問題：我的審稿人直言指出我沒有在引言的地方清楚定義關鍵詞。您能否談談並舉例如何在研究論文中定義關鍵詞？

-香港理工大學博士班學生

審稿人常常對作者使用特定詞彙的方法有所要求，他們可能會禮貌的建議增加一些解釋。比較苛刻的審稿人可能會假設作者不了解他們的領域，或不夠批判和反思，進而要求作者做大幅度的修改。

期刊論文通常沒有足夠的空間讓您解釋所有的注意事項、爭論的歷史、以及某些特殊詞彙迂迴的背景。

倘若期刊允許呈現較長篇幅的內容，您即有空間可以更明確說明並解釋您所使用的字詞，口試委員也預期看到有爭議的概念和棘手的術語被延伸、討論，但對讀者來說，他們主要想要從您的文章得到新的東西，讀者不需要冗長的解釋，他們只想要知道您如何使用詞彙，然後就繼續看下去。

您又該如何在有限空間內輕描淡寫的同時，又得精準明確的使用文字呢？以下提供一些句型可以用來描述您的關鍵字。

解釋您領域中的關鍵字

• The term “X” is generally understood to mean / has come to be used to refer to / has been applied to …
• In the literature, X usually refers / often refers / tends to be used to refer to …
• In the field of X, several / various / many definitions of Y can be found.
• The term X is / was / has been used by Molotov [2011] to refer to …
• Chang uses the term X [2011] to refer to / denominate …
• X is defined by Peng [1990] to refer to / to mean …
• Chen [2015] has provided / put forward / proposed a new definition of X, in which …
• X is defined / identified / described as … [Chang 2004].
• In the literature there seems to be no general definition of X / a general definition of X is lacking /there is no clear definition of X.
• Several authors have attempted to define X, but as yet / currently / at the time of writing there is still no accepted definition.
• In broad / general terms, X is / can be defined as a way to …
• The broad / general / generally accepted use of the term X refers to …
• X is sometimes equated with / embodies a series of …
• X, Y and Z are three kinds / types / categories / classes of languages.
• There are three kinds of languages: / The three kinds of languages are: / Languages can be divided into three kinds: X, Y and Z.

解釋您在文章中將如何使用關鍵字以及縮寫

• The acronym PC stands for / denotes …
• The subjects (henceforth named / hereafter “X”) are …
• The subject, which we shall call / refer to as “X”, is …
• Throughout this paper / section we use the terms “mafia” and “the mob” interchangeably, following /in accordance with the practice of this department where this study was conducted.
• There are three different types, namely / specifically: X, Y and Z.
• Throughout the / In this paper we use / will use the term X to refer to …
• In this chapter X is used / will be used to refer to …
• In this paper the standard meaning of X is / will be used …
• This aspect is / will be dealt with in more detail in Sect. 2.
• We will see / learn / appreciate how relevant this is in the next subsection.

參考別人的句型範本，可以幫助您發展更精簡的表達方法來闡述您的論點、詞彙、以及定義。練習在上述句型結構中填入您的內容，藉此讓您的讀者了解並應用您的關鍵詞與想法。

您也可以從領域中找一些定義性的段落來從事同樣的練習；把內容移除後，觀察作者所使用的句型，然後填入自己的內容。