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Colby Wyatt
Mrs. Simon
Language Arts 3-4 H
April 1, 2014
Summative Research Assignment
In both articles, the author is very informative about tattoos in the workplace. Both
articles have varying views of tattoos in the workplace, but both have credible views. Both
articles are valid because they use statistics, they use interviews from employees and employers
about tattoos, and they dont use personal views.
First, both articles utilize statistics and data to assist their credibility. Eighteen- to 29-
year-olds rarely think negatively of a person with body art, and nearly 40 percent of this age
group has a tattoo, according to a recent Rutgers poll of 916 registered voters, (Ianieri). In this
article they use this poll as a benchmark of how people feel about tattoos. The poll is valid
because it was done by an esteemed college and they only asked registered voters of that age
group. In the second article, Tattoos No Longer a Kiss of Death in Workplace, they say that
14% of the American population have tattoos and most of them have heard something similar to
Now youre never going to get a job!. Hennessey doesnt rely as heavily on data for credibility
as Ianeiri does, but still incorporates it to boost her validity.
Next, both articles interview people that deal with tattoos in the workplace on a daily
basis. Ianieri interviews David Redlawsk, a Rutgers professor who is the director for the poll that
Rutgers created about tattoos. Redlawsk goes on to say that the people usually judging people
with tattoos are older and are more likely to be the hiring or senior manager which could affect
who ends up getting the open position. Hennessy interviews CEO John Challenger about his
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thoughts on tattoos in the workplace, and he explained that a persons appearance is nowhere
near as important as his or her professional skills. This tells us that if someone if very good at
what they do, it doesnt matter what they look like as long as they get the job done. Both of these
sources Ianieri and Hennessy used are qualified because of how they deal with tattoos on a daily
basis.
Lastly, neither author shows personal views. Everything that Ianieri and Hennessy put in
their articles was backed up by facts or said by another person, and neither one stated any
opinion. This makes the articles very credible as they have no bias within them. They are able to
incorporate what they may think with how they write the article and from what perspective, but
they dont state any opinion within the article which makes it valid. At the end of her article,
Hennessy states that tattoo flaunting is still probably best reserved for post-work hours. Which
is an opinion, but one based on the interviewers comments and one that is not personally stated
by her.
In conclusion, both articles are valid because they both utilize data, both interview people
who deal with tattoos in the workplace, and they both dont use personal opinion or bias in
writing their articles. Both of the authors, Ianeri and Hennessy, wrote these articles to show how
tattoos affected people in the workplace, not personal experiences with tattoos. This makes both
articles credible.





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Works Cited
Ianieri, Brian. "Career-Driven? Tattoos May Not Be For You." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
Hennessey, Rachel. "Tattoos No Longer a Kiss Of Death In The Workplace." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.