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181 Once you have responses to the above questions, you can then organise the information in a coherent manner that will make it easy for the readers to follow. The content of the article will help you decide on the title of your press release. The title should immediately draw the attention of the readers and encourage them to read the press release. It should be short and concise, while reflecting the content of the press release. Remember to keep sentences short and the language simple (especially for a non-specialised audience). Sentences with less than 25 words are preferable. Avoid lengthy explanations as they will deter the attention of the reader. The first paragraph is important. Try and get as much information as possible into the first paragraph. The idea of this is that if a reader was unable to read the press release in its entirety, he or she should be able to get a general grasp of the release just from the first paragraph. The second paragraph should focus on expanding the points highlighted in the first paragraph. The third paragraph provides quotations and additional information related to the article. The fourth paragraph is more of a closing paragraph. It provides a summary of the press release and additional sources of information. Ensure that the press release is within a page. If your press release is 3 pages, it is more of an article than a press release. Do not forget to include contact information at the end of the press release in case someone would like to contact your organisation for additional information or clarifications. If there is an opportunity to include a picture as part of the press release, go for it! 3. Scientific presentation: This is focused on an academic audience. It is usually structured to include the following main sections: Introduction, research questions/objectives, theoretical framework, methodology, findings and conclusions/recommendations. Technical language is usually used because the audience can understand. The presentations can take the form of oral/PowerPoint presentations or poster presentations. Very little text is used is these presentations. One sentence is used to represent an idea/point. The presentation of findings will focus more on graphs, figures, tables and diagrams. The information presented in scientific presentations is usually a summary of a much larger report on the research and its findings. 4. Stories of change. These are stories that explain change that has occurred as result of the project. They are not focused on the research process. Instead they explain how the research led to change in policy, behaviour, attitudes, knowledge or practice (Jones, 2011). Stories can also highlight expected change from research projects that did not happen, thereby using the story to reflect on what went wrong and what could have been done differently. The structure of the presentation is usually one of a story. The table highlights the sections that should be included in the story.
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