he opposite—it is slowing and frustrating a reader. When a writer senses that his message is not crisp and lively, and chooses to be humorous in an effort to give it some “zip,” he has chosen unwisely. Reworking an entire body of writing to enliven it is always the best choice. Only if resorting to humor genuinely energizes a paper and advances a message is it acceptable.
更重要的是，穿插诙谐的题外话或意见时，一定要能加强叙述、产生动能，并增强逻辑。如果一项都做不到，就会造成反效果，让人读得慢且充满挫折。如果作者发现内容不够生动有力，决定运用幽默笔法好给文章一点活力，这个决定其实不太明智。最好的选择应该是重写整篇文章，让文章更有生气。幽默必须能同时让文章更生动，并且能推展文章要旨。
Because humor has, by definition, a comic side, it must be used purposefully. Scholars are purposeful in their scholarship, all learning being a serious and gratifying undertaking. It is, in a phrase, no joking matter. Consequently, any humor that comes across as levity, or frivolous, is out of character with scholarly writing. Therefore, any writer who uses all proven communication techniques—including humor—indeed runs the risk of failing. However, if he succeeds, his reward is peer and professorial recognition as a disciplined, powerful communicator.
因为幽默本来就有滑稽好笑的一面，所以运用时必须深思熟虑。学者钻研学问是很慎重的，做学问是件认真且有收获的工作，简单来说，不是件开玩笑的事。因此，幽默如果给人随便或轻浮的印象，就不适合学术著作。写作时运用幽默等各种有效的沟通技巧，的确有可能失败。不过如果成功了，就能展现娴熟有力的沟通能力，受同侪和教授称道。
3rd Humor Guideline – Use it Sparingly
幽默原则第三条－幽默要节制使用
Humor in an academic paper is rare because it is virtually proscribed. Beginning writers are advised—make that… strictly warned—not to employ humor for the sensible reason that it is a difficult communication technique. Consequently, many beginning writers mature without ever having used an amusing aside or light touch. They simply do not use humor. That’s regrettable. Those willing to employ humor in a paper—in such light sprinklings that they almost honor the prohibition—can earn the respect of professors for communicating clearly and engagingly.
学术文章几乎不许运用幽默，因此很少看到幽默。新手作者都听过这个建议－应该说是严格的告诫－不要运用幽默，因为幽默是个困难的沟通技巧。这个理由很合理。因此许多新手作者在磨练成长中，从来不曾在文章里穿插风趣或轻松幽默的文字，完全和幽默保持距离，实在很可惜。至于愿意在论文里运用幽默的人， 尽管只是轻描淡写，好像也同意不该用幽默一样，但却因为表达清晰生动而能获得教授青睐。
Here’s an example: In describing the reaction of a laboratory rodent, a writer might straight-forwardly observe, “The mouse smelled the tainted sugar, its nose reacting to the injected block, and returned to
