Psychology Question

Description

What is an infographic?

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionnary, an infographic is “a chart, diagram, or illustration (as in a book or magazine or on a website) that uses graphic elements to present information in a visually striking way.” In other words, it incorporates images, visually represented data/information, and text (though minimal) that gives a clear and simple overview of a topic. Therefore, the purpose of an infographic is to use visuals to communicate information quickly, clearly, and concisely.

For examples of non infographics vs a real infographic, see end of this page. Please note that you must ensure your infographic includes all components described below.

Instructions:

You will create a visually interesting one-page infographic with information about a DSM-5 psychological disorder from the course that you are interested in learning more about. Make sure that it is one SPECIFIC disorder from DSM-5 (e.g., major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, etc) and not a general condition or category of disorders (e.g., depression, bipolar, anxiety, eating disorders). The purpose of this assignment is to show that you have adequately researched and understand the disorder, in the areas specified below, using the textbook(s) and other academic material and to show that you are able to integrate information, summarize the main points concisely, and illustrate this information in a visually compelling way. This means that your infographic should NOT consist of only text boxes (even if coloured) or text boxes with a couple pictures. An infographic must incorporate various visuals, such as graphics, pictures, pie charts or visuals to illustrate statistics, etc. The content should be presented in a way that is meaningful. Again, please review the examples below of what is NOT an infographic and what IS an infographic.

Your infographic should be 1 page NOT double sided. Any information that goes beyond 1 page will not be read or marked. Your infographic should include information primarily from the course textbook(s) and online course materials. You may also include information from online academic journal articles (sourced from Google Scholar or the U of M libraries page). Do not use regular websites or google searches as these are not reliable sources of information.

Make sure the sources in your infographic are cited properly, which includes in text citations and a references section at the bottom of your infographic (reference section should be in APA style). To save yourself some room, you may use superscript numbers to denote citations rather than writing out the author’s last name and year of publication. If you choose to write out the author’s last name and year, make sure it is in APA style 7th edition. Be very careful not to plagiarize (passing someone else’s idea off as your own). All information that is not your original idea should be cited, which means that almost all of the information in your infographic should have a citation. DO NOT use direct quotations. The purpose of this assignment is to learn how to concisely summarize important information, as such, direct quotations are not to be used. It is your responsibility to read information from other sources and formulate it into your own ideas, not to copy someone else’s ideas.

In a format of your choosing (PowerPoint, Canva, Photoshop, Google Doc, etc.), create a 1 page visual (see below for size guidelines) that includes the following information about the disorder:

• a title;
• a description of the disorder;
• a note about prevalence of the disorder (you may chose which prevalence rates you’d like to report. For example, it can be overall rates or related to specifics, such as gender, age, country, or other demographics). Only one type of prevalence rate is required but you may include more if you’d like;
• list main symptoms;
• briefly describe main causes (etiology) of the disorder;
• briefly describe current (or potential) treatment methodologies;
• related to the bullet above, provide a brief word about the efficacy of these treatments (e.g,. do they work? Why or why not? What does the research say about how well they work? etc.);
• APA 7th edition formatting
• use superscript numbers to denote references in text (alternatively, the traditional APA style in-text citation is also acceptable)
• in a section at the bottom of the infographic, include the references in APA 7th edition format. Use the matching superscript used for in-text citations. (see below example of a correctly formatted infographic for an example of how to use superscripts for in-text citations and how to format references).
• use subheadings to organize your infographic and to clearly illustrate the various sections. This means that your headings should NOT be the same font size as the text that follows. Make sure that the headings stand out from the text so that the distinction between sections is clear to the reader. You may use larger font size, different font, graphics, etc.
• Size Guidelines: approximately anything in between 800 x 1000px (or 8.5″ x 12″) and 800 x 2000px (or approx. 8″ x 21″). If you’re not sure, feel free to email me.

Your assignment should be saved as a pdf document titled “Lastname_Firstname_title”

You will be graded based on your ability to follow the guidelines above. A grading rubric will be provided through UM Learn so you can review the criteria you will be assessed on more specifically. Be sure to review this grading rubric.

The assignment must be submitted through UM Learn by 11:59pm on March 29, 2024. A late penalty of 10% per day (24hrs; including weekends) will apply, unless otherwise approved by your instructor. Documentation will be required in order to obtain an extension. Please contact your instructor via email to discuss an extension prior to the deadline.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THIS ASSIGNMENT:

This assignment requires a certain level of creativity. Keep this mind as you begin. If you already know (or learn ahead of time) that you struggle with creativity and design, make sure to get a head start on this so that you can do some research and get acquainted with the various programs or features you can use to create your infographic. There are many tools, tutorials, instructions, tips and tricks available online to help you create a proper infographic. If after doing your research, consulting with colleagues, and attempting to create an infographic on your own, you are still experiencing some difficulties, please reach out to me IN ADVANCE (at LEAST 7 days) of the deadline. This will allow me some time to guide you and provide the support that you need so that you can get the assignment done properly and in a timely manner.

Please see below for examples of what an infographic IS NOT and what an infographic IS. These are only guides to illustrate what is acceptable and what is not, but it is your responsibility to ensure you follow the guidelines above and the components outlined in the grading rubric.

REMEMBER: According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionnary, an infographic is “a chart, diagram, or illustration (as in a book or magazine or on a website) that uses graphic elements to present information in a visually striking way.” In other words, it incorporates images, visually represented data/information, and text (though minimal) that gives a clear and simple overview of a topic. Therefore, the purpose of an infographic is to use visuals to communicate information quickly, clearly, and concisely.

Criteria	Proficient	Developing	Not Evident	Points
Content/Accuracy	Includes detailed, yet concise*, sections including the description, etiology, prevalence, main symptoms of the disorder, and treatment methodologies and efficacy of these treatments.	Has sections on the description, etiology, prevalence, main symptoms of the disorder, and treatment methodologies and efficacy of these treatments.	Incomplete or inaccurate sections on the description, etiology, prevalence, main symptoms of the disorder, and treatment methodologies and efficacy of these treatments.	6 points
Design/Layout	The design/layout is neat, clear, and visually appealing.	Is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy.	Is distractingly messy, unattractive, or very poorly designed.	3 points
Graphics/Visual	Color, shape, size, and arrangement of graphics contribute meaning to the overall message	Color, shape, size, and arrangement contribute some meaning.	Color, shape, size, and arrangement are absent, distracting or misleading.	3 points
Grammar & Mechanics	The infographic is relatively free of grammatical errors and spelling & punctuation.	The infographic has some grammatical errors and spelling & punctuation, but it does not detract from the infographic.	Grammatical errors or spelling & punctuation substantially detract from the infographic.	2 points
APA format	Relatively no errors in formatting, citations, or references.	Some errors in formatting, citations, or references, but it does not detract from the infographic.	Errors in formatting, citations, or references detract substantially from the paper.	1 point
TOTAL				15 points

*NOTE. Your infographic should NOT consist of blocks of text (even if the text boxes are coloured). Make sure to carefully review the definition of an infographic, read the instructions carefully, and review the examples provided in the instructions document.

PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF AI AS THIS PROFESSOR CHECKS EVERY SINGLE THING. THANK YOU 🙂