English Academic Writing——Literature

       One of the distinguishing features of academic writing is that it is informed by what is already known, what work has been done before, and/or what ideas and models have already been developed. Thus, academic writers frequently make reference to external sources. In some cases, where the individual author is important, the author’s name will be the main subject of t he sentence; in other cases, the source may only be mentioned in brackets(...) or via a number notation system (e.g. footnotes and endnotes). The “author as subject” style is less common in the empirical disciplines (sciences) and more commonly used in the humanities. The verbs and verb phrases typically used for referring to sources are listed below.

       学术写作一大特点是借助已获取的知识、已进行的工作、已形成的观点，及已建成的模型。因此写作时要提及这些信息来源。某些语境下，若原作者十分重要，句子常以其姓名作为主句主语。其他情况下，信息来源常以括号（...）或脚注尾注的形式出现。以原作者为主语的形式，更多用于人文学科，而非实证学科（自然科学）。下文列举了文献综述部分常用的动词和动词短语。

       The literature review: it is the purpose of the literature review section of a paper or dissertation to show the reader, in a systematic way, what is already known about the research topic as whole, and to outline the key ideas and theories that help us to understand this. As well as being systematic, the review should be evaluative and critical of the studies or ideas which are relevant to the current work. For example, you may think a particular study did not investigate some important aspect of the area you are researching, that the author failed to notice a weakness in their methods, or that their conclusion is not well-supported.

       文献综述的目的，是系统地向读者展现关于研究主题已有哪些既成知识，并列举重要观点和理论，帮助读者理解。除了系统性之外，文献部分还应兼顾评估性和批判性（例如，漏掉了某个重要方面、作者研究方法存在漏洞、文献结论缺少支撑）。

       A note on verb tenses: For general reference to the literature, the present perfect tense (have/has + verb + ed) tends to be used. For reference to specific studies carried out in the past, the simple past tense is most commonly used. This is always the case where a specific date or time in the past forms a part of the sentence. When referring to the words or ideas of writers, the present tense is often used if the ideas are still relevant, even if the author is no longer alive. The examples given below reflect these general patterns.

时态小贴士：介绍该领域研究整体情况，常用现在完成时（have/has + verb + ed）；介绍过去特定某项研究，惯用过去时（若句中出现特定过去时间，则选过去时）；介绍相关文章观点或引述其内容，则时常选用现在时，不管其作者是否还在世。

General descriptions of the relevant literature

       整体文献情况

              A large and growing body of literature has investigated ...

              More recent attention has focused on the provision of ...

              Much of the current literature on X pays particular attention to ...

              Over the past decade most research in X has emphasized the use of ...

              There is a large volume of published studies describing the role of ...

              In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of literature on ...

              During the past 30 years, much more information has become available on ...

              A considerable amount of literature has been published on X. These studies ...

              What we know about X is largely based upon empirical studies that investigate how ...

       Reference to current state of knowledge

       当下研究状况

              There is an unambiguous relationship between X and Y (Rao, 2017)

              X is one of the most intense reactions following CHD (Lane, 2018)

              A relationship exists between an individual’s working memory and their ability to ... (Jones, 2019)

       Reference to single investigation in the past: researcher(s) as sentence subject

       过去某项研究（以研究者为主语）

       Reference to single investigations or publications in the past: time frame prominent

       过去某项研究或文章（突出时间）

              In 1975, Smith et al. published a paper in which they described ...

              In 1990, Patel et al. demonstrated that replacement of H2O with heavy water led to ...

              Thirty years later, Smith (1974) reported three cases of X which ...

              In the 1950s, Gunnar Myrdal pointed to some of the ways in which ... (Myrdal, 1957)

       Reference to single investigation in the past: investigation prominent

       过去某项研究 （突出研究内容）

              Preliminary work on X was undertaken by Abdul Karim (1992).

              The first systematic study of X was reported by Patel et al. in 1986.

              One study by Smith (2014) examined the trend in ...

              Smith’s cross-country analysis (2012) showed that ...

              Smith’s comparative study (2012) found that ...

              Detailed examination of X by Smith and Patel (1961) showed that ...

              In an analysis of X, Smith et al. (2012) found ...

              In an investigation into X, Smith et al. (2012) found ...

              In another major study, Zhao (1974) found that ...

              In a randomised controlled study of X, Smith (2012) reported that ...

       Reference to single investigations in the past: research topic as main focus

       过去某项研究 （突出研究主题）

              To determine the effects of X, Zhao et al. (2005) compared ...

              X was originally isolated from Y in a soil sample from ...

              The electronic spectroscopy of X was first studied by Smith and Jones in 1970.

              X was first demonstrated experimentally by Pavlov (Smith, 2002). In his seminal study ...

       Reference to what other writers do in their text: author as subject

       他人文章内容 （以作者为主语）

              Smith (2013) identifies X, Y, and Z as the major causes of ...

              Perez (2013) draws on an extensive range of sources to assess ...

              Toh (2013) mentions the special situation of Singapore as an example of ...

              In her major study,

              In her seminal article,

              In her classic critique of ...,     Smith (2013) identifies five characteristics of ...

              In her review of ...,

              In her case study of ...,

              In her introduction to ...,

       Reference to another writer’s ideas or position: author as subject

       他人观点、立场（以作者为主语）

              According to Smith (2013), preventative medicine is far more cost effective, and therefore ...

              As noted by Smith (2013), X is far more cost effective, and therefore ...

                    argues

                   points out

              Smith           maintains         that        preventative medicine is far more cost effective, and

              (2013)           claims                         therefore better adapted to the developing world.

                  concludes  

                  suggests

               argues for

              Smith             offers               an explanatory theory for each type of irrational belief.

              (2013)         proposes

               suggests

       Some ways of introducing quotations

       直接引语

              Commenting on X, Smith (2013) argues “... ...”

              As Smith argues: “In the past, the purpose of education was to ...” (Smith, 2000: 150)

              As Carnoy (2004: 215) states: “There are many good reasons to be sceptical”

         reminds us “ ... ... ... ... “

         observes “ ... ... ... ... “

              As Smith      notes “ ... ... ... ... “              (Smith 2003: 23).

         points out “ ... ... ... ... “

         argues “ ... ... ... ... “

       Summarising the review or parts of the review

       文献总结

              Together, these studies outline that ...

              Overall, these studies highlight the need for ...

              Collectively, these studies outline a critical role for ...

              The evidence presented in this section suggests that ...

              In view of all that has been mentioned so far, one may suppose that ...

              Together these studies provide important insights into the ...

指导老师：宁    梅

信息采集提供：戴佳沛

图文编辑：王  倩