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學術界的人都很忙，永遠有比寫學術論文更要緊的事，論文截稿或發表期限往往一不小心就被忽略了，最後只能在緊要關頭手忙腳亂地完成。這種被死線追著跑的過程可謂苦不堪言。其實，輕輕鬆鬆按時交稿跟任何習慣一樣，是學得來的。此系列將逐一介紹有哪些習慣可減少面對截稿期限的恐懼，還能增進論文的品質，最後會在TPS粉絲專頁為各位做個總整理。
Authors of academic papers have other things to do. In the general busyness of academia, the deadline for a paper to be handed in or published can get overlooked. The subsequent scramble to complete the paper on time can be painful. Painless deadline-meeting can be learned like any other habit. This series will describe some habits that not only make deadlines less threatening but can improve the quality of the papers themselves. Each of the habits will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.

Good Habit # 2 – Do the worst first
從最討厭的部分開始

This habit is a good one to develop for any sort of task. It plays to a writer’s psychology (or anyone else’s psychology) through deferred gratification. It holds in reserve something to do that a person happily anticipates doing rather than dreads doing. Dread is not a motivator. It doesn’t spur movement. Thus, when a dreaded part of a task is still ahead, people put it off till… “later.” They drag out the enjoyable tasks, milking them more than being enriched by them. The impact is very much like the spinning of wheels: Momentum is slowed just when a final push is needed.
養成這項習慣，做任何工作都將無往不利，就是把喜歡做、想做的留到最後再做，而不要將畏懼做的留到最後。這項習慣操弄了作者或任何人的心理，給人倒吃甘蔗的錯覺，畢竟畏懼是激不起鬥志的，無法鞭策行動。當還有令人害怕的工作等在前頭，最常見的反應就是「等一下」再做，但一旦拖延，連喜歡做的也一起延後了，不但沒有因為做喜歡做的事感到滿足，反而只會感到被榨乾般精疲力竭，好比轉動中的輪子，正需最後衝刺之際，轉速反而慢了下來，動力漸失。

To use thisstrategy of worst-first, it is important that a writer-researcher know himself.He should acknowledge to himself his least favorite tasks. Example: If perusingbound, published material is more enjoyable than compiling data from loose-leafand online sources, do the tedious collection before the reading. Also, researchrequires meticulous note-taking and ordering of notes, or else it is wastedeffort; if you don’t like taking and ordering notes—do them now, carefully, without deferring them till… “later.”You know what you don’t like. Go ahead and get it out of the way.
要從討厭的部分開始做，作者或研究者首先要了解自己，承認自己最討厭做哪些事情。比如說，如果覺得細讀裝訂好的文獻刊物比整理網路或散裝資料來得愉快，就在開始閱讀前先把枯燥的資料蒐集部分做完。又例如做研究需鉅細靡遺地作筆記並整理筆記，否則一切努力都是徒勞。如果你不喜歡作筆記、整理筆記，現在就做，謹慎小心地做，不要「等一下」。你很清楚自己不喜歡甚麼，就先把它們做完，別讓這些絆腳石拖累你的進度。

Once again, this habit of ordering necessary tasksaccording to personal likes and dislikes can only be developed if awriter-researcher has discipline. When someone has proceeded to a point whereacademic writing is a regular part of his life, the assumption is that theperson can regulate his activity. He can do what he knows he needs to do, rather than wants to do.Another example: If second drafts are a problem for a writer, he should do itwithin a day or two of the first draft, rather than waiting till… “later.” Whenthe worst is behind, such procrastination is not a problem.
我再次強調，這項根據喜好排列工作優先順序的習慣，唯有當研究者能自律才培養得起來。如果學術寫作早已成為你生活中的一部分，你就必須懂得約束自己的行為，知道自己必須做甚麼，而不是想要做甚麼。再舉個例子。如果寫第二份草稿是你最討厭的部分，就應該在完成第一份草稿的一、兩天內寫完第二份草稿，千萬不要「等一下」。 只要先解決最討厭的部分，拖延的症頭就會不藥而癒了。

Dear Fans,

Wewill take a break April 4-7 for Tomb Sweeping Day, tipping our hats to ourancestors, without whom, of course, we wouldn’t be who we are. We hope you willdo the same plus enjoy a short vacation from the academic life. We’ll be backnext week with some more academic assistance. See you then!


TPS Team

學術界的人都很忙，永遠有比寫學術論文更要緊的事，論文截稿或發表期限往往一不小心就被忽略了，最後只能在緊要關頭手忙腳亂地完成。這種被死線追著跑的過程可謂苦不堪言。其實，輕輕鬆鬆按時交稿跟任何習慣一樣，是學得來的。此系列將逐一介紹有哪些習慣可減少面對截稿期限的恐懼，還能增進論文的品質，最後會在TPS粉絲專頁為各位做個總整理。
Authors of academic papers have other things to do. In the general busyness of academia, the deadline for a paper to be handed in or published can get overlooked. The subsequent scramble to complete the paper on time can be painful. Painless deadline-meeting can be learned like any other habit. This series will describe some habits that not only make deadlines less threatening but can improve the quality of the papers themselves. Each of the habits will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.

Good Habit # 1 – Get started
好習慣之一 開始做就對了

For all the talk about a deadline being a motivator and a planning tool, it mostly is an unforgiving date looming in the distance. As one draws nearer to it, it looms higher. In the shadow of it, a deadline can be quite terrifying. A disciplined academic writer knows this and accepts this. A smart disciplined writer goes one step further and takes steps to remove the terror from a deadline so that it doesn’t loom at all. It becomes simply another date on a calendar. The first habit about deadlines that a smart writer develops is to start working on a paper as soon as it is assigned.
常有人說期限是督促你努力的動力來源，讓你事先規劃的工具，但多數人仍視它為遠方若隱若現的無情猛獸，越靠近它，它就越是張牙舞爪。時時刻刻籠罩在它的陰影下，期限著實令人畏懼。自律的作者了解、也接受這點，而聰明的作者懂得搶先一步，採取行動，屏除期限如影隨形的恐懼。期限不過是行事曆上的一個日期，而聰明的作者培養的第一個好習慣，就是在知道有這篇論文要寫之後，就馬上著手進行。

Early starts aren’t all about use of time and making every day count, though that is important. Writers who take a small sabbatical at the beginning of every paper project are not just wasting time—though they are—they also are indulging themselves. We all know some indulgences are better than others, with timing often being the critical issue. A runner who lets himself be distracted at the start of a race pays a price and curses his luck. A writer who gives his mind a break when he should be brainstorming a subject will find other excuses as a project goes along.
早點開始並不單只是為了充分利用每一天的時間，當然這點很重要。而是若在每篇論文寫作開始前都先放自己一點假，想當然耳時間是一定浪費了，還放縱了自己。適時放縱、寵愛自己是好的，但時間點常常是關鍵。賽跑選手若在比賽一開始就讓自己分心，一定會付出慘痛的代價，根本是自掘墳墓。同理，明明是該全神貫注思考的時候卻讓自己的心放大假，在寫作期間一定還會不斷找藉口拖延。

This falls under the heading of Discipline. I repeat, starting a project on day one is not just about use of time. It is about becoming mentally engaged in a project at the outset, rather than at some later date. After all, an academic paper should not be a dreaded assignment. It is an opportunity to stir your intellect, learn something new, and advance your academic career through research and writing. What is to dread about that? Neither should a deadline be dreaded. It is just another appointment on your academic calendar, just another part of your scholarly routine. Get started!
這就是自律。我再強調一次，從知道有這篇論文的第一天就開始著手，不僅是為了充分利用時間，而是讓自己在一開始就做好投入的心理準備，免得之後措手不及。畢竟學術論文不該是件可怕的工作，而是一個機會，讓你透過研究和寫作來鍛鍊腦力、學習新知、提升學術涵養，這有甚麼可怕的呢？截稿期限也一樣，沒有甚麼好怕的，不過是行事曆上的另一件代辦事項，學者生涯的例行工作之一而已。開始做就對了！

Dear TPS Fans,

Welcome back for an eventful Year of the Snake. It will be a propitious time for writers possessing wisdom, ambition, and determination. Is that you?
We will be there for you as you progress. Stay tuned!

TPS Team

Dear Fans,

We will take a long break Feb. 9-15 for Chinese New Year Holidays. We hope you make a clean sweep of things on the eve of the new year and prepare for another year of learning and academic accomplishment. We will do the same and be back Feb. 18.

Till next year…!

TPS Team

很多字詞並非表面所見的意思，字詞的組合會產生不同的解釋。這樣的慣用法，我們稱之為「比喻」。一個成功的比喻，作者本身必須相當瞭解字詞的源起。以下的句子為讀者介紹一個比喻及其來源。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed word or set of words is called a “figure of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the word or phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.

“When the morning sunlight struck the fallen snow, tiny explosions of light made me turn away and shake my eyes free of dazzlement.”
晨光照在皚皚白雪上，有如無數火光迸發，逼得我轉過頭、拼命眨眼而無法直視。

Explosions are marked by violent change. A settled piece of soil suddenly is sent skyward by TNT. A quiet room instantly is rocked by a gunshot that leaves ringing in our ears. The altered state not only is dramatic in its sweep—from zero to 10 on a 10-point scale of change—it occurs in a split second. The human reaction to such change is protective. Our instinctive response to a percussive explosion, whether or not it actually threatens us, is to tense our muscles and senses. We wince, crouch, turn and run, protect our ears or eyes, sometimes cry out or gasp in alarm.
爆裂是霎時劇烈的改變，例如炸彈一引爆，泥土瞬間向空中飛散，或靜悄悄的房間突然傳出一聲槍響，震耳欲聾。狀態驟變程度之大，若以零到十的量尺比喻，便是瞬間從零變到十，一切發生在電光石火之間。人類對突如其來改變的本能反應是保護自己。面對爆炸，不論是否直接威脅生命安全，我們總會不自主的繃緊神經，張開所有感官嚴陣以待。我們會弓起身子、蹲伏壓低、轉身跑離，護著眼睛和耳朵，有時還會大叫、驚魂未甫地喘氣。

To describe the glint of sunlight off a blanket of fresh, white snow as “explosions of light” conveys several properties of the light. First, it is bright. Nothing in the imagery, nor in our experience, suggests that a bright sun and snow produce soft light. It is piercing in its intensity. Furthermore, when the angle of the sunlight and pitch of the earth is just right, the ricocheting light beams strike our retinas and the effect is dazzling. What do we do? We blink our eyes, turn our head, exclaim about the brightness—as if our eyesight had been assaulted by an… explosion.
將太陽照射在雪白大地的閃耀金光形容為「迸發的火光」，傳達出這種光線的若干特性。首先，光線很刺眼。不論想像或實際經驗皆告訴我們，太陽和白雪不可能組合出柔和的光線，絕對是如同針般刺眼。況且當陽光和地面角度剛好時，光束直射到視網膜上，會產生目眩神迷的效果。我們的反應呢？我們會拼命眨眼，撇過頭，口裡嚷著好刺眼—與我們眼睛受到爆炸突襲的反應不正如出一轍嗎。

TPS的編輯教授在此歡迎關於學術文章的所有詢問，當然，其實他並沒有足夠的時間給你。他擁有終身教職的教授身份，也是著名的學術巨作作者。即便如此，他仍大方地接受你們的詢問。將關於學術方面的詢問寫在下方，你將獲得教授的親自指導，陶冶對學術的探索與啟發。
The professor awaits your query on academic writing, though in all honesty, he doesn’t have a lot of time for you. He is a tenured full professor and working on yet another magnificent academic tome. Even so, he has graciously consented to entertain your question. Submit it and prepare to be edified.

QUESTION: I once listened as a scholar talked about the need to make an academic paper not only content-rich and weighty, but also “charming.” That sounded too trendy to me and not very scholarly. Is there anything to the scholar’s suggestion?
我曾聽一位學者說，學術論文不只要言之有物，有所貢獻，還要「有魅力」。這觀念我是頭一次聽到，似乎不符學術規範，想請教您對這位學者的建議有何看法？

Do you wish to be charming? Do you wish to charm your professor? If we were honest, each of us would admit to wanting to be charming. After all, to charm is to be found extremely pleasing or delightful. How is that not desirable? The problem is that while all children are deemed charming, the quality usually is ascribed to someone of the opposite gender. Women find men charming and vice versa, whereas men usually aren’t “charmed” by other men, and so on. There is an unspoken seductive import to the word as it usually is employed in our conversations.
你希望自己有魅力嗎？希望博得教授的青睞嗎？捫心自問，每個人都會希望自己是個有魅力的人。畢竟所謂有魅力，便意味著你非常討人喜歡，讓人賞心悅目，這樣的特質怎可能有人不愛呢？不過，雖然我們會說小孩子討喜，魅力這個詞通常用來形容異性，例如有魅力的男性讓女性一見傾心，有魅力的女性讓男性傾國傾城，而同性之間則較少互相「吸引」。對話中若形容誰有魅力，往往隱含著一種無法言喻的誘惑。

The professor was not strictly thinking of seduction in recommending that writers strive to be charming. He was talking about writing appealingly. Some scholars believe that turgid writing is the way to capture the attention of peers, with pomposity always preferable to simplicity. Others have convinced themselves that colorless, didactic, and wooden writing is the way to communicate with academic peers. The scholar you mention obviously believes story-telling, vivid imagery, light humor, and irony are not prohibited in formal writing. They are effective.
當然，那位學者絕不是建議作者在字裡行間散發魅力，誘惑讀者，而是要寫得引人入勝。有些學者認為花俏的寫作方式能吸引論文評審，畢竟華麗向來比簡約容易入眼。但亦有人深信，樸質無華、循規蹈矩、一板一眼的寫作方法最能與學術圈同行溝通。你說的那位學者顯然不介意在正式學術論文中講故事、描繪生動畫面、表現詼諧風趣或譏諷挖苦。而這些方法確實有效。

After all, a reader who is charmed is more likely to be persuaded to a point of view, to be convinced of a proposition. The perhaps unfortunate truth is that men and women who are presentable and likeable are more promotable than unkempt and surly people, no matter their credentials. In the same way, while substance and research should not be compromised, nor the formatted rules of academic writing violated, there is wisdom in writing papers that are enjoyable, even fun, to read. Academic peers and professors are not immune to the appeal of charm.
若讀者深受文章吸引，便較可能被論點說服，接受某種見解。事實是，不論實力高低，登得了檯面、受人喜愛的人比起蓬頭垢面、陰沉抑鬱的人往往更有賣點。同理可證，若學術內涵與研究深度達一定水準，且不違反學術寫作格式，能運用點巧思讓論文讀起來趣味盎然，甚至引人發噱也未嘗不可，畢竟論文評審和教授們可不是一群不苟言笑的老學究啊。

Answer: We believe the sentence is best completed this way:

“The surface of the water rippled almost imperceptibly as the huge crocodiles tucked their feet and raced toward the tipped canoe like children to spilled candy.”

The glee of children scrambling to get candy accidentally spilled onto a floor might seem inapt in describing the horror of crocodiles swimming toward people spilled into the water. Yet the juxtaposition of horror and delight tends to magnify each. Thus, the thought of crocodiles swimming to consume swimmers is made more chilling by comparing it to children running to consume candy. Furthermore, from the crocodiles’ point of view, the comparison is straight-forward—people are like candy to them—and just like the children, the crocodiles know that the first croc on the scene will get the biggest portion. Writing that vivifies through word choices and images strengthens the hold on a reader.
一群孩童喜出望外地衝向散落一地的糖果，乍看之下，並不適合用來形容一群虎視眈眈的鱷魚衝向意外落水的遊客，然而驚悚與歡樂並陳，似乎別有放大效果。鱷魚迫不及待向遊客游去的恐怖畫面，在孩童爭先恐後跑向糖果的強烈對比下，格外令人不寒而慄。而且若從鱷魚的角度看來，這樣的比較倒是再貼切不過了—人肉對鱷魚來說，不正如糖果般可口嗎。跟孩童心想的一樣，鱷魚也懂得先搶先贏。如此精妙的選字讓意象躍然紙上，最能擄獲讀者的感官。

怎麼寫出好句子沒有標準答案，不過起碼我們知道，優秀的句子每個環節都很完美。下面有一句未完成的句子，請用五個字以內完成句子接龍，寫出完整的句子。最先完成句子，並寫出最佳解答的一位TPS 粉絲，將獲得兩百元誠品圖書商場購物禮卷；另增設特別獎一名，頒給符合文意又別具創意的粉絲。接龍解答與獲獎粉絲姓名將在明天公布於本 TPS 專頁，敬請密切鎖定、先睹為快！
No formula exists for the writing of a superior sentence, but this much is known: The best sentence has no weak part. The following sentence is incomplete. In five or fewer words, complete the sentence in a way that strengthens the whole of it. The first TPS Fan to complete the sentence as we believe it is best completed will win a NTD200 Eslite Bookstore and Shopping Mall Gift Certificate. Another Eslite certificate will be awarded to the first Fan to complete it in an alternate way that, in our estimation, also is effective. The explanation and the names of the winners will be published tomorrow on this TPS Fans page.

題目Contest Sentence:

“The surface of the water rippled almost imperceptibly as the huge crocodiles tucked their feet and raced toward the tipped canoe like __ __ __ __ __.”

並非所有與學術議題相關的文章，就能稱之為「學術文章」。本篇專欄將節錄不同學術議題的內容，分析常見的寫作錯誤，並分享潤修與寫作的技巧。
Not all articles written on academic topics are written in proper academic English. This column examines short excerpts from academic texts to illustrate common writing errors and to explain how to correct them.

Unacceptable 不被認可的文章

“The unearthed calendar caught the archaeologists by surprise because it seemed to be a combination of modern and ancient calendars, and that was not a good thing. The calendar clearly was post-Gregorian in its arithmetic, yet it showed Roman events and holidays that everyone believes the Roman civilization stopped celebrating before Pope Gregory ascended to the papacy. The team leader, Dr. Geoffrey Antiopas, called his team together in the field office to resolve the questions raised by the unpleasant find. The fear that hovered over everything was that finding a calendar that might not be authentic tainted the entire dig. If the calendar were officially determined to be fraudulent, it threw into question if any of the discovered material was legitimate discovery.”

This paragraph about a jittery scientific field team is quite interesting despite its flaws. The writing illustrates the power of “story,” of the power of a strong topic or argument to compensate for weak writing. A superior paper will have both a strong subject and strong writing. Anyway, the writing is mostly weak for its wordiness and casual wording. The phrase “and that was not a good thing” is an almost comic comment inserted without any context. In another place, the writer asserts that “everyone believes” something, a sweeping remark of universal dimension—everyone? The writer also describes the calendar discovery as “unpleasant” when in fact detecting fraud always is good, if unfortunate. All in all, this is rather sloppy writing.
略過缺點不談，這段描寫感到緊張的科學考察團相當有趣。強調「故事」本身的力道、強健的主題或是論點的力度，能彌補文筆方面的疲弱。好的文章具備強而有力的主題外，也包括有力的寫作手法。亦即，過度雕琢或閒適的文筆會削弱文章的力道。像這句「and that was not a good thing」，在缺乏前後文解釋的情況下，突然插入本句評論顯得相當可笑。另外，作者斷言「眾人皆信」某事物，這話說得過為籠統，與everyone有何干係呢？作者也提到日曆的發現相當「不愉快」。其實若不幸被騙，能偵破這類詐騙事件總歸是件好事。總之，這段文章相當馬虎。

Acceptable 認可的文章

“The unearthed calendar surprised the team of archaeologists because it seemed a compound of modern and ancient calendars. It clearly was post-Gregorian in its arithmetic, yet it depicted Roman events and holidays that scholars believe the Roman civilization stopped celebrating prior to Pope Gregory. Dr. Geoffrey Antiopas assembled his team in the field office to resolve the questions raised by the find. The underlying team fear was that the calendar’s presence at the site could taint the entire dig. Were the calendar officially determined to be fraudulent, it would raise the question about how much, if any, of the excavated material was legitimate discovery.”