单词在句子中的位置十分重要,是读者理解句子所需的绝大部分线索。读者对每个句子的结构有自己的预想,如果事实与预想不符,他们就不得不将精力转向探索文章结构而非内容,如此便会增加错误理解或无法理解的可能性。更糟糕的是,一旦读者无法弄清句子结构,就会失去阅读兴趣。因此,作者需要特别关注词的位置,并精心组织文章结构。 作者的任务不仅是选择正确的词,还要以最有效的方式对单词进行定位,以引导和满足读者的预期,使大多数读者能如作者所愿地理解文章。 例 1: Mosquitoes often carry parasites. 该句中, “mosquitoes” 一词被放在 句子开头即主题的位置 ,而 “parasites” 被放在 句子结尾即被强调的位置 。对多数读者而言,这种结构表明之前作者在谈论 “mosquitoes”( 蚊子 ) ,此后将进入新话题 —— “parasites”( 寄生物 ) 。 同样一句话版本不同强调的内容便不同: 例 2: Parasites are often carried by mosquitoes. 虽然例 2 和例 1 使用的单词相同,但词的位置不同。在 2 中, “parasites” 变为大家熟知的话题出现在句首的位置,而 “mosquitoes” 作为被强调的词放在了句尾,这对读者起到了一种指示作用。作者想通过强调这个词让读者迅速了解文章的重点在蚊子而非跳蚤或老鼠;作者也想通过将 “mosquitoes” 置于句尾 ( 强调的位置 ) 试图让读者领悟到,文章即将进入一个新话题 (mosquitoes) ,以引导读者的注意力。 练习: 改写下面三段文字,注意单词的位置,使读者能够轻松追随信息的逻辑性 A: Vegetative cells are cells that are engaged in active growth and reproduction. Endospores can be produced by some bacteria that can cease vegetative growth. Endospores are highly resistant to heat, chemicals, and radiation, unlike vegetative cells. It is possible that the unique structure of the peptidoglycan layer of the spore is in some way associated with resistance. B: Mangrove plantations attenuate tsunami-induced waves and protect shorelines against damage. Human activities on the shorelines most damaged by the great 2006 tsunami had reduced the area of mangroves by 26%. Communities can be buffered from future tsunami events by conserving or replanting coastal mangroves and greenbelts. The conservation of dune ecosystems or green belts of other tree species could fulfill the same buffer as mangroves elsewhere. C: A quantum dot is a semiconductor nanostructure that confines the motion of conduction band electrons, valence band holes, or excitons in all three spatial directions. It has a discrete quantized energy spectrum. A small number (on the order of 1-100) of conduction band electrons, valence band holes, or excitons are contained in a quantum dot. Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are small quantum dots, which can be as small as 2 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to 10 to 50 atoms in diameter. 参考答案 A: Vegetative cells are cells that are engaged in active growth and reproduction . Vegetative growth can be ceased by bacteria that can produce endospores . Unlike vegetative cells , endospores are highly resistant to heat, chemicals, and radiation. Resistance may be associated with in some way with the unique structure of the peptidoglycan layer of the spore. B: Mangrove plantations attenuate tsunami-induced waves and protect shorelines against damage. On the shorelines most damaged by the great 2006 tsunami, the area of mangroves had been reduced by 26% through human activities . By conserving or replanting coastal mangroves and greenbelts, communities can be buffered from future tsunami events. The same buffer could be fulfilled elsewhere by the conservation of dune ecosystems or green belts of other tree species. C: A quantum dot is a semiconductor nanostructure that confines the motion of conduction band electrons, valence band holes, or excitons in all three spatial directions. It has a discrete quantized energy spectrum. A quantum dot contains a small number (on the order of 1-100) of conduction band electrons, valence band holes, or excitons. Small quantum dots , such as colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, can be as small as 2 to 10 nanometers. 摘编自《科技写作与交流》 ( 任胜利 等 译 . 科学出版社 , 2012 年出版 ) 相关信息: 《英语科技论文撰写与投稿》:再版面世 新书出炉:科技写作与交流 -- 期刊论文、基金申请书及会议讲演
文 章的标题是“钓饵”,应该用来吸引读者 --- “推销”你的文章,给读者浏览目录或研究结果的机会。标题写得差可能使原本感兴趣的读者忽略了你的工作,也可能引起文不对题的情况。相比之下,好的标题可 吸引相关的研究人员,提高文章的引用率,这也是期刊编辑所青睐的,因为引用率与期刊影响因子直接挂钩。因此,写好正确的标题是很重要的。 好 的标题应尽量简短,同时又能传递文章的主要发现。避免叙述过于繁琐并使用不必要的专业行话和缩略语。标题必须能被科学界的广大读者读懂,因为他们中的一些 人可能并不具备你研究的专业领域的具体知识。标题宽泛到什么程度取决于目标期刊 --- 考虑目标期刊的读者情况,这通常会在期刊的网站上有所介绍;撰写的标题应便于被所有读者看懂,而不仅仅局限于你的研究领域。另外,应该查阅目标杂志的《稿 约》,确保遵守字数限制的要求以及是否需要提供短标题。 实例:较差的标题 “Degeneration of neurons in the CA3 and DG following OA administration: involvement of a MAPK-dependent pathway in regional-specific neuronal degeneration” 这 个标题太长,含有非标准的缩略语,内容重复,部分内容太具体。修改如下:“Region-specific neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration”。此外,也可使用“MAP kinase-dependent neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration”,但要考虑目标杂志的要求,因为缩略语MAP使用广泛,读者可懂。 练习: 丁香园网友应邀对以下标题进行修改: “Carvedilol produces dose-related improvements in LV function and dose-related reductions in mortality and hospitalization rate in subjects with chronic heart failure from systolic dysfunction” 以下是网友“Qikaka”的修改建议: “Dose-related effect of carvedilol in improvements in left ventricular function and survival in subjects with chronic heart failure” 改后的标题大大缩短:少了6个单词,合计61个字符。“survival”一词的使用涵盖了改善效果的两个方面(死亡率和住院率),重复的“dose-related”也被删除了。最后,在新的标题中对缩略语LV做了精确的解释。 一 些网友也贴出了自己文章的标题和摘要,询问是否合适。其中有不少标题写得十分不错,也有一些与其他相比需要更多修改。网友“Yelry”的这个标题就很 好,清晰地体现了研究领域:“Ascending venography in the diagnosis and management of nonthrombotic iliac vein compression” 尽管表述清楚,但“Yelry”并未传达出重要的一点 ---文章的主要发现:该方法应该对于诊断十分重要,而且很有可能会区分开两组病例。因为这一重要性并未在标题中体现,作者“Yelry”可能会失去一些 感兴趣的读者。虽然标题可以涵盖的信息量取决于字数的限制,然而只需在“ascending venography”后面添加“is valuable”,就可以比原标题传达更多的文章内容。 First impressions: the importance of writing a good title The title of your paper is a “hook” that should be used to attract readers—it is your opportunity to “sell” your paper to readers browsing a table of contents or search results. A poor title will cause potentially interested researchers to overlook your work and may attract the wrong audience. By contrast, a good title will attract the relevant researchers and increase the number of citations you receive. Journal editors like this because number of citations relates to the impact factor a journal gets. Therefore, it is important to get it right. A good title should be as brief as possible while still communicating the main finding(s) of the paper. Avoid excessive detail and unnecessary use of field-specific jargon and abbreviations. Your title must be understandable by a broad scientific audience, some of whom may not have a detailed knowledge of your particular field. How broad depends on the particular target journal—consider the readership of your target journal, which is usually explained on the journal’s website, and write a title that can be easily understood by all, not only those in your immediate field. The target journal’s instructions for authors should also be consulted to ensure that character limits are complied with and to identify whether a running (short) title is also required. Example of a poor title: “Degeneration of neurons in the CA3 and DG following OA administration: involvement of a MAPK-dependent pathway in regional-specific neuronal degeneration” This title is too long, contains non-standard abbreviations and a redundancy, and is too specific in parts. A better alternative would be: “Region-specific neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration”. “MAP kinase-dependent neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration” would probably also be acceptable, depending on the target journal, because the abbreviation MAP is widely used and understood. Exercise: Scientists visiting an online life sciences network were asked to suggest a good alternative title for the following: “Carvedilol produces dose-related improvements in LV function and dose-related reductions in mortality and hospitalization rate in subjects with chronic heart failure from systolic dysfunction” Among the responses was the following suggestion: “Dose-related effect of carvedilol in improvements in left ventricular function and survival in subjects with chronic heart failure” This title is six words and 61 characters shorter, which represents a significant reduction. The word “survival” is used to combine the two aspects of the improvement (mortality and hospitalization) and the repetition of “dose-related” has been removed. Finally, the abbreviation LV has been defined in the new title. Other researchers posted the titles and abstracts for their own papers, asking whether the titles were suitable. There were many excellent titles, some of which needed more changes than others. The following title, from Yelry, is well written and clearly defines the area of research: “Ascending venography in the diagnosis and management of nonthrombotic iliac vein compression” Although this is very clear, the author Yelry doesn’t convey the main findings of the paper, which were actually quite significant: the method was shown to be valuable for diagnosis and possibly able to separate two groups of patients. Because this significance is not conveyed in the title, Yelry could potentially lose some of the target audience. Character limits for titles dictate how much information can be included; however, the simple addition of “is valuable” after “ascending venography” says much more about the paper than the original title does. In this way, the key finding can be communicated. Dr Daniel McGowan 分子神经学博士 理文编辑学术总监
文 章的标题是“钓饵”,应该用来吸引读者 --- “推销”你的文章,给读者浏览目录或研究结果的机会。标题写得差可能使原本感兴趣的读者忽略了你的工作,也可能引起文不对题的情况。相比之下,好的标题可 吸引相关的研究人员,提高文章的引用率,这也是期刊编辑所青睐的,因为引用率与期刊影响因子直接挂钩。因此,写好正确的标题是很重要的。 好 的标题应尽量简短,同时又能传递文章的主要发现。避免叙述过于繁琐并使用不必要的专业行话和缩略语。标题必须能被科学界的广大读者读懂,因为他们中的一些 人可能并不具备你研究的专业领域的具体知识。标题宽泛到什么程度取决于目标期刊 --- 考虑目标期刊的读者情况,这通常会在期刊的网站上有所介绍;撰写的标题应便于被所有读者看懂,而不仅仅局限于你的研究领域。另外,应该查阅目标杂志的《稿 约》,确保遵守字数限制的要求以及是否需要提供短标题。 实例:较差的标题 “Degeneration of neurons in the CA3 and DG following OA administration: involvement of a MAPK-dependent pathway in regional-specific neuronal degeneration” 这 个标题太长,含有非标准的缩略语,内容重复,部分内容太具体。修改如下:“Region-specific neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration”。此外,也可使用“MAP kinase-dependent neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration”,但要考虑目标杂志的要求,因为缩略语MAP使用广泛,读者可懂。 练习: 丁香园网友应邀对以下标题进行修改: “Carvedilol produces dose-related improvements in LV function and dose-related reductions in mortality and hospitalization rate in subjects with chronic heart failure from systolic dysfunction” 以下是网友“Qikaka”的修改建议: “Dose-related effect of carvedilol in improvements in left ventricular function and survival in subjects with chronic heart failure” 改后的标题大大缩短:少了6个单词,合计61个字符。“survival”一词的使用涵盖了改善效果的两个方面(死亡率和住院率),重复的“dose-related”也被删除了。最后,在新的标题中对缩略语LV做了精确的解释。 一 些网友也贴出了自己文章的标题和摘要,询问是否合适。其中有不少标题写得十分不错,也有一些与其他相比需要更多修改。网友“Yelry”的这个标题就很 好,清晰地体现了研究领域:“Ascending venography in the diagnosis and management of nonthrombotic iliac vein compression” 尽管表述清楚,但“Yelry”并未传达出重要的一点 ---文章的主要发现:该方法应该对于诊断十分重要,而且很有可能会区分开两组病例。因为这一重要性并未在标题中体现,作者“Yelry”可能会失去一些 感兴趣的读者。虽然标题可以涵盖的信息量取决于字数的限制,然而只需在“ascending venography”后面添加“is valuable”,就可以比原标题传达更多的文章内容。 First impressions: the importance of writing a good title The title of your paper is a “hook” that should be used to attract readers—it is your opportunity to “sell” your paper to readers browsing a table of contents or search results. A poor title will cause potentially interested researchers to overlook your work and may attract the wrong audience. By contrast, a good title will attract the relevant researchers and increase the number of citations you receive. Journal editors like this because number of citations relates to the impact factor a journal gets. Therefore, it is important to get it right. A good title should be as brief as possible while still communicating the main finding(s) of the paper. Avoid excessive detail and unnecessary use of field-specific jargon and abbreviations. Your title must be understandable by a broad scientific audience, some of whom may not have a detailed knowledge of your particular field. How broad depends on the particular target journal—consider the readership of your target journal, which is usually explained on the journal’s website, and write a title that can be easily understood by all, not only those in your immediate field. The target journal’s instructions for authors should also be consulted to ensure that character limits are complied with and to identify whether a running (short) title is also required. Example of a poor title: “Degeneration of neurons in the CA3 and DG following OA administration: involvement of a MAPK-dependent pathway in regional-specific neuronal degeneration” This title is too long, contains non-standard abbreviations and a redundancy, and is too specific in parts. A better alternative would be: “Region-specific neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration”. “MAP kinase-dependent neuronal degeneration after okadaic acid administration” would probably also be acceptable, depending on the target journal, because the abbreviation MAP is widely used and understood. Exercise: Scientists visiting an online life sciences network were asked to suggest a good alternative title for the following: “Carvedilol produces dose-related improvements in LV function and dose-related reductions in mortality and hospitalization rate in subjects with chronic heart failure from systolic dysfunction” Among the responses was the following suggestion: “Dose-related effect of carvedilol in improvements in left ventricular function and survival in subjects with chronic heart failure” This title is six words and 61 characters shorter, which represents a significant reduction. The word “survival” is used to combine the two aspects of the improvement (mortality and hospitalization) and the repetition of “dose-related” has been removed. Finally, the abbreviation LV has been defined in the new title. Other researchers posted the titles and abstracts for their own papers, asking whether the titles were suitable. There were many excellent titles, some of which needed more changes than others. The following title, from Yelry, is well written and clearly defines the area of research: “Ascending venography in the diagnosis and management of nonthrombotic iliac vein compression” Although this is very clear, the author Yelry doesn’t convey the main findings of the paper, which were actually quite significant: the method was shown to be valuable for diagnosis and possibly able to separate two groups of patients. Because this significance is not conveyed in the title, Yelry could potentially lose some of the target audience. Character limits for titles dictate how much information can be included; however, the simple addition of “is valuable” after “ascending venography” says much more about the paper than the original title does. In this way, the key finding can be communicated. Dr Daniel McGowan 分子神经学博士 理文编辑学术总监
闫茂伟|文 “小心地做研究和清楚地报道是辛苦的工作,其中包含了很多你需要同时关注的事情。不管你在规划时有多么谨慎,研究都是一条弯曲的路,会有一些无法预期的转折,甚至于兜圈子。然而,即使过程是那么复杂,我们还是得按部就班地进行。一旦你能够掌握个别环节,你就可以驾驭整个研究,进而可以更有信心地面对更多的研究。” ( P:5 ) 每一个上过学的人都会有着这样的记忆或回忆:老师时常要求学生将他(她)在课堂上讲的东西记下来,特别是小学语文老师,布置日记或周记给学生是常有的事,以及有的老师还会给学生讲,要随时记下突然而来的灵感,包括所思、所感、所悟等。这些不同情形的“记”大致均有 “写下来”或“写出来” 的意思。 “ 为什么要写出来? ”( P : 10 ) ( W H Y W R I T E I T U P ? ) ( P:11 ) 老师让学生把一些东西记下来,其目的之一便是让学生们记住那些东西,以免忘记了可能是非常重要、非常美好、非常有趣的一些东西。而这样的一种好习惯不仅对于一般的普通学生而言非常重要,而且对于研究者来说也是至关重要的。当然,“记”在研究者那里也将有着较为复杂和更为丰富的内容,但不管怎样,“记”的确是很重要的,它是研究者必备的一种本领,即“写作”的本领。 “ 写作有助于记忆 ”( P:11 )( Write to Remember )( P:12 )这里,“写”和“记忆”实际上也是“记”的不同呈现形态,而且二者可以相互增益。“ 研究者写下他们所发现的,是为了将它们记住 。只有少数的幸运儿,能够不写下来却还能记得这些信息。但是包括本书作者在内的大多数人,都没能拥有这种本领。”而“大多数的研究者,只有借助写作才能策划和执行他们的研究计划——条列原始材料、整理研究概述、记录实验注释、拟出大纲等等。那些没有记录下来的,可能都会被忘记,甚至更糟的是被记错了。这就是为什么 谨慎的研究者,不会等资料齐全时才开始写作:他们从研究计划起始就开始写作,让自己的脑袋尽可能清楚地记得大部分的数据 。”( P : 11 )这些数据当然应包括已有的其他人或机构的研究成果和自己的发现,哪怕仅仅是自己的最初的简单想法等。而 对于其他人或机构的研究成果,记的方式最好是,自己手写或用键盘亲自敲在电脑里,这样的效果会更好些,记忆和理解将更深刻;而不应简单地复制或剪切后粘贴 。 “ 写作有助于了解 ”( P:11 )( Write to Understand )( P:12 )此处的“ Understand ”不仅仅有“了解”的意思,“理解”应是其最佳的含义。“写作的第二个理由是协助了解研究成果。 当你以新的方式安排及重新安排研究的成果时,你会发现新的关联、对比、复杂性及意涵 。即使你能记住自己研究发现的全部结果,仍得梳理不同方面的论证,划定复杂的关系,以及区分专家之间的不同观点。……写作有助于对所发现的有更好的理解,以及从中发现更宽广的意义,进而丰富你的思考。”到这里,“记”已经不是简单地“记下来”或“写下来”,而是较为深刻地在思考中、在创作中写下或重组已有的研究成果,并从中记下自己的新发现,并以此促进自己再思考、再创作,而且把这些东西写出来,等等。 “ 写作可以获得新的观点 ”( P : 12 )( Write to Test Your Thinking )( P:12 ) “虽然写作最基本的理由是 把你脑袋里的思维变成文字,进而以更清楚的书面形式把自己的思考看得更清楚 ,但另一个理由则是这种书面形式会 让你的观点更清晰,并且不至于过分夸张 。”很多人,包括我自己在内,或许只能做到前者,而对于后者甚至根本没有意识到。虽然“当你以注释、大纲、概述、评论还有其他书面形式去促进思考时,思考将能获得改善。但 你只有从快速混乱的思维中将特定的想法分离出来,并以一种有组织、有条理的形式确定下来,才能知道自己真正 能 思考什么 。”( P : 12 )即是说,通过书面形式的写作弄清楚“自己能真正能思考什么” ,能够帮助自己“从快速混乱的思维中将特定的想法分离出来”,以利于自己更好地写作。而那种随便、非正式的写作效果将会大打折扣。 “简而言之,你应该写作,如此才能有正确的记忆、更好的理解,以及更清楚地理解自己的思维。而且你也会发现,当你写得更好的时候,在阅读上也会更具有批判力。”( P:12 )由此说明,“读”、“写”、“记忆”之间也是相互增益的。 研究是一种边思考边写作的过程,也即一种边“想”边“记”的过程。一支笔或一个键盘再加一个“笔记本”应是做研究自始自终必备的,目的就是要让研究者动起手来,把自己脑子的东西、其他人或机构的东西随时“记”下来,并将这些东西以有组织、有条理的书面形式写出来。如此还不够,还要有一份正式的书面报告,由此才能真正地做起研究来。 “ 为何要有一份正式的报告? ”( P:12 )( W H Y A F O R M A L R E P O R T ? )( P:13 ) “即使你同意写作是学习、思考,以及理解的重要部分,有些人可能会疑惑:为什么我不能以自己喜欢的形式写作?为什么我得满足研究团体——特别是尚未加入或甚至不想加入的研究团体——强加的格式限制?这些为他人写作而设定的限制,时常让某些学生感到痛苦,他们相信自己没有理由迎合一个自己没有参与创立的对话惯例。 我不能了解,为何我要采用不属于自己的措辞和格式?我自己的措辞有什么问题?你不过只是想把我变成像你一样的学究吧?如果我按照老师期望的方式去写作,会不会有丧失自己特性的顾虑? ”( P:12 ) 不少研究生同样会有上述的顾虑,“然而,一个完全无法改变你的教育会是个无法起作用的教育。 接受越多的教育,越可能改变你所视为理所当然的‘你’ 。”( P:12 )而“学习做研究不会让你成为老师的复制品。他会改变你的思考模式,不过却是一种赋予你更多思考模式的方式来改变你。你或许会变得不同,但你能更自由地去选择你想成为什么样的人,以及你以后想做什么事。”( P : 13 )由此,不要担心自己的特性会丧失掉,因为,有时坚持特性也是盲目的或任性的。 那该怎么办呢?“或许, 学习用读者期待的方式撰写研究报告最重要的理由,是以别人的标准和价值去检验你的想法,进而让你更理解自己的自己和自己的想法。为别人写作会比为自己写作的要求更严格 。”( P : 13 )很多时候。我也只是觉得写作就是为自己而写,看来,为自己写而写的意识和理念是需要改变的了。 因为“当你明确地试着去预想读者的问题时,你将会更了解自己的作品: 如何评价你的证据?为何你认为它是有关联的?你的观点意味着什么?你曾经考虑过但后来拒绝的观点是什么?你如何回应读者可想见的问题、保留意见和异议? 所有的研究者都会想起曾经有过这样的时刻:在他们为了满足读者的期待而写作的过程中,显露了自己研究的瑕疵或纰漏,或甚至重新抓住从初稿中溜走的珍贵想法。”( P : 13 )将读者放在心中在写文学作品时非常必须,做研究亦然! 而“从读者的角度以书面形式思考,会比其他形式的思考更仔细、更能持续、更能调和不同的观点;换言之,更为深思熟虑”。( P : 14 ) 研究者应该时刻和处处生活在研究的世界里,否则,他(她)将不会是或不再是一个研究者,因为,如今的整个世界已经悄然成为了一个正在被研究和期待被的世界。而“ 如果你现在学会把研究做好,不管将来从事哪方面的工作,都将占有优势 。”( P : 13 )而不论一个学习者以后是不是走向学术研究的道路。 最后请记住:“ 世上有些最重要的研究是由那些即使面对冷漠甚至敌意,却仍然不屈不挠的研究者所完成的,他们从未丧失对愿景的信心! ”( P : 14 ) 心得(自我反思) : 1. 读硕士时有一些时日喜欢拿着纸质笔记本到图书馆或在自习时边看书边抄写一些自己感兴趣的东西,原来这是一种好的习惯,但后来却将这个习惯给扔掉了。直到导师提醒要随时记录读书过程中的好东西后才再次捡了起来,最好是录在电脑里而形成电子文档以供参考,而却又因为感到这样读书的速度太慢总不能坚持得很好。看来,自己在这方面是一而再再而三地犯了错误,由此带来的后果是,自己可利用的学术资源很少,“战略性的学术资源储备”更是极少。 2. 不仅要摘录所读文献的原文,更应随时记录自己对所读文献的感悟甚至是评判,以及在此基础上形成的、在自己心中产生的想法和构思等。 3. 很长一段时间里,自己的写作过于随便和流于形式,而不是按照学术性论文的要求和规范去写,以至于自己写出来的文章连看起来都不像学术论文。而对于措辞,我也有着亲身的经历和体会,因为我个人在论文的写作措辞上就有着非常严重的问题,以致于自己写出来的文章看上去根本就不像是正儿八经的学术性论文。我曾经也固执地认为自己的写作风格是好的,无需改变,但现在发现我果真错了! ( 备注:文中原文均摘录自【美】布斯等著;陈美霞等译:《研究是一门艺术》 一书,如需引用,请查阅原书原文 。) 东南大学九龙湖畔 2012-6-27