come up with a research topic for a thesis?

To help you find a thesis topic, speak to your professor, look through your old course notes, think about what you already enjoy in everyday life, talk about your field of study with friends and family, and research podcasts and videos to find a topic that is interesting for you. It’s a good idea to refine your topic so that it’s not too general or broad.  

Do you choose your own thesis topic?

Yes, you usually choose your own thesis topic. You can get help from your professor(s), friends, and family to figure out which research topic is interesting to you. 

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  • 30 March 2020

You can get that paper, thesis or grant written — with a little help

  • Roberta Kwok 0

Roberta Kwok is a freelance writer in Kirkland, Washington.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Hannah James started to fret about her unfinished thesis in March 2017. The then-fourth-year PhD student in archaeological geochemistry had to write about 60,000 words on her analyses of human teeth. Every couple of weeks since 2015, she had attended sessions organized by her university’s research skills and training group that helped students to focus on writing while holed up in a room on campus for several hours or an entire day.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00917-5

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Academic writing has features that vary only slightly across the different disciplines. Knowing these elements and the purpose of each serves help you to read and understand academic texts efficiently and effectively, and then apply what you read to your paper or project.

Social Science (and Science) original research articles generally follow IMRD: Introduction- Methods-Results-Discussion

Introduction

  • Introduces topic of article
  • Presents the "Research Gap"/Statement of Problem article will address
  • How research presented in the article will solve the problem presented in research gap.
  • Literature Review. presenting and evaluating previous scholarship on a topic.  Sometimes, this is separate section of the article. 

​Method & Results

  • How research was done, including analysis and measurements.  
  • Sometimes labeled as "Research Design"
  • What answers were found
  • Interpretation of Results (What Does It Mean? Why is it important?)
  • Implications for the Field, how the study contributes to the existing field of knowledge
  • Suggestions for further research
  • Sometimes called Conclusion

You might also see IBC: Introduction - Body - Conclusion

  • Identify the subject
  • State the thesis 
  • Describe why thesis is important to the field (this may be in the form of a literature review or general prose)

Body  

  • Presents Evidence/Counter Evidence
  • Integrate other writings (i.e. evidence) to support argument 
  • Discuss why others may disagree (counter-evidence) and why argument is still valid
  • Summary of argument
  • Evaluation of argument by pointing out its implications and/or limitations 
  • Anticipate and address possible counter-claims
  • Suggest future directions of research
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Catchy titles for feature articles and writing

Catchy titles for feature articles and writing couple of short phrases, you

by Colin Ollson

Are you aware crafting a appealing title and overview of your article?

Writing a appealing title and overview of articles may be the most most most most challenging part of preparing an itemized piece. When used effectively, the title and introduction together may well be a hook to capture the readers’ interest and lead them to continue studying. Every one of these parts need to know , must be addressed individually, since they’re really two different entities.

When you’re creating articles, don’t feel you need to come from the title are available lower for that conclusion. There are many strategies to approach article promotion, plus a handful of people uncover it useful to operate around the physiques, or meat, need to know , first before relocating towards the title.

This method is smart, because the article title should reflect what the writing is all about. When the title along with the content don’t match, your potential customers will likely believe that he or she remains fooled regarding the article’s content. Avoid this type of scenario the best factor you’ll need is to get a readers discount the information want to know , due to poorly built title.

Catchy titles for feature articles and writing allow the

Yet another good technique you need to use when producing titles by having an article should be to have a very search term or phrase and find out be it been present in any famous quotes. There are lots of websites obtaining a searchable database of sayings, so you will get inspiration from most of them.

Keep the article title relatively short. Only use just as much words as you’ve to own readers a solid idea of what awaits them within the content need to know ,. In situation your subject is large enough that you desire greater than numerous words for your title, try and provide a subtitle to supply more information. The second choice isn’t necessarily used, but it may be good at situations where you stand writing of the very specific a part of an over-all subject that you’d like to define for the readers.

Steps to make a fantastic Introduction

Carrying out a title, the introduction is among the most significant parts of your article. You’ll have to enable the readers know which points you’ll be covering in your text. A properly-written introduction also keeps yourself track as being a author. When you are preparing the piece, you can reference review of insure that that which you require to produce are extremely covered.

Catchy titles for feature articles and writing best reasons for

If you’re because the 3 best reasons for obtaining a dog, your thesis statement may be similar to: “The 3 best reasons for acquiring your dog from the are [X], [Y], and [Z].” These products available will match a paragraph which will follow inside you need to know ,.

The thesis statement method of creating an intro may also work if you’re writing a lengthy article. Instead of listing a couple of short phrases, you can take each point you’ll be covering in your article and write a sentence concerning this. This method can help you craft your article, because you can create out a great flow of strategies for readers, and you will reference it if you think you’ve become off target.

Writing a appealing title and overview of your article doesn’t have to get daunting task. Make use of the suggestions the next to create readers need to explore all you authored thorough

Colin Ollson 2012 Colin Ollson is connected with Dissertationwritings.com, a business that gives online thesis and dissertation writing help. Inside the spare time he loves to spend some time playing a guitar and traveling.

Return from Crafting a Appealing Title and Overview of Your Article Articles on Writing. Go back to the house Page. Thinking about your writing? Have the own sample edit.

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Article Contents

Risk of heart failure in inflammatory bowel disease: a swedish population-based study.

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  • Article contents
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  • Supplementary Data

Jiangwei Sun, Jialu Yao, Ola Olén, Jonas Halfvarson, David Bergman, Fahim Ebrahimi, Annika Rosengren, Johan Sundström, Jonas F Ludvigsson, Risk of heart failure in inflammatory bowel disease: a Swedish population-based study, European Heart Journal , 2024;, ehae338, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae338

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Dysregulation of inflammatory and immune responses has been implicated in the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF). But even if inflammation is a prerequisite for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), little is known about HF risk in IBD.

In this Swedish nationwide cohort, patients with biopsy-confirmed IBD were identified between 1969 and 2017 [n = 81,749, Crohn’s disease (CD, n = 24,303), ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 45,709), and IBD-unclassified (IBD-U, n = 11,737)]. Each patient was matched with up to five general population reference individuals (n = 382,190) and IBD-free full siblings (n = 95,239) and followed until 31 December 2019. Flexible parametric survival models estimated the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) and standardized cumulative incidence for HF, with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

There were 5,582 incident HF identified in IBD patients (incidence rate [IR]: 50.3/10,000 person-years) and 20,343 in reference individuals (IR: 37.9) during a median follow-up of 12.4 years. IBD patients had a higher risk of HF than reference individuals (aHR 1.19, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.23). This increased risk remained significant ≥20 years after IBD diagnosis, leading to one extra HF case per 130 IBD patients until then. The increased risk was also observed across IBD subtypes: CD (IR: 46.9 vs. 34.4; aHR 1.28 [1.20 to 1.36]), UC (IR: 50.1 vs. 39.7; aHR 1.14 [1.09 to 1.19]), and IBD-U (IR: 60.9 vs. 39.0; aHR 1.28 [1.16 to 1.42]). Sibling-controlled analyses showed slightly attenuated association (IBD: aHR 1.10 [1.03 to 1.19]).

Patients with IBD had a moderately higher risk of developing HF for ≥20 years after IBD diagnosis than the general population.

Graphical Abstract

  • heart failure
  • inflammatory bowel disease

Supplementary data

Email alerts, companion article.

  • Human Immunology of Heart Failure: Deconstructing Inflammatory Risk

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The Dow is set to surge 50% by 2030 as the 'roaring 20s' are alive and well for stocks, market vet says

  • With the stock market trading at record highs, the "Roaring 20s" thesis is alive and well.
  • That's according to Ed Yardeni, who expects the Dow and S&P 500 to soar 50% by 2030.
  • "That target could be achieved with a forward P/E of 20 and forward earnings at $400 per share," Yardeni said.

Insider Today

With stocks trading at record highs, the "Roaring 20's" bull thesis remains intact, according to market veteran Ed Yardeni.

Yardeni said in a recent note that his roaring 20s thesis, which is based on the idea that AI will help unleash a productivity boom in the economy, will help drive the stock market 50% higher by 2030, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 rising to 60,000 and 8,000, respectively. 

Yardeni said his 2030 targets are based on continued earnings growth and a simple 6% compounded annual growth rate, which is slightly lower than the stock market's historical average annual return of 7% net of inflation.

"That target could be achieved with a forward P/E of 20 and forward earnings at $400 per share, up 60% from an estimated $250 per share this year. We think that's possible in our Roaring 2020s scenario," Yardeni said. 

Forward S&P 500 earnings per share hit $257.20 last week, and analysts currently estimate that S&P 500 EPS will rise to $278 in 2025 and $313 in 2026. 

"These estimates suggest that $400 by 2030 is quite possible," Yardeni said.

Helping fuel those earnings, according to Yardeni, is continued consumer resilience, which will be driven by tens of millions of baby boomers that are set to spend their nest egg on all kinds of goods and services over the next few decades.

In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, Yardeni Research chief market strategist Eric Wallerstein outlined the firm's broad outlook for stocks over the next few years.

"This whole roaring 2020s scenario right now is our highest probability outcome. We attribute a 60% likelihood of that. We have a 20% scenario of a meltup in the stock market, and if the Fed preliminary cuts, we can see that. Meltups are fine you just have to know when to get out," Wallerstein said.

"And then there's that 20% scenario where there's another revival in inflation. But for now we see productivity growth really being a strong driver of real incomes and for the next several years driving the market higher."

thesis feature article

  • Main content

Purdue University Graduate School

ADVANCES IN IMAGE-BASED DATA HIDING, FEATURE DETECTION, GRID ALIGNMENT, AND DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION

Data embedding tools such as barcodes are very popular nowadays but not aesthetically pleasing. In this research, we propose a watermarking scheme and an image-based surface coding scheme using the grid points as fiducial markers and the shifted points as data-bearing features. Detecting and aligning point grids play a fundamental role in these applications. Joint determination of non-grid points and estimation of non-linear spatial distortions applied to the grid is a key challenge for grid alignment. We modify a SIFT-based surface feature detection method to eliminate as many spurious feature points as possible and propose a grid alignment algorithm that starts from a small nearly regular region found in the point set and then expands the list of candidate points included in the grid. Our method is tested on both synthetically generated and real samples. Furthermore, we extend some applications of the surface coding scheme to 3D space, including hyper-conformal mapping of the grid pattern onto the 3D models, 3D surface feature detection, and 3D grid points alignment. 

A document routing system is crucial to the concept of the smart office. We abstract it as an online class-incremental image classification problem. There are two kinds of classifiers to solve this problem: exemplar, and parametric classifiers. The architecture of exemplar-based classification is summarized here. We propose a one-versus-rest parametric classifier and four different updating algorithms based on the passive-aggressiveness algorithm. An adaptive thresholding method is also proposed to indicate the low-confidence prediction. We test our methods on 547 real document images that we collected and labeled and high cumulative accuracy is reported. 

Degree Type

  • Doctor of Philosophy
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering

Campus location

  • West Lafayette

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Additional committee member 2, additional committee member 3, additional committee member 4, additional committee member 5, usage metrics.

  • Signal processing

CC BY 4.0

Pinterest: Shoppable Features, Healthy Financials, And A Bullish Future - Cautious Buy

Matteo Sada, CFA profile picture

  • Initiating coverage with a cautious Buy based on Pinterest healthy financials, growth projects, and affluent user base. However, near-term volatility is possible due to approaching high resistance levels.
  • The platform is experiencing growth with a record high in users and revenue, driven by strong user engagement and the Gen Z demographic.
  • Pinterest's focus on tools like direct links and improved ad measurement, as well as investments in AI, position it well for future growth in ad revenue.
  • My analysis specializes in identifying companies that are experiencing growth at a reasonable price. Rating systems don't consider time horizons or investment strategies. My articles aim to inform, not to make decisions.

Apple iPhone 8 Plus showing Pinterest application on mobile. It was held by woman hand in cafe shop.

Investment Thesis

Pinterest ( NYSE: PINS )beat earnings estimates by 42.86% for the last quarter, reporting $0.20 Normalized EPS vs $0.14 expected. In fact, revenue has been increasing at a faster rate than the industry over the last 5 years on a YoY basis. Next quarterly earnings are expected Aug 6 with a projected EPS of $0.28 which is an increase of 33.33% YoY.

Pinterest revenue trend

SeekingAlpha

In my view, Pinterest is experiencing growth, reaching record high in both users which increased 12% YoY and revenue which increased 23% YoY. According to the last earnings call , user engagement is particularly strong, driven by features like curation boards and collages. As CEO William Ready explained during the call, Pinterest is aging down, and Gen Z is now the largest demographic, representing around 40% of the user base. This is fueling the growth as Gen Zers use the platform for inspiration and shopping.

“In fact, Gen Z rates Pinterest higher on promoting and preserving well-being metrics like self-worth, belonging, and purpose compared to other traditional social media platforms. As a result, Pinterest is aging down, a rarity in consumer internet applications, which typically age up as they mature. We're also continuing to break through with Gen Z by connecting through culturally relevant moments.”

To capitalize on this trend, Pinterest is focusing on tool like direct links and improved ad measurement, leading to greater ad revenue. Additionally, they are investing in AI to personalize recommendations and further enhance the platform, all while maintaining strong profitability.

The online advertising landscape is encouraging. Both Pinterest and Snapchat ( SNAP ) recently revised their revenue guidance upward, and Facebook ( META ) also reported higher revenue that beat expectations. However, Facebook last earnings call projected weaker earnings, which could be a short-term concern specific to the platform.

A screenshot of a graph Description automatically generated

Despite this, the overall trend suggests a significant shift in advertising budget toward online channels. According to the study highlighted below, social media, in particular, is expected to capture around 20% of digital spending. In simpler terms, while individual platforms might experience fluctuations, social media advertising shows a clear upward trajectory and is likely to claim a larger portion of the digital advertising budget.

ad spending on social media

I find Pinterest particularly well-positioned to capitalize on this trend due to several key strengths:

  • Financial Discipline: Pinterest strong financial position, with lower debt and rising free cash flow compared to competitors like Snapchat, allows for more strategic investments. This flexibility fuels further revenue growth, user acquisition, and the ability to attract more advertising dollars.

PINS vs Competitors: Financial Metrics

  • Engaged user base: as you will read later in this article, Pinterest fosters deeper user engagement compared to other platforms.
  • Affluent users: importantly, as you will also read further below, their user base skews towards affluent demographics who are already thinking about spending, making them highly attractive to advertisers.

Given these competitive advantages, I’m inclined to initiate coverage with a Buy on any price weakness as I believe the stock will find some resistance at its 52week high.

Sticky Ad-dollars and a differentiated Platform

Online advertisement spending has seen a steady rise , particularly after the pandemic. Pinterest and Snapchat saw significant growth in 2021 with 52% and 64% increase in revenue respectively and the trend is expected to continue, although at a more moderate pace. For example, Pinterest revenue has increased at around 8.5% on average YoY since 2021, Snapchat revenue has been more erratic with revenue being flat for 2023.

A graph showing the growth of sales Description automatically generated

However, for advertisers, size isn’t everything. Conversion rates, which measures how effectively ads turn viewers into buyers, is a key metric. Here, Pinterest stands out. Statista aggregates Monthly Active Users for each platform and Pinterest despite having a smaller user base with around 500 million active users compared to giants like Facebook approaching 4 billion daily users and YouTube approaching 3 billion, the company boasts a conversion rate that surpasses YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter (or X), combined, rivaling even Instagram’s effectiveness.

A graph with red and black text Description automatically generated

This is further amplified by a wider “conversion rate spread” across different websites, making Pinterest attractive to advertisers from various industries with a range of product prices.

A graph of sales data Description automatically generated with medium confidence

A Pew Research study also reveals that Pinterest’s user base leans toward affluent demographics, aligning perfectly with their “ready-to-spend” mindset. Since taking the helm in 2022, CEO William Ready has prioritized shopping features, further strengthening this connection.

A screenshot of a social media account Description automatically generated

Pew Research

I believe a key pain point for Pinterest has been monetizing their large international user base with 80% of users but only 20% of the revenues as Bill Ready suggested during the earnings call in February. This is being addressed through strategic partnerships with Amazon and Google for ad serving, especially in international markets. These partnerships, rather than creating competition, appear complementary and hold the potential to drive significant long-term growth for Pinterest. The only risk that I find is that Pinterest does not grow their user base fast enough to capitalize on these projects. However, as the table below suggests user acquisition has been on a positive trend.

Pinterest Earnings Presentation

Pinterest Earnings Presentation

Management Evaluation

Pinterest’s leadership team has undergone a recent transformation. Bill Ready , with extensive experience in commerce and payment, having previously served at Google ( GOOG ) and PayPal ( PYPL ), took over as CEO in mid-2022. He holds significant stock options, which I consider a “high alignment ratio” with the company success. He took over Ben Silbermann, who is one of Pinterest cofounders and who still has significant voting power along with Paul Sciarra who is Pinterest other co-founder according to the latest 10 Q . Pinterest third cofounder is Evan Sharp , who transitioned out of an operation role in 2021. However, Sharp, is still supporting the company in an advisory capacity but SEC filings do not mention him as a controlling member.

A pie chart with numbers and a diagram Description automatically generated

Joining Ready is CFO Julia Brau Donnelly , who brings expertise in finance and accounting from her previous role at Wayfair ( W ). While she’s new to the industry, her credentials suggest a smooth transition.

I believe, that this new leadership teams reflects Pinterest’s focus on fresh ideas for continued growth. Partnerships with Amazon and Google are an example of this strategic shift. While user base growth remains a focus, and any new leadership transition requires adjustments, I find that the new management appointment have been meet with positive approval according to Glassdoor. Considering all the factors, I am inclined to give the current management a “Meet Expectations” rating.

A screenshot of a review Description automatically generated

Corporate Strategy

Pinterest’s corporate strategy revolves around transforming the platform into the premier destination for inspiration-driving shopping. I find that they have this three-pronged approach:

  • Seamless Shopping: features like direct links and advanced ad measurement tools facilitates effortless purchases directly within the platform by using partnerships with Amazon.
  • AI- powered personalization: leveraging AI to personalize content and ad recommendations to user interests, leading to higher conversation rates
  • International monetization: with a substantial international user base, Pinterest is forging a partnership with Google to unlock advertising revenue opportunities in those markets.

I have created the table below to compare their strategy to its competitors.

DAU is approximate

Source: From companies’ website, presentations, Pew Research

Pinterest currently trades at around $41.44 after jumping around 20% after reporting earnings in late April. Employing a conservative 11% discount rate ((r)). This represents a hurdle rate that an investor expects to receive considering time value and inherent risk of that investment. To calculate it, I used a 5% rate for time value in addition to a 6% average market premium.

Then, using a simple 10 year two staged DCF calculator and I reversed the formula to obtain its implied FCF growth rate which is around 20%.

$41.44 = sum^10 FCF (1 + "X") / 1+r) + TV FCF (1+g) / (1+r)

*I added Book Value in the calculation

That is, the market currently anticipates Pinterest FCF to grow at 20% this year. However, Pinterest expected FCF growth is 41.83%. So, valuation seems to be undervalued.

A green and white rectangle with a letter Description automatically generated

Technical Analysis

The stock price has positive momentum due to several factors including a bounce in online advertisement spending and new growth projects. Further, I see the company has healthy financials with low debt and increasing FCF. The company also has smoother revenue with a positive trend. However, the stock is at a 52-week high after a 20% jump after the last earnings report so I believe it will find some resistance pressure at $43 pending more information. Therefore, I believe the stock will fluctuate between $40-$45. I will revisit my investment thesis as needed.

Next earnings report is estimated to be July 31.

A graph showing a line Description automatically generated

TradingView

Pinterest smashed earnings with record user growth of 12% and revenue increase of 23% on a YoY basis. Next quarter’s projected EPS growth suggests continued momentum. Their engaged user base, particularly affluent Gen Zers, aligns with their focus on shoppable features. High conversion rates further strengthen their appeal to advertisers. In my opinion they are financially strong with low debt and rising free cash flow and under a new leadership prioritizing a growth strategy, Pinterest leverages AI to personalize experiences and drive conversions. While user base expansion remain a focus and the current stock price has found some pressure at its 52-week high, I will take a price weakness in the stock as a buying opportunity. For this reason, I am starting the coverage of the stock with a cautious Buy.

This article was written by

Matteo Sada, CFA profile picture

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of PINS either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Recommended For You

About pins stock, more on pins, related stocks, trending analysis, trending news.

thesis feature article

The New Sonos App and Future Feature Updates

We set out to create a more personalized and effortless listening experience with the updated Sonos app. It was rebuilt from the ground up to ensure it could support future innovation in the years to come. For its initial rollout, we focused on how we could answer some of the most common requests from our customers, including increased reliability, performance, and faster access to music.

Many of you have shared valuable feedback on both the improvements that have made your experience better, as well as the areas where we fell short. We are listening to all of your comments and working to address them as quickly as possible. Over the coming weeks, we will reintroduce the below features, while fixing bugs and performance issues. Thank you for your engagement and we look forward to building upon this first step to create a listening experience that meets everyone’s needs.

Available now

To access these changes, check for updates in the iOS / Android app store to download the latest version of the Sonos app. Make sure your Sonos products are also up to date .

Last updated: May 21, 2024. See release notes .

  • VoiceOver on iOS now properly interacts with individual elements of the Sonos app's home screen - and now adds improved VoiceOver support for allowing for navigating and controlling the Now Playing Screen, System View, Output Selector, Queue, Volume Sliders, and Add Product
  • Improved TalkBack support for the Now Playing Screen, System View, and Add Product
  • Improved Local Music Library playback of folders
  • Adding and editing alarms with the ability to Search for content

Coming soon

  • Continued improvements to navigation for visually-impaired customers: mid-June
  • Adding to queue and playing next: early June
  • Use the Sonos app for macOS or Windows or Sonos Voice Control to set sleep timers today.
  • Local music library search and playback: mid-June
  • Update WiFi settings: mid-June
  • Snooze alarms: TBD

Known issues and workarounds

"sign in as the system owner" error while updating products during setup.

  • Workaround: No workaround currently available.

Our latest update resolves some of the most critical known issues, but know we have more to do. We hear your feedback and are working hard to deliver the experience you expect and deserve.

Still need help?

Our technicians can help over the phone or with a live chat. You can also ask questions and find answers with other Sonos owners in our Sonos Community.

Ask the Community

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  2. Feature Writing

  3. How to create a feature definition from selection

  4. What Is a master's Thesis (5 Characteristics of an A Plus Thesis)

  5. Feature Writing: The Basics

  6. Differences Between Thesis Abstract and Research Article Abstract

COMMENTS

  1. How to write a feature article

    Pitching. Once you have a firm idea of your subject, the publication, the audience, and the appropriate section, you are ready to make a pitch to the editor. Be targeted —Once you've selected the journal, think about which section to target within the journal, and make this clear. Be concise —Your pitch should be one or two paragraphs in ...

  2. Feature writing: Crafting research-based stories with characters

    The first draft of the 1,500-word public affairs feature article described above will be assigned for the second class of Week 5 (in two weeks). ... A summary of research-based evidence that supports the story's main thesis. An assessment of what reporting gaps remain and how they might be filled. Class 2: Outlining the story ...

  3. How to Write a Feature Article That Generates Mind-Blowing Traffic

    In this feature article example, Hubspot did a great job in this 3-minutes-read 'How-To' feature article. According to Ahref, this article brings more than 18,000 visits to the blog monthly ...

  4. PDF How to write a feature article

    1. Review the structure of a feature - what you used to analyze those articles on Perusall: • Hook • Nut graf • Initial research • Use of research throughout • Use of visuals • Conclusion 2. Write the text of your article. 3. Turn that text into a feature article in one of two ways:

  5. How to Write a Feature Article: A Step-by-Step Guide

    The first step in feature story writing is selecting a unique and compelling angle or theme for your story. Look for an aspect of the topic that hasn't been explored widely, or find a fresh perspective that can pique readers' curiosity. 2. Conduct Thorough Research: Solid research is the foundation of any feature story.

  6. What Is a Thesis?

    Revised on April 16, 2024. A thesis is a type of research paper based on your original research. It is usually submitted as the final step of a master's program or a capstone to a bachelor's degree. Writing a thesis can be a daunting experience. Other than a dissertation, it is one of the longest pieces of writing students typically complete.

  7. A Reporter Explains His Approach to Writing News and Features

    For Mr. Barnes, the main difference between a news article and a feature isn't the word count, the number of interviews involved or how long he spends drafting it: "The writing process changes ...

  8. The State of Feature Writing Today

    Writing feature stories: How to research and write newspaper and magazine articles. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin. Google Scholar. Ricketson M. (2015). When slow news is good news: Book-length journalism's role in extending and enlarging daily news. Journalism Practice, 4, 1-14.

  9. How to Write a Feature Article

    Essential Elements of a Captivating Feature Article. A successful feature article captures the reader's interest from the start with a compelling headline and a hook in the introduction. It includes: Engaging Headlines: Craft headlines that intrigue and inform. Strong Lead: Start with a hook that grabs attention. Narrative Flow: Maintain a ...

  10. How to Research Effectively for Feature Articles

    4 Analyze your data. Another effective research strategy for feature articles is to analyze your data and information critically and creatively. You should not just report what you find, but also ...

  11. How to write a conclusion for a feature article

    Draw to a close with a wrapup and kicker. The end is here In the conclusion of the feature-style story structure, tell readers what you told 'em. Image by Robyn Mackenzie. End with a bang. Leave a lasting impression in the kicker. Razzle-dazzle ending: Surprise and delight readers with your kicker.

  12. How to Write a PERFECT Feature Article

    FORMATTING AND WRITING STRUCTURE. When creating a feature article, be sure to include: Masthead. The logo or identifying emblem located at the top of the page of the company you are writing the article for. Headline. The title of the article itself. It should be punctual and compelling as to grab the reader's attention.

  13. PDF Feature Articles

    A feature article is always the product of research. If the subject of the feature is someone famous, it is common for the article to be a write-up of an interview. ... Then you will need to establish a thesis to explain why a certain thing is happening, why things are as they are, or what motivates a person to act. Once you have the thesis you ...

  14. How to write a thesis statement + Examples

    It is a brief statement of your paper's main argument. Essentially, you are stating what you will be writing about. Organize your papers in one place. Try Paperpile. No credit card needed. Get 30 days free. You can see your thesis statement as an answer to a question. While it also contains the question, it should really give an answer to the ...

  15. How to Write a Thesis Statement

    Step 2: Write your initial answer. After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process. The internet has had more of a positive than a negative effect on education.

  16. Your Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing a Thesis Research Topic.

    Choose a topic that you're interested in. First things first: double-check with your teachers or supervisor if there are any constraints on your research topic. Once your parameters are clear, it's time to identify what lights you up — after all, you're going to be spending a lot of time thinking about it.

  17. PDF Feature Article Template

    1. Hook / Lead: Grab your reader with a startling fact, challenging question, dramatic description, or interesting story. (Very important in the news). 2. Background: Give the reader any background information they need. 3. "Thesis statement": A sentence that says what the article will describe or explain.

  18. You can get that paper, thesis or grant written

    Hannah James started to fret about her unfinished thesis in March 2017. The then-fourth-year PhD student in archaeological geochemistry had to write about 60,000 words on her analyses of human ...

  19. Structure of a Research Article

    Knowing these elements and the purpose of each serves help you to read and understand academic texts efficiently and effectively, and then apply what you read to your paper or project. Social Science (and Science) original research articles generally follow IMRD: Introduction- Methods-Results-Discussion. Introduction. Introduces topic of article.

  20. Ensemble of Feature Selection Techniques for High Dimensional Data

    This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses & Specialist Projects by ... 1.2 Overview of Thesis Feature selection is an important pre-processing step in data mining that helps in increasing the predictive performance of a model. Feature selection can be categorized

  21. Feature Articles: Thesis Statement

    Feature Articles: Thesis Statement by Colin White - December 4, 2013

  22. Catchy titles for feature articles and writing

    Writing a appealing title and overview of articles may be the most most most most challenging part of preparing an itemized piece. When used effectively, the title and introduction together may well be a hook to capture the readers' interest and lead them to continue studying. Every one of these parts need to know , must be addressed ...

  23. Thieme E-Books & E-Journals

    Issue 01/1997. Kotora, Matin; Negishi, Ei-ichi: Highly Efficient and Selective Procedures for the Synthesis of γ-Alkylidenebutenolides via Palladium-Catalyzed Ene-Yne Coupling and Palladium- or Silver Catalyzed Lactonization of ( Z )-2-En-4-ynoic Acids. Synthesis of Rubrolides A, C, D, and E.

  24. Risk of heart failure in inflammatory bowel disease: a Swedish

    They can be cited using the author(s), article title, journal title, year of online publication, and DOI. They will be replaced by the final typeset articles, which may therefore contain changes. The DOI will remain the same throughout.

  25. The Stock Market Will Rise 50% by 2030 As Roaring 20s' Thesis Is Intact

    With the stock market trading at record highs, the "Roaring 20s" thesis is alive and well. That's according to Ed Yardeni, who expects the Dow and S&P 500 to soar 50% by 2030.

  26. Full article: A function improving tip loss correction of blade-element

    3.1. The role of load effect. The fundamental defect of the Glauert tip loss factor lies in assuming the rotor is lightly loaded (Sørensen Citation 2016).Such an assumption means the rotor's thrust coefficient C T, which is defined as follows, is regarded as approximately equal to zero. (6) C T = T 1 2 ρ V 0 2 A (6) where T is the thrust load of the rotor, ρ is the air density, V 0 is the ...

  27. PDF How to write a feature article

    Step One: Analyzing feature articles. Look at. Presentation about writing the feature. Chart of what goes in an article (introduction etc). In Perusall, pick one of the features that are labeled "Mentor Texts" on Perusall. Follow the instructions to: describe the type of introduction/hook,

  28. Advances in Image-based Data Hiding, Feature Detection, Grid Alignment

    Data embedding tools such as barcodes are very popular nowadays but not aesthetically pleasing. In this research, we propose a watermarking scheme and an image-based surface coding scheme using the grid points as fiducial markers and the shifted points as data-bearing features. Detecting and aligning point grids play a fundamental role in these applications. Joint determination of non-grid ...

  29. Pinterest: Shoppable Features, Healthy Financials, And A Bullish Future

    Investment Thesis . Pinterest (NYSE:PINS)beat earnings estimates by 42.86% for the last quarter, reporting $0.20 Normalized EPS vs $0.14 expected. In fact, revenue has been increasing at a faster ...

  30. The New Sonos App and Future Feature Updates

    Coming soon. Continued improvements to navigation for visually-impaired customers: mid-June. Adding to queue and playing next: early June. Sleep timer: mid-June. Use the Sonos app for macOS or Windows or Sonos Voice Control to set sleep timers today. Local music library search and playback: mid-June. Update WiFi settings: mid-June.