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Professor Pedantic 教授的考究學問
【學術專欄】
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 usually pick an off-the-wall topic for a paper when none is assigned, or choose an edgy variation of an assigned theme. My professor generally approves them, but she has suggested that I not try so hard to be different. Isn’t originality a plus in a paper?
寫論文時如果沒有指定主題，我通常挑選特立獨行的題目，如果有指定主題，我會定出最前衛的題目。教授通常會讚許我的題目，但她也建議我不要刻意追求不同。原創性對論文有加分效果嗎？
Is originality of theme and expression a good thing? Absolutely. I suspect this is why your professor doesn’t push too hard to get you to fall more in line with other writers. Kudos to the prof for encouraging fresh thinking! Still, her suggestion that you “not try so hard” is a valid one. It boils down to the difference between serious originality and novelty. The former has real substance, while the latter is more of a veneer of thinking; its shallowness can’t withstand much examination. In a topic search, look for a solid body of material needing fresh presentation.
原創的主題或表達是好的嗎？當然。或許你的教授也因此沒有強迫你做和其他人相同的事。鼓勵創新的教授，給你們拍拍手！不過，她建議你不要「刻意」求異，說得也有道理。歸根究柢，經過深思熟慮的原創性，與單純的新奇並不同。前者有紮實內涵，後者比較像是繡花枕頭，內容膚淺，禁不起檢驗。找題目的時候，應該選擇有充足資料佐證的題目，以獨創性的方式表達。
Another good guide in choosing a topic, which your professor undoubtedly would endorse, is that the material you present actually be useful. Some academic papers are so esoteric that they admittedly are of minimal use to a general readership. Yet to a narrow slice of academia or to a research community, even such papers are wonderfully useful. The utility of a paper is a genuine consideration because a useful paper is a practical one as opposed to a merely academic, or theoretical, one. When scholarship produces material of real-world application, it contributes.
挑選題目還有一個好方法，你的教授無疑也會贊成，那就是判斷你寫出的文章是否有效用。有些學術文章非常深奧，確實對一般讀者來說用處不高；但對某一小群學術人士或研究團體來說，這樣的論文依然極有幫助。論文的效用相當重要，有用的論文不僅是純粹的學術或理論文章，同時也是實用的論文。學者的文章若能應用於現實世界，就有了貢獻。
So by all means, look for topics and themes that are unusual, unpredictable, and even unique. The desire to think for oneself and to examine a topic that has been overlooked or under-reported shows good scholarly instincts. However, an academic paper is not an entertainment venue. The idea is not to surprise or otherwise impress someone with a gimmicky topic. The purpose of a paper is to engage in scholarly conversation, to add to a body of scholarship, to learn and then share what you have learned. If by so doing you introduce a brand new topic, so be it.
因此切記，要尋找與眾不同、出人意表、甚至獨一無二的題目或主題。自己思考、檢驗受忽略或研究不足的題目，這份想法就展現出了學術天份。然而，學術文章並非娛樂，重點不是用噱頭讓人吃驚或譁眾取寵。論文的目的是開啟學術對話，增進學術知識，去學習並分享所學。如果因此引介了全新的主題，就欣然接受吧。
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 usually pick an off-the-wall topic for a paper when none is assigned, or choose an edgy variation of an assigned theme. My professor generally approves them, but she has suggested that I not try so hard to be different. Isn’t originality a plus in a paper?
寫論文時如果沒有指定主題，我通常挑選特立獨行的題目，如果有指定主題，我會定出最前衛的題目。教授通常會讚許我的題目，但她也建議我不要刻意追求不同。原創性對論文有加分效果嗎？
Is originality of theme and expression a good thing? Absolutely. I suspect this is why your professor doesn’t push too hard to get you to fall more in line with other writers. Kudos to the prof for encouraging fresh thinking! Still, her suggestion that you “not try so hard” is a valid one. It boils down to the difference between serious originality and novelty. The former has real substance, while the latter is more of a veneer of thinking; its shallowness can’t withstand much examination. In a topic search, look for a solid body of material needing fresh presentation.
原創的主題或表達是好的嗎？當然。或許你的教授也因此沒有強迫你做和其他人相同的事。鼓勵創新的教授，給你們拍拍手！不過，她建議你不要「刻意」求異，說得也有道理。歸根究柢，經過深思熟慮的原創性，與單純的新奇並不同。前者有紮實內涵，後者比較像是繡花枕頭，內容膚淺，禁不起檢驗。找題目的時候，應該選擇有充足資料佐證的題目，以獨創性的方式表達。
Another good guide in choosing a topic, which your professor undoubtedly would endorse, is that the material you present actually be useful. Some academic papers are so esoteric that they admittedly are of minimal use to a general readership. Yet to a narrow slice of academia or to a research community, even such papers are wonderfully useful. The utility of a paper is a genuine consideration because a useful paper is a practical one as opposed to a merely academic, or theoretical, one. When scholarship produces material of real-world application, it contributes.
挑選題目還有一個好方法，你的教授無疑也會贊成，那就是判斷你寫出的文章是否有效用。有些學術文章非常深奧，確實對一般讀者來說用處不高；但對某一小群學術人士或研究團體來說，這樣的論文依然極有幫助。論文的效用相當重要，有用的論文不僅是純粹的學術或理論文章，同時也是實用的論文。學者的文章若能應用於現實世界，就有了貢獻。
So by all means, look for topics and themes that are unusual, unpredictable, and even unique. The desire to think for oneself and to examine a topic that has been overlooked or under-reported shows good scholarly instincts. However, an academic paper is not an entertainment venue. The idea is not to surprise or otherwise impress someone with a gimmicky topic. The purpose of a paper is to engage in scholarly conversation, to add to a body of scholarship, to learn and then share what you have learned. If by so doing you introduce a brand new topic, so be it.
因此切記，要尋找與眾不同、出人意表、甚至獨一無二的題目或主題。自己思考、檢驗受忽略或研究不足的題目，這份想法就展現出了學術天份。然而，學術文章並非娛樂，重點不是用噱頭讓人吃驚或譁眾取寵。論文的目的是開啟學術對話，增進學術知識，去學習並分享所學。如果因此引介了全新的主題，就欣然接受吧。
