academic writing 04 data commentary

data commentary的文字必須謹慎拿捏, 不能只有單純地複述數據, 也不能過度解釋遽下結論.

個別而言, data的描述與評論又必須拿捏肯定性及普遍性, 呈現出"confidently uncertain", 以提高研究結果的精確度:

1. probability, 一句話要講到多強烈? 多有信心? 由強到弱可採用下形容詞或副詞: (最強) certain --> almost certain --> very probable/highly likely --> probable/likely --> possible --> unlikely --> very/highly unlikely (最弱)
2. distance, 結果與事實之間可能的距離, 其實也就是作者信心的呈現, 舉例如下: (最強) the factory has benefited form... --> the factory seems to have benefited from... --> the factory appears to have benefited from... --> it seems that the factory has benefited form... --> it has been said that the factory seems to have benefited form....
3. generalization: 把結果普遍化而又不武斷, 例如把Children living in poverty have a history of health problems.改成Children living in poverty tend to have a history of health problems. 或Many children living in poverty have a history of health problems.

若出現不符預期的數據, 應該討論它而不是忽略它, 可以使用以下動詞片語: may be due to, can be attributed to, can probably be accounted for, is probably a consequence of, would seem to stem from等.

(Swales, J. M. and Feak, C. B. 2007, Academic Writing for Graduate Students, University of Michigsn Press, Ann Arbor.)