〈提升歷史學成為一門科學〉是德國史家朵伊森（Johann Gustav Droysen, 1808-1884）於1863年發表的一篇書評，評論的是英國史家巴克爾（H. T. Buckle, 1821-1862）的兩冊《英格蘭文明史》（History of Civilization in England, 1858/1861）。筆者翻譯〈提升歷史學成為一門科學〉的目的，是希望藉著這篇具有清晰思想輪廓，且在史學史上具有位置的短文，以便中文世界讀者了解德國原初的歷史主義。
朵伊森站在德國史學界的立場，評論一個與當時德國史學傳統極端相反的研究方法，以及根本不同的價值觀與歷史觀。這篇書評的文辭辛辣，用了許多隱喻、譏諷、古希臘典故及演講術的節奏。為了讓書評中的歷史主義思想因素不至於被朵伊森的激情與意氣所掩蓋，譯者在譯文中加入註釋，希望歷史主義的思想因素能夠被勾勒得更鮮明。在序文中，譯者嘗試把朵伊森書評的內容與刊行的經過放進德國近代史學史的脈絡裡，特別是在兩次歷史主義與實證主義的交鋒與激盪中，藉以呈現它的位置，希望有助於讀者對朵伊森書評的了解。

In 1863 Johann Gustav Droysen published his review article of Thomas Buckle’s History of Civilisation in England. Having been given the title “Zur Erhebung der Geschichte zum Rang einer Wissenschaft,” this article dealt with the basic questions on historical knowledge: What kind of phenomena within human activities can be regarded as historical events? What is the historian’s relation to these historical events? What is the relationship between historical knowledge and the development of human society? While answering these questions, Droysen not only elaborated a thorough critique of Buckle’s positivist approach to historical inquiry.
He also established his own theological view of history, an idealistic understanding of historical events, as well as his idea of freedom and progress. Droysen’s review article contains almost all the essential elements of German historicist thinking of the nineteenth century. Furthermore it was published in the newly founded Historische Zeitschrift, a nationwide scientific journal. There are thus many reasons to regard this article as a declaration of German Historicism. The introduction to the Chinese translation of this review article aims at reconstructing the context and intellectual background of Droysen’s critique, helping the reader to understand the historical position of Droysen’s article more easily.