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完美撰題八大原則八：尋找耐人尋味、有啟發力的題目
【學術專欄】
8 Ways to Choose a Perfect Research Paper Topic # 8 – Find a topic that is intriguing or can teach
完美撰題八大原則八：尋找耐人尋味、有啟發力的題目
在學術寫作中，「完美」是相對的，但也是我們追求的理想。想寫出完美的研究報告，首先選擇題目必須明智。本次學術專欄特別推出「完美撰題八大原則」，為大家介紹選擇題目的原則，每項原則將定期刊登於TPS專頁。
“Perfect” is a relative term in academic writing, but it always is the ideal. The first rule in the pursuit of perfection in a paper is to choose a topic wisely. This essay introduces and explains one guide in selecting a topic. Each guide is contained in “8 Guides in Choosing a Perfect Research Paper Topic” and will be posted on the TPS Fan page as introduced.
#8 – Find a topic that is intriguing or can teach
原則八 尋找耐人尋味、有啟發力的題目
In choosing a research paper topic, a writer should make a genuine effort to find one that forces him to learn something. This rule is a tough one for someone who already knows it all. For the rest of us, it applies. A familiar topic not only is more likely to have been beaten to death by previous writers, it is apt to produce nothing new. Whereas an intriguing topic will spur a curious researcher to dig, and the writer’s evident conviction will come through in the paper.
選擇研究論文題目時，應該竭力尋找能讓你從中學習的題目。這條原則對於已對主題知之甚詳的人來說不容易，卻很適合其他人。常見的題目可能已經由前人徹底討論過，也不容易有新意，而耐人尋味的題目能驅使富求知慾的研究者深入探索，在整篇論文中清楚展現研究決心。
Obviously, a writer can be too ambitious. Even when preliminary research indicates a plethora of sources are available on a topic of genuine interest, the time allowed to plumb them all might be too short. Or the complexity of a multi-layered topic might preclude handling the topic in a single paper. So finding a possible topic to be interesting is only good to a point; it also must be a topic that is suitable for encapsulating in a research paper of finite length.
當然，研究者也可能野心太高。即使初步研究顯示你感興趣的題目有非常豐富的資料，也可能時間不足，無法一一探究；也可能題目層次豐富，較為複雜，無法在單篇論文中討論清楚。所以題目除了有趣，也必須適合在篇幅有限的論文中討論。
In short, daring to delve into unfamiliar territory is a test of one’s desire to produce a paper of worth. It is an indicator of the mindset of an academic writer. Unwillingness to explore and to risk failure in a quest for learning suggests that a writer is a poseur. The cachet of scholarship and academia—and, of course, the incredible benefit of knowledge—is enviable, but the prestige comes from hard work and exemplary conviction. In other words, the title “scholar” is earned.
簡言之，勇於鑽研不熟悉的領域，可以考驗一個人是否真的想寫出有價值的論文，展現學者的氣度。在求知過程中，不願意潛心鑽研、忍受失敗，表示研究者不過是裝腔作勢。在我們羨慕學者的名聲，及知識的無盡好處時，別忘了這些威望來自勤勉為學，以及足為典範的研究心志。可以說，學者的名號是奮鬥的果實。
完美撰題八大原則八：尋找耐人尋味、有啟發力的題目
在學術寫作中，「完美」是相對的，但也是我們追求的理想。想寫出完美的研究報告，首先選擇題目必須明智。本次學術專欄特別推出「完美撰題八大原則」，為大家介紹選擇題目的原則，每項原則將定期刊登於TPS專頁。
“Perfect” is a relative term in academic writing, but it always is the ideal. The first rule in the pursuit of perfection in a paper is to choose a topic wisely. This essay introduces and explains one guide in selecting a topic. Each guide is contained in “8 Guides in Choosing a Perfect Research Paper Topic” and will be posted on the TPS Fan page as introduced.
#8 – Find a topic that is intriguing or can teach
原則八 尋找耐人尋味、有啟發力的題目
In choosing a research paper topic, a writer should make a genuine effort to find one that forces him to learn something. This rule is a tough one for someone who already knows it all. For the rest of us, it applies. A familiar topic not only is more likely to have been beaten to death by previous writers, it is apt to produce nothing new. Whereas an intriguing topic will spur a curious researcher to dig, and the writer’s evident conviction will come through in the paper.
選擇研究論文題目時，應該竭力尋找能讓你從中學習的題目。這條原則對於已對主題知之甚詳的人來說不容易，卻很適合其他人。常見的題目可能已經由前人徹底討論過，也不容易有新意，而耐人尋味的題目能驅使富求知慾的研究者深入探索，在整篇論文中清楚展現研究決心。
Obviously, a writer can be too ambitious. Even when preliminary research indicates a plethora of sources are available on a topic of genuine interest, the time allowed to plumb them all might be too short. Or the complexity of a multi-layered topic might preclude handling the topic in a single paper. So finding a possible topic to be interesting is only good to a point; it also must be a topic that is suitable for encapsulating in a research paper of finite length.
當然，研究者也可能野心太高。即使初步研究顯示你感興趣的題目有非常豐富的資料，也可能時間不足，無法一一探究；也可能題目層次豐富，較為複雜，無法在單篇論文中討論清楚。所以題目除了有趣，也必須適合在篇幅有限的論文中討論。
In short, daring to delve into unfamiliar territory is a test of one’s desire to produce a paper of worth. It is an indicator of the mindset of an academic writer. Unwillingness to explore and to risk failure in a quest for learning suggests that a writer is a poseur. The cachet of scholarship and academia—and, of course, the incredible benefit of knowledge—is enviable, but the prestige comes from hard work and exemplary conviction. In other words, the title “scholar” is earned.
簡言之，勇於鑽研不熟悉的領域，可以考驗一個人是否真的想寫出有價值的論文，展現學者的氣度。在求知過程中，不願意潛心鑽研、忍受失敗，表示研究者不過是裝腔作勢。在我們羨慕學者的名聲，及知識的無盡好處時，別忘了這些威望來自勤勉為學，以及足為典範的研究心志。可以說，學者的名號是奮鬥的果實。
