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論文撰寫六大準備技巧一：下定決心，有始有終
【學術專欄】
6 Tips in Preparing to Write Your Dissertation Tip 1: Commit to finishing what you start
論文撰寫六大準備技巧一：下定決心，有始有終
取得碩博士學位的最終步驟是完成論文，然而，撰寫論文的過程通常是既漫長又嚴謹的長期抗戰。本次學術專欄特別推出「論文撰寫六大準備技巧」，幫助你做好準備工作，順利完成論文。每一項準備技巧，將定期刊登於本專欄。
The final step in earning many master and doctorate degrees is completion of a thesis or dissertation. The process involved typically is lengthy and exacting. Following is one of 6 recommendations to help you get started on your dissertation in such a way that you can successfully complete it. Each tip in the series will appear on the TPS Fans page.
Tip # 1 – Commit to finishing what you start
技巧一：下定決心，有始有終
Congratulations on pursuing an advanced degree. The question is, do you really intend to capture it? The pinnacle of the graduate degree process is completion of a dissertation or thesis. Every year, candidates for a degree stop their climb just short of the pinnacle. They become one of the many ABD (All But Dissertation) ex-students whose post-graduate education, while enhancing their lives, failed to produce a credential of value in the workplace. Employers generally are not impressed by applicants who almost earned a graduate degree.
能追求更高深的學位是件好事，問題是，你真的想獲得學位嗎？研讀碩博士學問的最高原則是完成碩博士論文。每年許多碩博士候選人只差一步就能抵達終點，卻無法堅持下去，成為「萬事俱備，只欠論文」 (ABD, All But Dissertation) 的肄業生。研究的所學所聞雖然提升了生活，卻因為沒有證書，無法為職場加分－雇主通常不會太看重「差一點」拿到學位的求職者。
If you have navigated the post-graduate process to this point, resolve to finish the course. A dissertation can take anywhere from a year to several years, depending upon how it fits in a program’s structure and the circumstances of a student’s life. A completed document can run anywhere from 15,000 to 150,000 words, a longer paper than most students have previously undertaken. It follows that completing a dissertation is a daunting prospect for almost any student, regardless of how much a degree is coveted.
如果你在研究所的求學階段一路走來，終於來到撰寫論文這一關，請下定決心完成挑戰。博士論文寫作可能耗費一至數年不等，端視論文是否結合課堂所學以及學生個人情況而定。論文完成後，篇幅可能短則一萬多字，多則近十五萬字都有，多數學生都未曾寫過如此長篇的文章。因此，不管學生多麼想得到學位，撰寫論文都令人望而生畏。
So it is important for any post-graduate degree candidate to understand the purpose and function of a dissertation: It is a tool to define you as a scholar. Because most research and writing for a dissertation occurs without close faculty scrutiny, a candidate must work alone. Must correctly evaluate and filter research material. Must plan and execute interim and final steps. Must recognize effective writing and rigorously self-edit. Must stay on schedule. As you begin your dissertation, now is the time to resolve to grow as a scholar and a person by finishing the task.
所以，碩博士研究生們必須瞭解，論文的目的與功能是用以判斷你是否稱得上學者。撰寫論文時，多數研究與寫作不會有老師從旁密切指導，必須獨立作業。研究生也必須評估與篩選研究資料、研究期間研擬計畫與步驟並逐步執行、找出有效的寫作方式以及謹慎編審文章，並且按照規畫確實進行。一旦開始撰寫論文，就必須下定決心，完成任務，以證明自己有獨立研究的能力。
論文撰寫六大準備技巧一：下定決心，有始有終
取得碩博士學位的最終步驟是完成論文，然而，撰寫論文的過程通常是既漫長又嚴謹的長期抗戰。本次學術專欄特別推出「論文撰寫六大準備技巧」，幫助你做好準備工作，順利完成論文。每一項準備技巧，將定期刊登於本專欄。
The final step in earning many master and doctorate degrees is completion of a thesis or dissertation. The process involved typically is lengthy and exacting. Following is one of 6 recommendations to help you get started on your dissertation in such a way that you can successfully complete it. Each tip in the series will appear on the TPS Fans page.
Tip # 1 – Commit to finishing what you start
技巧一：下定決心，有始有終
Congratulations on pursuing an advanced degree. The question is, do you really intend to capture it? The pinnacle of the graduate degree process is completion of a dissertation or thesis. Every year, candidates for a degree stop their climb just short of the pinnacle. They become one of the many ABD (All But Dissertation) ex-students whose post-graduate education, while enhancing their lives, failed to produce a credential of value in the workplace. Employers generally are not impressed by applicants who almost earned a graduate degree.
能追求更高深的學位是件好事，問題是，你真的想獲得學位嗎？研讀碩博士學問的最高原則是完成碩博士論文。每年許多碩博士候選人只差一步就能抵達終點，卻無法堅持下去，成為「萬事俱備，只欠論文」 (ABD, All But Dissertation) 的肄業生。研究的所學所聞雖然提升了生活，卻因為沒有證書，無法為職場加分－雇主通常不會太看重「差一點」拿到學位的求職者。
If you have navigated the post-graduate process to this point, resolve to finish the course. A dissertation can take anywhere from a year to several years, depending upon how it fits in a program’s structure and the circumstances of a student’s life. A completed document can run anywhere from 15,000 to 150,000 words, a longer paper than most students have previously undertaken. It follows that completing a dissertation is a daunting prospect for almost any student, regardless of how much a degree is coveted.
如果你在研究所的求學階段一路走來，終於來到撰寫論文這一關，請下定決心完成挑戰。博士論文寫作可能耗費一至數年不等，端視論文是否結合課堂所學以及學生個人情況而定。論文完成後，篇幅可能短則一萬多字，多則近十五萬字都有，多數學生都未曾寫過如此長篇的文章。因此，不管學生多麼想得到學位，撰寫論文都令人望而生畏。
So it is important for any post-graduate degree candidate to understand the purpose and function of a dissertation: It is a tool to define you as a scholar. Because most research and writing for a dissertation occurs without close faculty scrutiny, a candidate must work alone. Must correctly evaluate and filter research material. Must plan and execute interim and final steps. Must recognize effective writing and rigorously self-edit. Must stay on schedule. As you begin your dissertation, now is the time to resolve to grow as a scholar and a person by finishing the task.
所以，碩博士研究生們必須瞭解，論文的目的與功能是用以判斷你是否稱得上學者。撰寫論文時，多數研究與寫作不會有老師從旁密切指導，必須獨立作業。研究生也必須評估與篩選研究資料、研究期間研擬計畫與步驟並逐步執行、找出有效的寫作方式以及謹慎編審文章，並且按照規畫確實進行。一旦開始撰寫論文，就必須下定決心，完成任務，以證明自己有獨立研究的能力。
