问题：请问在论文写作中如何使用as a result一词？它在研究写作中似乎有两个含意。
—教授研究论文修改课时，某同学的提问
答复：
短语as a result经常被用作表示因果关系的状语连词。从这个意义上来说，它是therefore、hence、consequently、as a consequence及accordingly的同义词。以下是as a result该用法的例句。
The molecule has bulky substituents in the ortho positions; as a result, the eclipsed rotamer is energetically disfavored.
The fact that eclipsed rotamer is energetically disfavored is a consequence of the steric bulk of the substituents.
The diphenyl phosphine oxide group is electron withdrawing, and as a result, the central carbon of the allene is electron deficient.
The electron deficiency is a consequence of the presence of the electron-withdrawing group.
在教授ESL写作课时，我经常遇到as a result的一种非标准用法，即作为引导实验结果的连接语。这种用法在母语为中文的作者中较为常见，举例如下：
We investigated the photocatalytic degradation of 17β-estradiol in water and concurrently evaluated the estrogenic activity of the treated water. As a result, 17β-estradiol was totally mineralized to CO2 in a TiO2 suspension under UV irradiation for 3 h.
这样的用法可能导致读者误解暗示矿化作用是调查与评估的结果。实际上，作者只单纯用as a result来暗示，17β-estradiol was totally mineralized to CO2…是photocatalytic degradation实验的结果（或发现）。
再另举一例：
Serial dilution tests of the JCAbl antibody were performed on the three tissues. As a result, JCAbl reacted with JCV-IMR32 cells and PML tissues at all the dilutions.
于此句，作者欲表达的不是指抗体与组织的反应是由连续稀释试验引起的，而欲指，实验观察到抗体在所有稀释度下均与特定组织产生反应。
As a result的这种非标准用法，我认为无伤大雅，但可能会造成读者对句意的误解。我建议不妨作以下的修改：
改句一：We investigated the photocatalytic degradation of 17β-estradiol in water and concurrently evaluated the estrogenic activity of the treated water. We found that 17β-estradiol was totally mineralized to CO2 in a TiO2 suspension under UV irradiation for 3 h.
改句二：We investigated the photocatalytic degradation of 17β-estradiol in water…. The results of these experiments indicated that 17β-estradiol was totally mineralized to CO2 in a TiO2 suspension under UV irradiation for 3 h.
改句三：When we investigated the photocatalytic degradation of 17β-estradiol in water…, we found that that 17β-estradiol was totally mineralized to CO2 in a TiO2 suspension under UV irradiation for 3 h.
改句四：Investigation of the photocatalytic degradation of 17β-estradiol in water and concurrent evaluation of the estrogenic activity of the treated water indicated that 17β-estradiol was totally mineralized to CO2 in a TiO2 suspension under UV irradiation for 3 h.
