计算机科学学术论文写作 (9).pdf

Variation99TheGreeksdiscovered2000yearsagothatthesystemofrationalnumbersis incomplete.The problem is that some quantities,such as the length ofthediagonalofasquarewithunitsides,areirrational.Thisdiscoverywasa serious blow to the Greek mathematicians.Note how,in the second version,the final statement is more effective although ithasnt been changed.ParagraphingA paragraph should discuss a single topic or issue.The outline or the argumentis typically captured in the first sentence of each paragraph,with the rest of theparagraph used for amplification or example.Every sentence in a paragraph shouldbe on the topic announced in the opening.The last sentence has higher impact thanthose in the body,so pay attention to sentence order.Long paragraphs can indicate that several lines of argument are being followedsimultaneously.If a long paragraph can be broken,break it.Lack of variation inparagraph length makes the page monotonous,however,so dont divide your textinto paragraphs of uniform size.Contextual information can be forgotten between paragraphs,and references bet-weenparagraphscanbedifficulttofollow.Forexample,ifaparagraphdiscussesafastsorting algorithm,the next paragraph should not begin“This algorithm”but rather“The fast sorting algorithm”;if one paragraph refers to Harvey,the next should notreferto“his”butratherto“Harveys”.Linkparagraphsbyre-useofkeywordsorphra-ses,andwithexpressionsthatconnectthecontentofoneparagraphtothatofthenext.Formatted lists can be used as an occasional alternative to paragraphs.Lists areuseful for the following reasons:They highlight each main point clearly.Thecontextremainsobvious,whereas,inalonglistofpointsmadeinaparagraph,it is hard to tell whether the later points are part of the original issue or belong tosome subsequent discussion.An individual point can be considered in detail without confusing the main threadof narrative.They are easy to refer to.List points can be numbered,named,or tagged.Use numbers only when ordering orreference is important.If it is necessary to refer to an individual point,use numbersor names.Otherwise use tags,as in the list above.Acceptable tags are bullets anddashes;fancy symbols such as!,or graphic icons look childish.A disadvantage of lists is that they highlight rather too well:a list of trivia canbe more attention-getting than a paragraph of crucial information.Reserve lists formaterial that is both significant and in need of enumeration.