what pronouns can you use in a research paper

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Use of Pronouns in Academic Writing

Published by Alvin Nicolas at August 17th, 2021 , Revised On August 24, 2023

Pronouns are words that make reference to both specific and nonspecific things and people. They are used in place of nouns.

First-person pronouns (I, We) are rarely used in academic writing. They are primarily used in a reflective piece, such as a reflective essay or personal statement. You should avoid using second-person pronouns such as “you” and “yours”. The use of third-person pronouns (He, She, They) is allowed, but it is still recommended to consider gender bias when using them in academic writing.

The antecedent of a pronoun is the noun that the pronoun represents. In English, you will see the antecedent appear both before and after the pronoun, even though it is usually mentioned in the text before the pronoun. The students could not complete the work on time because they procrastinated for too long. Before he devoured a big burger, Michael looked a bit nervous.

The Antecedent of a Pronoun

Make sure the antecedent is evident and explicit whenever you use a pronoun in a sentence. You may want to replace the pronoun with the noun to eliminate any vagueness.

After the production and the car’s mechanical inspection were complete, it was delivered to the owner.

In the above sentence, it is unclear what the pronoun “it” is referring to.

After the production and the car’s mechanical inspection was complete, the car was delivered to the owner.

Use of First Person Pronouns (I, We) in Academic Writing

The use of first-person pronouns, such as “I” and “We”, is a widely debated topic in academic writing.

While some style guides, such as ‘APA” and “Harvard”, encourage first-person pronouns when describing the author’s actions, many other style guides discourage their use in academic writing to keep the attention to the information presented within rather than who describes it.

Similarly, you will find some leniency towards the use of first-person pronouns in some academic disciplines, while others strictly prohibit using them to maintain an impartial and neutral tone.

It will be fair to say that first-person pronouns are increasingly regular in many forms of academic writing. If ever in doubt whether or not you should use first-person pronouns in your essay or assignment, speak with your tutor to be entirely sure.

Avoid overusing first-person pronouns in academic papers regardless of the style guide used. It is recommended to use them only where required for improving the clarity of the text.

If you are writing about a situation involving only yourself or if you are the sole author of the paper, then use the singular pronouns (I, my). Use plural pronouns (We, They, Our) when there are coauthors to work.

Use the first person	Examples
To signal your position on the topic or make a claim different to what the opposition says.	In this research study, I have argued that First, I have provided the essay outline We conclude that
To report steps, procedures, and methods undertaken.	I conducted research We performed the statistical analysis.
To organise and guide the reader through the text.	Our findings suggest that A is more significant than B, contrary to the claims made in the literature. However, I argue that.

Avoiding First Person Pronouns

You can avoid first-person pronouns by employing any of the following three methods.

Sentences including first-person pronouns	Improvement	Improved sentence
We conducted in-depth research.	Use the third person pronoun	The researchers conducted in-depth research.
I argue that the experimental results justify the hypothesis.	Change the subject	This study argues that the experimental results justify the hypothesis.
I performed statistical analysis of the dataset in SPSS.	Switch to passive voice	The dataset was statistically analysed in SPSS.

There are advantages and disadvantages of each of these three strategies. For example, passive voice introduces dangling modifiers, which can make your text unclear and ambiguous. Therefore, it would be best to keep first-person pronouns in the text if you can use them.

In some forms of academic writing, such as a personal statement and reflective essay, it is completely acceptable to use first-person pronouns.

The Problem with the Editorial We

Avoid using the first person plural to refer to people in academic text, known as the “editorial we”. The use of the “editorial we” is quite common in newspapers when the author speaks on behalf of the people to express a shared experience or view.

Refrain from using broad generalizations in academic text. You have to be crystal clear and very specific about who you are making reference to. Use nouns in place of pronouns where possible.

When we tested the data, we found that the hypothesis to be incorrect.
When the researchers tested the data, they found the hypothesis to be incorrect.
As we started to work on the project, we realized how complex the requirements were.
As the students started to work on the project, they realized how complex the requirements were.

If you are talking on behalf of a specific group you belong to, then the use of “we” is acceptable.

It is essential to be aware of our own
It is essential for essayists to be aware of their own weaknesses.
Essayists need to be aware of their own

Use of Second Person Pronouns (You) in Academic Writing

It is strictly prohibited to use the second-person pronoun “you” to address the audience in any form of academic writing. You can rephrase the sentence or introduce the impersonal pronoun “one” to avoid second-person pronouns in the text.

To achieve the highest academic grade, you must avoid procrastination.
To achieve the highest academic grade, one must avoid procrastination.
As you can notice in below Table 2.1, all participants selected the first option.
As shown in below Table 2.1, all participants selected the first option.

Use of Third Person Pronouns (He, She, They) in Academic Writing

Third-person pronouns in the English language are usually gendered (She/Her, He/Him). Educational institutes worldwide are increasingly advocating for gender-neutral language, so you should avoid using third-person pronouns in academic text.

In the older academic text, you will see gender-based nouns (Fishermen, Traitor) and pronouns (him, her, he, she) being commonly used. However, this style of writing is outdated and warned against in the present times.

You may also see some authors using both masculine and feminine pronouns, such as “he” or “she”, in the same text, but this generally results in unclear and inappropriate sentences.

Considering using gender-neutral pronouns, such as “they”, ‘there”, “them” for unknown people and undetermined people. The use of “they” in academic writing is highly encouraged. Many style guides, including Harvard, MLA, and APA, now endorse gender natural pronouns in academic writing.

On the other hand, you can also choose to avoid using pronouns altogether by either revising the sentence structure or pluralizing the sentence’s subject.

When a student is asked to write an essay, he can take a specific position on the topic.
When a student is asked to write an essay, they can take a specific position on the topic.
When students are asked to write an essay, they are expected to take a specific position on the topic.
Students are expected to take a specific position on the essay topic.
The writer submitted his work for approval
The writer submitted their work for approval.
The writers submitted their work for approval.
The writers’ work was submitted for approval.

Make sure it is clear who you are referring to with the singular “they” pronoun. You may want to rewrite the sentence or name the subject directly if the pronoun makes the sentence ambiguous.

For example, in the following example, you can see it is unclear who the plural pronoun “they” is referring to. To avoid confusion, the subject is named directly, and the context approves that “their paper” addresses the writer.

If the writer doesn’t complete the client’s paper in time, they will be frustrated.
The client will be frustrated if the writer doesn’t complete their paper in due time.

If you need to make reference to a specific person, it would be better to address them using self-identified pronouns. For example, in the following sentence, you can see that each person is referred to using a different possessive pronoun.

The students described their experience with different academic projects: Mike talked about his essay, James talked about their poster presentation, and Sara talked about her dissertation paper.

Ensure Consistency Throughout the Text

Avoid switching back and forth between first-person pronouns (I, We, Our) and third-person pronouns (The writers, the students) in a single piece. It is vitally important to maintain consistency throughout the text.

For example, The writers completed the work in due time, and our content quality is well above the standard expected. We completed the work in due time, and our content quality is well above the standard expected. The writers completed the work in due time, and the content quality is well above the standard expected.“

How to Use Demonstrative Pronouns (This, That, Those, These) in Academic Writing

Make sure it is clear who you are referring to when using demonstrative pronouns. Consider placing a descriptive word or phrase after the demonstrative pronouns to give more clarity to the sentence.

For example, The political relationship between Israel and Arab states has continued to worsen over the last few decades, contrary to the expectations of enthusiasts in the regional political sphere. This shows that a lot more needs to be done to tackle this. The political relationship between Israel and Arab states has continued to worsen over the last few decades, contrary to the expectations of enthusiasts in the regional political sphere. This situation shows that a lot more needs to be done to tackle this issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 8 types of pronouns.

The 8 types of pronouns are:

Personal: Refers to specific persons.
Demonstrative: Points to specific things.
Interrogative: Used for questioning.
Possessive: Shows ownership.
Reflexive: Reflects the subject.
Reciprocal: Indicates mutual action.
Relative: Introduces relative clauses.
Indefinite: Refers vaguely or generally.

Can You Use First-Person Pronouns (I/we) in a Research Paper?

Research writers frequently wonder whether the first person can be used in academic and scientific writing. In truth, for generations, we’ve been discouraged from using “I” and “we” in academic writing simply due to old habits. That’s right—there’s no reason why you can’t use these words! In fact, the academic community used first-person pronouns until the 1920s, when the third person and passive-voice constructions (that is, “boring” writing) were adopted–prominently expressed, for example, in Strunk and White’s classic writing manual “Elements of Style” first published in 1918, that advised writers to place themselves “in the background” and not draw attention to themselves.

In recent decades, however, changing attitudes about the first person in academic writing has led to a paradigm shift, and we have, however, we’ve shifted back to producing active and engaging prose that incorporates the first person.

Can You Use “I” in a Research Paper?

However, “I” and “we” still have some generally accepted pronoun rules writers should follow. For example, the first person is more likely used in the abstract , Introduction section , Discussion section , and Conclusion section of an academic paper while the third person and passive constructions are found in the Methods section and Results section .

In this article, we discuss when you should avoid personal pronouns and when they may enhance your writing.

It’s Okay to Use First-Person Pronouns to:

clarify meaning by eliminating passive voice constructions;
establish authority and credibility (e.g., assert ethos, the Aristotelian rhetorical term referring to the personal character);
express interest in a subject matter (typically found in rapid correspondence);
establish personal connections with readers, particularly regarding anecdotal or hypothetical situations (common in philosophy, religion, and similar fields, particularly to explore how certain concepts might impact personal life. Additionally, artistic disciplines may also encourage personal perspectives more than other subjects);
to emphasize or distinguish your perspective while discussing existing literature; and
to create a conversational tone (rare in academic writing).

The First Person Should Be Avoided When:

doing so would remove objectivity and give the impression that results or observations are unique to your perspective;
you wish to maintain an objective tone that would suggest your study minimized biases as best as possible; and
expressing your thoughts generally (phrases like “I think” are unnecessary because any statement that isn’t cited should be yours).

Usage Examples

The following examples compare the impact of using and avoiding first-person pronouns.

Example 1 (First Person Preferred):

To understand the effects of global warming on coastal regions, changes in sea levels, storm surge occurrences and precipitation amounts were examined .

[Note: When a long phrase acts as the subject of a passive-voice construction, the sentence becomes difficult to digest. Additionally, since the author(s) conducted the research, it would be clearer to specifically mention them when discussing the focus of a project.]

We examined changes in sea levels, storm surge occurrences, and precipitation amounts to understand how global warming impacts coastal regions.

[Note: When describing the focus of a research project, authors often replace “we” with phrases such as “this study” or “this paper.” “We,” however, is acceptable in this context, including for scientific disciplines. In fact, papers published the vast majority of scientific journals these days use “we” to establish an active voice. Be careful when using “this study” or “this paper” with verbs that clearly couldn’t have performed the action. For example, “we attempt to demonstrate” works, but “the study attempts to demonstrate” does not; the study is not a person.]

Example 2 (First Person Discouraged):

From the various data points we have received , we observed that higher frequencies of runoffs from heavy rainfall have occurred in coastal regions where temperatures have increased by at least 0.9°C.

[Note: Introducing personal pronouns when discussing results raises questions regarding the reproducibility of a study. However, mathematics fields generally tolerate phrases such as “in X example, we see…”]

Coastal regions with temperature increases averaging more than 0.9°C experienced higher frequencies of runoffs from heavy rainfall.

[Note: We removed the passive voice and maintained objectivity and assertiveness by specifically identifying the cause-and-effect elements as the actor and recipient of the main action verb. Additionally, in this version, the results appear independent of any person’s perspective.]

Example 3 (First Person Preferred):

In contrast to the study by Jones et al. (2001), which suggests that milk consumption is safe for adults, the Miller study (2005) revealed the potential hazards of ingesting milk. The authors confirm this latter finding.

[Note: “Authors” in the last sentence above is unclear. Does the term refer to Jones et al., Miller, or the authors of the current paper?]

In contrast to the study by Jones et al. (2001), which suggests that milk consumption is safe for adults, the Miller study (2005) revealed the potential hazards of ingesting milk. We confirm this latter finding.

[Note: By using “we,” this sentence clarifies the actor and emphasizes the significance of the recent findings reported in this paper. Indeed, “I” and “we” are acceptable in most scientific fields to compare an author’s works with other researchers’ publications. The APA encourages using personal pronouns for this context. The social sciences broaden this scope to allow discussion of personal perspectives, irrespective of comparisons to other literature.]

Other Tips about Using Personal Pronouns

Avoid starting a sentence with personal pronouns. The beginning of a sentence is a noticeable position that draws readers’ attention. Thus, using personal pronouns as the first one or two words of a sentence will draw unnecessary attention to them (unless, of course, that was your intent).
Be careful how you define “we.” It should only refer to the authors and never the audience unless your intention is to write a conversational piece rather than a scholarly document! After all, the readers were not involved in analyzing or formulating the conclusions presented in your paper (although, we note that the point of your paper is to persuade readers to reach the same conclusions you did). While this is not a hard-and-fast rule, if you do want to use “we” to refer to a larger class of people, clearly define the term “we” in the sentence. For example, “As researchers, we frequently question…”
First-person writing is becoming more acceptable under Modern English usage standards; however, the second-person pronoun “you” is still generally unacceptable because it is too casual for academic writing.
Take all of the above notes with a grain of salt. That is, double-check your institution or target journal’s author guidelines . Some organizations may prohibit the use of personal pronouns.
As an extra tip, before submission, you should always read through the most recent issues of a journal to get a better sense of the editors’ preferred writing styles and conventions.

Wordvice Resources

For more general advice on how to use active and passive voice in research papers, on how to paraphrase , or for a list of useful phrases for academic writing , head over to the Wordvice Academic Resources pages . And for more professional proofreading services , visit our Academic Editing and P aper Editing Services pages.

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Literature Review

Pronouns In a Research Paper - Can You Use "We" In A Research Paper

Can you use "we" in a research paper? This guide breaks down pronoun rules to help you write with clarity and authority.

Sep 2, 2024

person sitting alone and working - Can You Use "We" In A Research Paper

Imagine you're knee-deep in a literature search, combing through academic journals to find relevant articles for your research paper. As you read through the findings, you realize there is a lot of overlap with your work. This prompts you to write a summary of the article, noting how the authors' findings relate to your research. As you begin to write, can I use we in a research paper? After all, the authors and I have something in common, and we would help clarify my point. You're not alone if you need clarification on using we in academic writing. This blog will clarify when such usage is acceptable. You will also discover how Otio's AI research assistant can help you write better papers faster with efficient literature search .

Otio's AI research and writing partner can help you achieve your academic goals by streamlining your literature search and improving the quality of your writing.

What is a research paper, structure of a research paper, can you use "we" in a research paper, can you use pronouns in a research paper, 15 best ai tools for efficient research paper writing, 10 tips to write outclass research papers, supercharge your researching ability with otio — try otio for free today.

A research paper is an expanded essay that presents your interpretation, evaluation, or argument. When writing an essay, you use everything you know and have thought about a subject.

When you write a research paper , you build upon what you know about the subject and deliberately attempt to discover what experts know. A research paper involves surveying a field of knowledge to find the best possible information. If you know how to approach that survey, it can be orderly and focused.

person sitting alone in a couch - Can You Use "We" In A Research Paper

Title Page: What’s in a Name?

The title page is the research paper's opening act. It features the paper's title and author details, including a running head and the author's institutional affiliation.

In some cases, the title page will include an Author Note that lists any funding sources and acknowledges individuals who assisted with the project. The Author's Note is typically placed toward the bottom of the title page.

Abstract: One Paragraph to Rule Them All

The abstract is a one-paragraph summary of the entire study. Typically, it is 250 words or less (and in many cases, it is much shorter than that), but it provides an overview of the study.

Introduction: Setting the Stage for Your Research

The introduction is the first major section of the paper . It commonly describes the topic under investigation and summarizes or discusses relevant prior research.

The introduction then identifies unresolved issues that the current research will address. It provides an overview of the research, described in greater detail in the following sections.

Methods: How the Research Was Conducted

The methods section details how the research was performed. It typically describes the participants/subjects involved, the study design, the materials used, and the study procedure.

If there were multiple experiments, each experiment may require a separate methods section. A rule of thumb is that the methods section should be sufficiently detailed for another researcher to duplicate your research.

Results: What Did You Find?

The results section describes the data collected and the results of any statistical tests performed. A description of the analysis procedure used may also preface it. If there were multiple experiments, each experiment may require a separate results section.

Discussion: What Do the Results Mean?

The discussion is the final major section of the paper. It commonly summarizes the study's results, describes how those results address the topic under investigation and the issues the research was designed to address, and may expand upon the implications of those findings. Limitations and directions for future research are also commonly addressed.

References: Where to Go for More Information

The references section is an alphabetized list of the sources cited in the paper (by the last name of the first author of each source). Each reference should follow specific APA guidelines regarding:

Author names

Article titles

Journal titles

Journal volume numbers

Page numbers

Book publishers

Publisher locations

Tables and Figures: Graphs and Data

Tables and figures may be included depending on the type of research being performed (however, in some cases, neither). In APA style , each table and figure are placed on a separate page, and all tables and figures are included after the references.

Tables are included first, followed by figures. Tables and figures may be embedded in the text for some journals and undergraduate research papers (such as the B.S. or honors thesis).

Appendix: Supplementary Information

In some cases, additional information that is not critical to understanding the research paper, such as a list of experiment stimuli, details of a secondary analysis, or programming code, is provided. This is often placed in an appendix.

First-Person Pronouns (e.g., "I," "we")

APA Style: The APA (American Psychological Association) style allows for using first-person pronouns, especially when discussing your:

Opinions

For example, We experimented with what was acceptable. MLA Style: The MLA (Modern Language Association) style is generally more flexible and may allow the use of first-person pronouns, depending on the paper's context. Chicago Style: Similar to MLA, Chicago style does not prohibit using first-person pronouns but advises their use in moderation. Scientific Writing: In scientific writing, first-person pronouns are increasingly accepted, particularly in the methods section ("We measured the temperature..."), though some journals may prefer a more passive voice.

Second-Person Pronouns (e.g., "you"): Avoid in Formal Writing

Second-person pronouns are generally avoided in formal research papers because they make the writing seem informal or directive.

Third-Person Pronouns (e.g., "he," "she," "they"): Use Appropriately

Third-person pronouns often refer to other researchers, subjects in a study, or theoretical perspectives. Using they as a gender-neutral singular pronoun is increasingly accepted in academic writing.

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1. Otio: Your AI Research Collaborator*

Today, knowledge workers, researchers, and students suffer from content overload and are left to deal with it using fragmented, complex, and manual tooling. Too many settle for stitching together complicated bookmarking, read-it-later, and note-taking apps to get through their workflows. Now that anyone can create content with a button, this problem will only worsen.

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Otio helps you go from the reading list to the first draft faster. Along with this, Otio also helps you write research papers/essays faster. Here are our top features loved by researchers: AI-generated notes on all bookmarks (Youtube videos, PDFs, articles, etc.), Otio enables you to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases, just like you chat with ChatGPT, as well as AI-assisted writing.

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2. Bit AI: The Documentation Tool for Teams

Bit AI is an AI program designed to help teams collaborate on documents, wikis, and knowledge bases. It goes beyond just text and images, allowing users to create interactive documents containing:

Cloud files

It works much like Google Drive, allowing for real-time collaboration on documents. Multiple people can work on documents simultaneously and chat with one another within the interface:

Built-In AI Writing Assistant: AI Genius is the perfect tool for generating documents, wikis, and other information based on a text prompt.

Multiple Use Cases: Bit AI's document development features are great for researchers and marketers, product management, startups, and human resources.

Collaboration Tools: Bit.ai allows multiple users to collaborate simultaneously on documents, notes, wikis, and other content in real-time.

Wide Range of Integrations: Bit AI integrates with many third-party tools, including YouTube, Google Sheets, Figma, and GitHub.

Limited Customizations: Bit AI would be better if it had text formatting or options to customize the appearance of documents, such as matching company branding.

3. Semantic Scholar: An AI Research Tool for the Sciences

Semantic Scholar is one of the top AI research tools widely used by computer science, biomedical science, and neuroscience students. It uses natural language processing to analyze academic papers and find relevant literature.

It refines search results for greater efficiency and relevance. Based on user feedback, it continuously improves the tool and provides a personalized user experience.

The summary has accuracy issues and AI-generated citations. It only gives you access to the full text of some papers.

4. Scite: Smart Citations for Academic Research

Scite is one of the most popular AI-powered academic research tools that improve academic research in one go. Its own natural language processing and machine learning help users do better research on scholarly articles and analyze citations.

Scite allows researchers like you to assess the dependability of references in any particular context. It helps in evaluating the quality and impact of the research. It also provides better visualizations and metrics to understand the citation landscape of a particular paper or a topic. If you have missed out on using this tool, try it today.

Smart Citations: Scite analyzes how an article is referenced in other research. It can tell if the citing article supports, contradicts, or mentions the original article.

Citation Context: Scite shows you how different sections of an article are cited in other research, helping you understand how the original research is being used and interpreted by other researchers.

Citation Reports: This tool generates reports that show citation patterns and trends, helping users identify articles and authors in a related field.

Large Dataset: Scite was training on more than 187 million articles, books, preprints, and other datasets, making it a solid choice for researchers.

Not All Articles Cited Are Accessible: Although Scite offers full-text access for most articles cited, some publishers have not.

6. Google Scholar: The Academic Search Engine

Google Scholar is a beacon for academic research, offering a straightforward platform akin to its browser counterpart. It’s a treasure trove of:

7. PDFGear Copilot: An AI Assistant for PDF Research

PDFgear Copilot is an AI-powered assistant that extracts and summarizes information in PDF documents. It utilizes OpenAI’s ChatGPT language model to help users locate important information in documents while conducting research. It lets you chat with a document, ask questions about its contents, and easily summarize entire PDFs.

Interact With PDFs: Summarize, analyze, and interact with PDF content through natural language processing.

ChatGPT Integration: Find key information and get answers using built-in ChatGPT functionality.

Streamline PDF Workflows: Complete tasks, such as converting, printing, and saving PDFs with natural language processing.

Support for Multiple Languages: PDFgear Copilot supports over 100 languages, making it accessible to many users.

No Dark Mode: PDFgear cannot switch to dark mode, potentially alienating those who prefer it.

8. Consensus: An AI Research Tool for Science

Consensus is an AI research tool that gathers information from published material and peer-reviewed articles. It is helpful for those who want to understand scientific subjects thoroughly.

It helps users understand scientific subjects thoroughly by scanning for trustworthy and accurate research articles. This tool is handy for students and researchers in STEM and business fields.

Natural language processing analyzes data and verifies the source. It can also generate a summary of research queries and help obtain information for the early research stage.

It is favored only for STEM and business, not the humanities and fine arts. It is not suitable for rigorous and reproducible research.

9. Trinka: An AI Grammar Checker for Academic Writing

It is one of the most commonly used AI tools for scholars and students. It helps with grammar and language correction for academic and technical writing. It has 3000+ grammar checks and tone and style enhancements, which help scholars write better theses and projects without errors.

Trinka helps you document scientific findings and allows you to have a more technical tone and style without any difficulty. Trinka is the most promising tool for academic research purposes, as it helps you better document research papers and white papers.

Save time in checking grammar while doing academic writing. Let you check grammar, correct spelling, and offer context suggestions based on your writing style.

The tool's response time could be faster, hindering quick feedback. It may also be challenging to understand the technical jargon.

10. Connected Papers: A Visual Tool for Research

Connected Papers is an innovative research tool that helps scientists and scholars efficiently explore relevant literature by providing a visual, similarity-based mapping of related academic papers. It uses circles to represent different papers. The size of the circle corresponds to the frequency of citations by other researchers.

Papers that closely resemble the original paper you provided are positioned closer together and connected by lines. The thickness of the line indicates the strength of the relationship between the documents. By following the connections between papers, you can use Connected Papers to explore new research areas within your field.

Similarity Graphs: Connected Papers produces a visual graph displaying related papers. Unlike a traditional citation tree, it emphasizes semantic similarity, meaning papers with shared citations and references are more connected.

Prior and Derivative Works: Connected Papers identifies influential prior works that have shaped the current research landscape. It can reveal derivative works that build upon the original paper’s ideas.

Multi-Origin Graphs: You can enter multiple papers as a starting point so that CP can create a combined graph highlighting their relationships.

Save Papers and Graphs: Save papers and graphs to revisit and explore topics further.

Limited Citation View: Unlike citation trees, Connected Papers doesn’t directly show how papers cite each other.

11. Mendeley: A PDF Organizer for Academic Research

Mendeley is a user-friendly AI tool for organizing, sharing, and citing your research papers properly in one place. It helps you easily organize your PDFs, create better bibliographies, and annotate documents.

This tool enables researchers to collaborate on projects and discover relevant articles based on their interests. Mendeley’s powerful features and integration into academic workflows make it a practical tool. It helps streamline your management and enhance collaboration within the scholarly community.

Offer citation styles for journals and boost citation efficiency. Organize and share references for collaborative research.

Do not make PDF annotations as expected. Users commonly face server downtime and syncing errors.

12. Litmaps: A Comprehensive Literature Mapping Tool

Litmaps is a literature mapping tool that helps researchers discover new and relevant research papers, visualize the relationships between papers, and share their research. It works by using connectedness theory, which allows researchers to quickly scan Litmap’s network of academic papers around the documents they know, discovering vital related papers they may not know about. Litmaps can also generate reading lists and notify users when relevant new papers are published, making it easier to stay up-to-date on the latest research.

Search Academic Papers: Litmaps allows you to search a vast database of over 260 million academic papers to find relevant articles.

Mind Mapping: Litmaps lets you visualize your research by creating a map of interconnected articles and annotating them for better understanding.

Explore Research From Various Angles: Dynamic Exploration allows users to explore research from different angles by rearranging how papers are positioned on the map.

Collaboration Features: The platform allows you to share your research maps with colleagues, students, or advisors to facilitate collaboration.

Limited Free Plan: Some features, like unlimited searches, are only available on paid plans.

13. Scholarcy: An AI Summarizer for Academic Research

Scholarly is an AI tool that improves academic research by automating the process of reading, summarizing, and extracting information. It can help you recognize:’

Tables and references from articles

Grasp the main concepts

This tool has citation extraction features that allow users to organize and cite the sources used in the research. It also provides the literature review process, which enables you to save valuable time and effort.

Summarize the topics of research papers to save time and effort. Offer links to the cited resources to access the research material.

The essay summary may need to be more precise, which may result in plagiarism. The AI-generated summary will only cover some of the critical points of the research paper.

14. Jenni: An AI Writing Assistant for Academic Writing

The next AI tool for research on our list is Jenni. It’s an AI-powered writing assistant designed to help students and researchers with academic writing tasks.

It uses machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to provide content suggestions, writing feedback, and research assistance. It’s beneficial for writing essays, research papers, literature reviews, and more. Jenni can also help with citations and references and check for plagiarism.

AskJenni: Use an AI research assistant that can help answer research questions and provide document-related clarifications.

Citation and Reference Assistance: Jenni can properly format citations and references in styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago.

AI Commands: Jenni can perform tasks like paraphrasing, rewriting, and simplifying existing text.

AI Autocompletion: Jenni can suggest and complete sentences to help you write faster.

Limited Content Types: Compared to other AI writing tools like Copy.ai and Jasper, Jenni.ai offers only a limited number of content types, such as blogs, essays, emails, and free-flow writing.

15. Knewton: An AI Tool for Personalized Learning

Using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, Knewton allows users to deliver personalized educational content. You can tailor the tool for the educational content according to individual needs and learning styles.

This is a one-stop and easy-to-use tool in the academic learning phase. Knewton also allows users to analyze students:

Performance data

Progress

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1. Create a Plan to Write Research Papers Efficiently

Before tackling a research paper, create a detailed plan . Starting with a list of tasks, develop a timeline for completing each. For example, you allocate two weeks for reading and organizing your research, one week for writing an outline, and three weeks for drafting and revising your paper.

2. Determine the Audience and Clarify Your Writing

Understanding your audience is a crucial part of writing a research paper. Consider the:

Expectations

Assumptions

Existing knowledge

Of your readers. Aim to write for an audience with less background knowledge than your target readers. This approach helps improve clarity, making it easier for your target audience to understand your work.

3. Analyze the Style of Sample Articles and Emulate Their Structure

Every academic publication has its unique writing style . Before you begin writing, analyze the style of articles in your target publication and emulate that style.

Pay particular attention to the organization of the articles, as this will help you structure your paper. Ensure that all ideas are properly cited based on your disciplinary norms.

4. Write Your Method Section Clearly and Concisely

The methodology section of research papers can vary widely in structure and content based on the discipline and audience. Regardless of the subject, it’s important to be clear and concise.

Simply tell readers what you did. Keep your discussions of various alternative methods to a minimum and avoid excessive detail.

5. Keep It Direct and Simple

Research writing doesn’t have to be convoluted and confusing. It shouldn’t be. Avoid clichés and re-examine any uses of discipline-specific jargon that might be unclear to your reader.

Strive for clear, straightforward sentences. The simplest form is best. Recognize that revision will be necessary.

6. Create an Outline to Organize Your Paper

Before writing your research paper, create an outline to organize your thoughts. Decide which of your findings are important and place them in your outline. Be prepared to relegate some of your findings to the appendices for clarity.

7. Presenting Your Data

One of the most challenging aspects of writing a research paper can be the presentation of statistics. Remember that tables should speak for themselves. Readers should not have to dig through the main text to make sense of them.

8. Get a Second (or Third) Set of Eyes on Your Writing

Sharing your writing with peers can help you improve your research paper. Ask readers of various levels to review your work. Their input can prove illuminating. The Writing Centre is a great place to receive support.

9. Copy Edit Your Research Paper

Always proofread a hard copy of your writing. Work with a partner and read your prose out loud, punctuation if possible.

10. Understand That Writing Research Papers Takes Time and Practice

Research writing is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. Be patient and allow ample time to complete your next research paper.

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We Vs. They: Using the First & Third Person in Research Papers

Writing in the first , second , or third person is referred to as the author’s point of view . When we write, our tendency is to personalize the text by writing in the first person . That is, we use pronouns such as “I” and “we”. This is acceptable when writing personal information, a journal, or a book. However, it is not common in academic writing.

Some writers find the use of first , second , or third person point of view a bit confusing while writing research papers. Since second person is avoided while writing in academic or scientific papers, the main confusion remains within first or third person.

In the following sections, we will discuss the usage and examples of the first , second , and third person point of view.

First Person Pronouns

The first person point of view simply means that we use the pronouns that refer to ourselves in the text. These are as follows:

Can we use I or We In the Scientific Paper?

Using these, we present the information based on what “we” found. In science and mathematics, this point of view is rarely used. It is often considered to be somewhat self-serving and arrogant . It is important to remember that when writing your research results, the focus of the communication is the research and not the persons who conducted the research. When you want to persuade the reader, it is best to avoid personal pronouns in academic writing even when it is personal opinion from the authors of the study. In addition to sounding somewhat arrogant, the strength of your findings might be underestimated.

For example:

Based on my results, I concluded that A and B did not equal to C.

In this example, the entire meaning of the research could be misconstrued. The results discussed are not those of the author ; they are generated from the experiment. To refer to the results in this context is incorrect and should be avoided. To make it more appropriate, the above sentence can be revised as follows:

Based on the results of the assay, A and B did not equal to C.

Second Person Pronouns

The second person point of view uses pronouns that refer to the reader. These are as follows:

This point of view is usually used in the context of providing instructions or advice , such as in “how to” manuals or recipe books. The reason behind using the second person is to engage the reader.

You will want to buy a turkey that is large enough to feed your extended family. Before cooking it, you must wash it first thoroughly with cold water.

Although this is a good technique for giving instructions, it is not appropriate in academic or scientific writing.

Third Person Pronouns

The third person point of view uses both proper nouns, such as a person’s name, and pronouns that refer to individuals or groups (e.g., doctors, researchers) but not directly to the reader. The ones that refer to individuals are as follows:

Hers (possessive form)
His (possessive form)
Its (possessive form)
One’s (possessive form)

The third person point of view that refers to groups include the following:

Their (possessive form)
Theirs (plural possessive form)

Everyone at the convention was interested in what Dr. Johnson presented. The instructors decided that the students should help pay for lab supplies. The researchers determined that there was not enough sample material to conduct the assay.

The third person point of view is generally used in scientific papers but, at times, the format can be difficult. We use indefinite pronouns to refer back to the subject but must avoid using masculine or feminine terminology. For example:

A researcher must ensure that he has enough material for his experiment. The nurse must ensure that she has a large enough blood sample for her assay.

Many authors attempt to resolve this issue by using “he or she” or “him or her,” but this gets cumbersome and too many of these can distract the reader. For example:

A researcher must ensure that he or she has enough material for his or her experiment. The nurse must ensure that he or she has a large enough blood sample for his or her assay.

These issues can easily be resolved by making the subjects plural as follows:

Researchers must ensure that they have enough material for their experiment. Nurses must ensure that they have large enough blood samples for their assay.

Exceptions to the Rules

As mentioned earlier, the third person is generally used in scientific writing, but the rules are not quite as stringent anymore. It is now acceptable to use both the first and third person pronouns in some contexts, but this is still under controversy.

In a February 2011 blog on Eloquent Science , Professor David M. Schultz presented several opinions on whether the author viewpoints differed. However, there appeared to be no consensus. Some believed that the old rules should stand to avoid subjectivity, while others believed that if the facts were valid, it didn’t matter which point of view was used.

First or Third Person: What Do The Journals Say

In general, it is acceptable in to use the first person point of view in abstracts, introductions, discussions, and conclusions, in some journals. Even then, avoid using “I” in these sections. Instead, use “we” to refer to the group of researchers that were part of the study. The third person point of view is used for writing methods and results sections. Consistency is the key and switching from one point of view to another within sections of a manuscript can be distracting and is discouraged. It is best to always check your author guidelines for that particular journal. Once that is done, make sure your manuscript is free from the above-mentioned or any other grammatical error.

You are the only researcher involved in your thesis project. You want to avoid using the first person point of view throughout, but there are no other researchers on the project so the pronoun “we” would not be appropriate. What do you do and why? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

I am writing the history of an engineering company for which I worked. How do I relate a significant incident that involved me?

Hi Roger, Thank you for your question. If you are narrating the history for the company that you worked at, you would have to refer to it from an employee’s perspective (third person). If you are writing the history as an account of your experiences with the company (including the significant incident), you could refer to yourself as ”I” or ”My.” (first person) You could go through other articles related to language and grammar on Enago Academy’s website https://enago.com/academy/ to help you with your document drafting. Did you get a chance to install our free Mobile App? https://www.enago.com/academy/mobile-app/ . Make sure you subscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://www.enago.com/academy/subscribe-now/ .

Good day , i am writing a research paper and m y setting is a company . is it ethical to put the name of the company in the research paper . i the management has allowed me to conduct my research in thir company .

thanks docarlene diaz

Generally authors do not mention the names of the organization separately within the research paper. The name of the educational institution the researcher or the PhD student is working in needs to be mentioned along with the name in the list of authors. However, if the research has been carried out in a company, it might not be mandatory to mention the name after the name in the list of authors. You can check with the author guidelines of your target journal and if needed confirm with the editor of the journal. Also check with the mangement of the company whether they want the name of the company to be mentioned in the research paper.

Finishing up my dissertation the information is clear and concise.

How to write the right first person pronoun if there is a single researcher? Thanks

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APA Style: Writing & Citation

Voice and Tense
Clarity of Language

First vs Third Person Pronouns

Editorial "we", singular "they".

Avoiding Bias
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APA Citation Examples
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APA recommends avoiding the use of the third person when referring to your self as the primary investigator or author. Use the personal pronoun I or we when referring to steps in an experiment. (see page 120, 4.16 in the APA 7th Edition Manual)

Correct: We assessed the vality of the experiment design with a literature review.

Incorrect: The authors assessed the vality of the experiment with a literature review.

Avoid the use of the editorial or universal we. The use of we can be confusing because it is not clear to the reader who you are referring to in your research. Substitute the word we with a noun, such as researchers, nurses, or students. Limit the use of the word we to refer to yourself and your coauthors. (See page 120 4.17 in the APA 7th edition manual)

Correct: Humans experience the world as a spectrum of sights, sounds, and smells.

Incorrect: We experience the world as a spectrum of sights, sounds, and smells .

The Singular "They" refers to a generic third-person singular pronoun. APA is promoting the use of the singular "they" as a way of being more inclusive and to avoid assumptions about gender. Many advocacy groups and publishers are now supporting it.

Observe the following guidelines when addressing issues surrounding third-person pronouns:

Always use a person's self identified pronoun.
Use "they" to refer to a person whose gender is not known.
Do not use a combination forms, such as "(s)he" and "s/he."
Reword a sentence to avoid using a pronoun, if the gender is not known.
You can use the forms of THEY such as them, their, theirs, and themselves.
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Last Updated: Aug 26, 2024 11:09 AM
URL: https://libguides.gvltec.edu/apawriting

First-Person Pronouns

Use first-person pronouns in APA Style to describe your work as well as your personal reactions.

If you are writing a paper by yourself, use the pronoun “I” to refer to yourself.
If you are writing a paper with coauthors, use the pronoun “we” to refer yourself and your coauthors together.

Referring to yourself in the third person

Do not use the third person to refer to yourself. Writers are often tempted to do this as a way to sound more formal or scholarly; however, it can create ambiguity for readers about whether you or someone else performed an action.

Correct: I explored treatments for social anxiety.

Incorrect: The author explored treatments for social anxiety.

First-person pronouns are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 4.16 and the Concise Guide Section 2.16

Editorial “we”

Also avoid the editorial “we” to refer to people in general.

Incorrect: We often worry about what other people think of us.

Instead, specify the meaning of “we”—do you mean other people in general, other people of your age, other students, other psychologists, other nurses, or some other group? The previous sentence can be clarified as follows:

Correct: As young adults, we often worry about what other people think of us. I explored my own experience of social anxiety...

When you use the first person to describe your own actions, readers clearly understand when you are writing about your own work and reactions versus those of other researchers.

How to Use Pronouns Effectively While Writing Research Papers?

Usage of Pronouns in an Article

Smooth: For the smooth flow of writing, pronouns are a necessary tool. Any article, book, or academic paper needs pronouns. If pronouns are replaced by nouns everywhere in a piece of writing, its readability would decrease, making it clumsy for the reader. However, the correct usage of pronouns is also required for the proper understanding of a subject.
Simple to Read: In academic writing, it is important to use the accurate pronoun with the correct noun in the correct place of the sentence. If the pronouns make an article complicated instead of simple to read, they have not been used effectively.
Singular/Plural, Person: When the pronoun that substitutes a noun agrees with the number and person of that noun, the writing becomes more meaningful. Here, the number implies whether the noun is singular or plural, and person implies whether the noun is in the first, second, or third person.
Gender-Specific: Gender-specific pronouns bring clarity to the writing. If it is a feminine noun, the pronoun should be ‘she’, and for a masculine noun, it should be ‘he’. If the gender is not specified, both ‘he’ and ‘she’ should be used. In the case of plural nouns, ‘they’ should be used.
Exceptions: Terms like ‘everyone’ and ‘everybody’ seem to be plural, but they carry singular pronouns. Singular pronouns are used for terms like ‘anybody’, ‘anyone’, ‘nobody’, ‘each’, and ‘someone’. These pronouns are also needed in academic writing.

Which Pronoun Should be Used Where?

Personal Pronoun: If the author is writing from the first-person singular or plural point of view, then pronouns like ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘mine’, ‘my’, ‘we’, ‘our’, ‘ours’, and ‘us’ can be used. Academic writing considers these as personal pronouns. They make the author’s point of view and the results of the research immodest and opinionated. These pronouns should be avoided in academic writing as they understate the research findings. Authors must remember that their research and results should the focus, not themselves.
First Person Plural Pronoun: Though sometimes ‘I’ can be used in the abstract, introduction, discussion, and conclusion sections, it should be avoided. It is advisable to use ‘we’ instead.
Second Person Pronoun: The use of pronouns such as ‘you’, ‘your’, and ‘yours’ is also not appropriate in academic writing. They can be used to give instructions. It is better to use impersonal pronouns instead.
Gender-Neutral Pronoun: Publications and study guides demand the writing to be gender-neutral which is why, either ‘s/he’ or ‘they’ is used.
Demonstrative Pronoun: While using demonstrative pronouns such as this, that, these, or those, it should be clear who is being referred to.

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First-Person Pronouns | List, Examples & Explanation

First-Person Pronouns | List, Examples & Explanation

Published on October 17, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 4, 2023.

First-person pronouns are words such as “I” and “us” that refer either to the person who said or wrote them (singular), or to a group including the speaker or writer (plural). Like second- and third-person pronouns , they are a type of personal pronoun .

They’re used without any issue in everyday speech and writing, but there’s an ongoing debate about whether they should be used in academic writing .

There are four types of first-person pronouns—subject, object, possessive, and reflexive—each of which has a singular and a plural form. They’re shown in the table below and explained in more detail in the following sections.

English first-person pronouns

	I	me	mine	myself
	we	us	ours	ourselves

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First-person subject pronouns (“i” and “we”), first-person object pronouns (“me” and “us”), first-person possessive pronouns (“mine” and “ours”), first-person reflexive pronouns (“myself” and “ourselves”), first-person pronouns in academic writing, other interesting language articles, frequently asked questions.

Used as the subject of a verb , the first-person subject pronoun takes the form I (singular) or we (plural). Note that unlike all other pronouns, “I” is invariably capitalized .

A subject is the person or thing that performs the action described by the verb. In most sentences, it appears at the start or after an introductory phrase, just before the verb it is the subject of.

To be honest, we haven’t made much progress.

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Used as the object of a verb or preposition , the first-person object pronoun takes the form me (singular) or us (plural). Objects can be direct or indirect, but the object pronoun should be used in both cases.

A direct object is the person or thing that is acted upon (e.g., “she threatened us ”).
An indirect object is the person or thing that benefits from that action (e.g., “Jane gave me a gift”).
An object pronoun should also be used after a preposition (e.g., “come with me ”).

It makes no difference to me .

Will they tell us where to go?

First-person possessive pronouns are used to represent something that belongs to you. They are mine (singular) and ours (plural).

They are closely related to the first-person possessive determiners my (singular) and our (plural). The difference is that determiners must modify a noun (e.g., “ my book”), while pronouns stand on their own (e.g., “that one is mine ”).

It was a close game, but in the end, victory was ours .

A reflexive pronoun is used instead of an object pronoun when the object of the sentence is the same as the subject. The first-person reflexive pronouns are myself (singular) and ourselves (plural). They occur with reflexive verbs, which describe someone acting upon themselves (e.g., “I wash myself ”).

The same words can also be used as intensive pronouns , in which case they place greater emphasis on the person carrying out the action (e.g., “I’ll do it myself ”).

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While first-person pronouns are used without any problem in most contexts, there’s an ongoing debate about their use in academic writing . They have traditionally been avoided in many academic disciplines for two main reasons:

To maintain an objective tone
To keep the focus on the material and not the author

However, the first person is increasingly standard in many types of academic writing. Some style guides, such as APA , require the use of first-person pronouns (and determiners) when referring to your own actions and opinions. The tendency varies based on your field of study:

The natural sciences and other STEM fields (e.g., medicine, biology, engineering) tend to avoid first-person pronouns, although they accept them more than they used to.
The social sciences and humanities fields (e.g., sociology, philosophy, literary studies) tend to allow first-person pronouns.

Avoiding first-person pronouns

If you do need to avoid using first-person pronouns (and determiners ) in your writing, there are three main techniques for doing so.

First-person sentence	Technique	Revised sentence
We 12 participants.	Use the third person	The researchers interviewed 12 participants.
I argue that the theory needs to be refined further.	Use a different subject	This paper argues that the theory needs to be refined further.
I checked the dataset for and .	Use the	The dataset was checked for missing data and outliers.

Each technique has different advantages and disadvantages. For example, the passive voice can sometimes result in dangling modifiers that make your text less clear. If you are allowed to use first-person pronouns, retaining them is the best choice.

Using first-person pronouns appropriately

If you’re allowed to use the first person, you still shouldn’t overuse it. First-person pronouns (and determiners ) are used for specific purposes in academic writing.

Use the first person …	Examples
To organize the text and guide the reader through your argument	argue that … outline the development of … conclude that …
To report methods, procedures, and steps undertaken	analyzed … interviewed …
To signal your position in a debate or contrast your claims with another source	findings suggest that … contend that …

Avoid arbitrarily inserting your own thoughts and feelings in a way that seems overly subjective and adds nothing to your argument:

In my opinion, …
I think that …
I dislike …

Pronoun consistency

Whether you may or may not refer to yourself in the first person, it’s important to maintain a consistent point of view throughout your text. Don’t shift between the first person (“I,” “we”) and the third person (“the author,” “the researchers”) within your text.

The researchers interviewed 12 participants, and our results show that all were in agreement.
We interviewed 12 participants, and our results show that all were in agreement.
The researchers interviewed 12 participants, and the results show that all were in agreement.

The editorial “we”

Regardless of whether you’re allowed to use the first person in your writing, you should avoid the editorial “we.” This is the use of plural first-person pronouns (or determiners) such as “we” to make a generalization about people. This usage is regarded as overly vague and informal.

Broad generalizations should be avoided, and any generalizations you do need to make should be expressed in a different way, usually with third-person plural pronouns (or occasionally the impersonal pronoun “one”). You also shouldn’t use the second-person pronoun “you” for generalizations.

When we are given more freedom, we can work more effectively.
When employees are given more freedom, they can work more effectively.
As we age, we tend to become less concerned with others’ opinions of us .
As people age, they tend to become less concerned with others’ opinions of them .

If you want to know more about nouns , pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations and examples.

Nouns & pronouns

Common nouns
Collective nouns
Personal pronouns
Proper nouns
Second-person pronouns
Verb tenses
Phrasal verbs
Types of verbs
Active vs passive voice
Subject-verb agreement
Interjections
Conjunctions
Prepositions

Yes, the personal pronoun we and the related pronouns us , ours , and ourselves are all first-person. These are the first-person plural pronouns (and our is the first-person plural possessive determiner ).

If you’ve been told not to refer to yourself in the first person in your academic writing , this means you should also avoid the first-person plural terms above . Switching from “I” to “we” is not a way of avoiding the first person, and it’s illogical if you’re writing alone.

If you need to avoid first-person pronouns , you can instead use the passive voice or refer to yourself in the third person as “the author” or “the researcher.”

Personal pronouns are words like “he,” “me,” and “yourselves” that refer to the person you’re addressing, to other people or things, or to yourself. Like other pronouns, they usually stand in for previously mentioned nouns (antecedents).

They are called “personal” not because they always refer to people (e.g., “it” doesn’t) but because they indicate grammatical person ( first , second , or third person). Personal pronouns also change their forms based on number, gender, and grammatical role in a sentence.

In grammar, person is how we distinguish between the speaker or writer (first person), the person being addressed (second person), and any other people, objects, ideas, etc. referred to (third person).

Person is expressed through the different personal pronouns , such as “I” ( first-person pronoun ), “you” ( second-person pronoun ), and “they” (third-person pronoun). It also affects how verbs are conjugated, due to subject-verb agreement (e.g., “I am” vs. “you are”).

In fiction, a first-person narrative is one written directly from the perspective of the protagonist . A third-person narrative describes the protagonist from the perspective of a separate narrator. A second-person narrative (very rare) addresses the reader as if they were the protagonist.

Sources in this article

We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.

Caulfield, J. (2023, July 04). First-Person Pronouns | List, Examples & Explanation. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-writing/first-person-pronouns/

Aarts, B. (2011). Oxford modern English grammar . Oxford University Press.

Butterfield, J. (Ed.). (2015). Fowler’s dictionary of modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Garner, B. A. (2016). Garner’s modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

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Jack Caulfield

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Friday, September 6, 2024

Are first-person pronouns acceptable in scientific writing?

February 23, 2011 Filed under Blog , Featured , Popular , Writing

Interestingly, this rule seems to have originated with Francis Bacon to give scientific writing more objectivity.

In Eloquent Science (pp. 76-77), I advocate that first-person pronouns are acceptable in limited contexts. Avoid their use in rote descriptions of your methodology (“We performed the assay…”). Instead, use them to communicate that an action or a decision that you performed affects the outcome of the research.

NO FIRST-PERSON PRONOUN: Given option A and option B, the authors chose option B to more accurately depict the location of the front. FIRST-PERSON PRONOUN: Given option A and option B, we chose option B to more accurately depict the location of the front.

So, what do other authors think? I have over 30 books on scientific writing and have read numerous articles on this point. Here are some quotes from those who expressed their opinion on this matter and I was able to find from the index of the book or through a quick scan of the book.

“Because of this [avoiding first-person pronouns], the scientist commonly uses verbose (and imprecise) statements such as “It was found that” in preference to the short, unambiguous “I found.” Young scientists should renounce the false modesty of their predecessors. Do not be afraid to name the agent of the action in a sentence, even when it is “I” or “we.”” — How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper by Day and Gastel, pp. 193-194 “Who is the universal ‘it’, the one who hides so bashfully, but does much thinking and assuming? “ It is thought that … is a meaningless phrase and unnecessary exercise in modesty. The reader wants to know who did the thinking or assuming, the author, or some other expert.” — The Science Editor’s Soapbox by Lipton, p. 43 “I pulled 40 journals at random from one of my university’s technical library’s shelves…. To my surprise, in 32 out of the 40 journals, the authors indeed made liberal use of “I” and “we.” — Style for Students by Joe Schall, p. 63 “Einstein occasionally used the first person. He was not only a great scientist, but a great scientific writer. Feynman also used the first person on occasion, as did Curie, Darwin, Lyell, and Freud. As long as the emphasis remains on your work and not you, there is nothing wrong with judicious use of the first person.” — The Craft of Scientific Writing by Michael Alley, p. 107 “One of the most epochal papers in all of 20th-century science, Watson and Crick’s article defies nearly every major rule you are likely to find in manuals on scientific writing…. There is the frequent use of “we”…. This provides an immediate human presence, allowing for constant use of active voice. It also gives the impression that the authors are telling us their actual thought processes.” — The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science by Scott L. Montgomery, p. 18 “We believe in the value of a long tradition (which some deplore) arguing that it is inappropriate for the author of a scientific document to refer to himself or herself directly, in the first person…. There is no place for the subjectivity implicit in personal intrusion on the part of the one who conducted the research—especially since the section is explicitly labeled “Results”…. If first-person pronouns are appropriate anywhere in a dissertation, it would be in the Discussion section…because different people might indeed draw different inferences from a given set of facts.” — The Art of Scientific Writing by Ebel et al., p. 79. [After arguing for two pages on clearly explaining why the first person should not be used…] “The first person singular is appropriate when the personal element is strong, for example, when taking a position in a controversy. But this tends to weaken the writer’s credibility. The writer usually wants to make clear that anyone considering the same evidence would take the same position. Using the third person helps to express the logical impersonal character and generality of an author’s position, whereas the first person makes it seem more like personal opinion.” — The Scientist’s Handbook for Writing Papers and Dissertations by Antoinette Wilkinson, p. 76.

So, I can find only one source on my bookshelf advocating against use of the first-person pronouns in all situations (Wilkinson). Even the Ebel et al. quote I largely agree with.

Thus, first-person pronouns in scientific writing are acceptable if used in a limited fashion and to enhance clarity.

Isn’t it telling that Ebel et al begin their argument against usage of the first person with the phrase ““We believe …”?

That is a reall good point, Kirk. Thanks for pointing that out!

This argument is approximately correct, but in my opinion off point. The use of first person should always be minimized in scientific writing, but not because it is unacceptable or even uncommon. It should be minimized because it is ineffective, and it is usually badly so. Specifically, the purpose of scientific writing is to create a convincing argument based on data collected during the evaluation of a hypothesis. This is basic scientific method. The strength of this argument depends on the data, not on the person who collected it. Using first person deemphasises the data, which weakens the argument and opens the door for subjective criticism to be used to rebut what should be objective data. For example, suppose I hypothesized that the sun always rises in the east, and I make daily observations over the course of a year to support that hypothesis. I could say, “I have shown that the sun always rises in the east”. A critic might respond by simply saying that I am crazy, and that I got it wrong. In other words, it can easily become an argument about “me”. However, if I said “Daily observations over the course of a year showed that the sun always rises in the east”, then any subsequent argument must rebut the data and not rebut “me”. Actually, I would never say this using either of those formulations. I would say, “Daily observations over the course of a year were consistent with the hypothesis that the sun always rises in the east.” This is basic scientific expository writing.

Finally, if one of my students EVER wrote “it was found that …”, I would hit him or her over the head with a very large stick. That is just as bad as “I found that …”, and importantly, those are NOT the only two options. The correct way to say this in scientific writing is, “the data showed that …”.

In general, I agree with you. We should omit ourselves from our science to emphasize what the data demonstrate.

My only qualification is that, as scientists, the collection, observation, and interpretation of data is difficult to disconnect from its human aspects. Being a human endeavor, science is necessarily affected by the humans themselves who do the work.

Thanks for your comment!

i could not understand why 1st person I is used with plural verb

Not sure that I completely understand your question, but grammatically “I” should only be used with a singular verb. If you use “I” in scientific writing, only do so with single-authored papers.

Does that answer your question?

why do we use ‘have’ with ‘i’ pronoun?

I wouldn’t view it as “I” goes with the plural verb “have”, but that “have” can be used with a number of different persons, regardless of whether it is singular or plural.

First person singular: “I have” Second person singular: “You have” Third person singular: “He/She/It has”

First person plural: “We have” Second person plural: “All of you have” Third person plural: “They have”

I know it perhaps doesn’t make sense, but that is the way English works.

I hope that helps.

I think there are a few cases where personal pronouns would be acceptable. If you are introducing a new section in a thesis or even an article, you might want to say “we begin with a description of the data in section 2” etc, rather than the cumbersome “this paper will begin with …”. Also in discussions of future work, it would make sense to say “we intend to explore X, Y and Z”.

I loved reading this, my Prof. and I were debating about this. He wants me to say “I analyzed” and I want to say “problem notification database analysed revealed that…”

I’m writing a paper for a conference. I wonder if I can defy a Professor in Korea:)

I disagree that writing in the 3rd person makes writing more objective. I also disagree that it “opens the door for subjective criticism to be used to rebut what should be objective data”. In fact, using the 3rd person obstructs reality. There are people behind the research who both make mistakes and do great things. It is no less true for science than it is for other subjects that 3rd person obstructs the author of an action and makes the idea being conveyed less clear. I find it odd that scientific writing guides instruct authors to BOTH use active voice AND use only the 3rd person. It is impossible to do both. Active voice means that there is a subject, a strong verb (not a version of the verb “to be”) and an object. When I say “The solution was mixed”, it is BOTH 3rd person and passive voice. The only way to construct that sentence without passive voice is to say “We mixed the solution”. Honestly, after spending most of the first part of my life in English classes and then transitioning to science, I find most scientific writing an abomonination.

Hi Kathleen,

I think it is great that you have had your feet in both English and science. For many of us who have struggled as writers, those people are great role models to aspire to.

An anecdote: my wife’s research student turned in a brief report on his work to date. She was showing me how well written his work was, really pretty advanced for an undergrad physics student. Later, she found out that he was trying to decide between majoring in physics and majoring in English.

Hi David. Thanks very much for your tips. Very interesting article. Did you just tweet that you should keep “I” and “We” out of the abstract? I am translating a psychology article from Spanish into English, and I’ve come up against an unwieldly sentence (the very last one in the abstract) that basically wants to say “We propose a number of strategies for improving the impact of the psychological treatments[…]” Would you say it’s a no-no? I tend to avoid personal pronouns in academic articles as much as poss, but it just sounds like the most natural option in this case. Perhaps I could put, “This article proposes a number of treatments…”? Strictly speaking it’s not the article that’s doing the proposing, obviously. I’d be very grateful to have your opinion. Thanks a lot. Best regards. Louisa

Yes, it’s difficult. How about going passive? “A number of treatments are proposed….”?

The comments against using first person, which are rampant in science education, are silly. Go read Nature or Science. I believe Kathleen makes a fantastic point.

Just happened across this blog while searching for something else, and procrastination rules, ok?

My pet hate is lecturers who uncritically criticise students for using the third person. Close behind is institutional guidance/insistence on third person ‘scientific writing’. Both are hugely ironic, the first because it is typically uncritical and purely traditional (we are employed to teach others to be critical and challenge tradition), the second because there is so little empirical evidence to suggest that the scientific method is third person.

I very much appreciated Bill Lott’s response because a) it was critical and b) it discussed the issue of good and bad writing as opposed to first and third person. However I would still suggest that the way he would report his exemplar data is all but first person:

“Daily observations over the course of a year were consistent with the hypothesis that the sun always rises in the east.”

Who did the observations if not the first person? All that is missing is My or Our at the beginning of the sentence and hey presto

Another facet of writing is that it disappears if not frequently watered and tended to.

Even though this is an old article, I’d like to add my 2c to the thread.

I think the use of the 3rd person is pompous, verbose and obtuse – it uses many words to say the same thing in a flowery way.

“It is the opinion of the author that” as opposed to “I think that”

Anybody reading the article knows that it’s written by a person / persons who did the research on the topic, who are either presenting their findings or opinion. The whole 3rd person thing seems to be a game, and I for one, HATE writing about myself in the 3rd person.

That being said, it seems to be the convention that the 3rd person is used, and I probably will write my paper in the 3rd person anyway, just to not rock the boat.

But I wish that the pomposity would stop and we would get more advocates for writing in plain English.

Hi, i was wondering… can “We” be said in a scientific school report?

Depends on the context, I guess. I would follow the same advice as above.

Thanks for all the tips. Don’t forget that in the future historians are going to want to know who did what and when. Scientists may not think it important, but historians will (especially if it is a significant contribution). Furthermore, by not revealing particulars regarding individual contributions opens the door for many scientists to falsify the historical record in their favor (I have experienced this first hand in a recent publication).

i think it is soo weird to use first person in reports…….third persons will be more effective when used and that will give a clear explanations to the audience

Even Nature journals are encouraging “we” in the manuscript.

“Nature journals prefer authors to write in the active voice (“we performed the experiment…”) as experience has shown that readers find concepts and results to be conveyed more clearly if written directly.”

https://www.nature.com/authors/author_resources/how_write.html

[…] Is trouwens iets dat blijkbaar al lang voor discussies zorgt, als je deze links bekijkt: Are first-person pronouns acceptable in scientific writing? : eloquentscience.com Use of the word "I" in scientific papers Zelfs wikipedia heeft er een artikel over: […]

[…] There was some discussion on Twitter about whether or not to write in the 1st person. The Lab & Field pointed out that Francis Bacon may have been responsible for the movement to avoid it in scientific writing… […]

[…] ¿Son aceptables los pronombres en primera persona en publicaciones científicas? [ENG] […]

[…] do discuss this among themselves. For example, see Yateendra Joshi and Professor David M. Schultz. Professor Schultz notes that the use of the first person in science appears to be as common among […]

[…] http://eloquentscience.com/2011/02/are-first-person-pronouns-acceptable-in-scientific-writing/ […]

[…] There’s no rule about the passive voice in science. People seem to think that it’s “scientific” writing, but it isn’t. It’s just bad writing. There’s actually no rule against first person pronouns either! Read this for more on the use of the first-person in scientific writing. […]

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David M. Schultz is a Professor of Synoptic Meteorology at the Centre for Atmospheric Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and the Centre for Crisis Studies and Mitigation, The University of Manchester. He served as Chief Editor for Monthly Weather Review from 2008 to 2022. In 2014 and 2017, he received the University of Manchester Teaching Excellence Award, the only academic to have twice done so. He has published over 190 peer-reviewed journal articles. [Read more]

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Using Pronouns Professionally and Clearly

Table of Contents (Guide To Publication)

Part ii: preparing, presenting and polishing your work – chapter 4, 4.4.3 using pronouns professionally and clearly.

Pronouns are among the most friendly features of language: they allow the author (or speaker) to say what needs to be said with much greater efficiency and elegance than would be possible were he or she obliged to repeatedly use the same noun or noun phrase several times even within the same sentence. However, pronouns can also be among the most user-unfriendly features of academic or scientific prose. There are times in creative writing when ambiguity about the meaning of a pronoun is deliberate and effective, but in scholarly writing, the meaning of a pronoun should be obvious and certain (and any rare instances of deliberate ambiguity explained, as I explain the use of ‘them’ for both ideas and readers in Section 4.4.1 above, or clearly justified by the material). This means that the relationship between a pronoun and its antecedent should be clearly established so that no doubt about the meaning of the pronoun exists. For example, in ‘The mother thought the boy was lost. He was actually at a friend’s house,’ ‘He’ can only refer to the boy, so there’s no risk of confusion. However, in ‘The boy lost his old dog Jake. He was actually at a friend’s house,’ the antecedent of ‘He’ is not clear. Since the ‘boy’ is the subject of the first sentence, the reader might expect ‘He’ to refer to the ‘boy,’ but it could also refer to the male ‘dog Jake,’ so confusion is created about what is actually being said, and thus about the implications of the text. Is the dog safe at a friend’s house, or did the boy lose the dog at a friend’s house and thus in a less familiar and potentially more dangerous landscape? Is there continuing cause for worry or not?

Those examples are extremely simple. When a long and complex sentence reporting and discussing detailed results and conclusions opens with ‘It’ and contains a couple more instances of that pronoun as well as a ‘they’ and a ‘them,’ determining what the author means can become absolutely impossible, especially if that author is also dealing with the challenge of writing in a language not his or her own and perhaps used one ‘it’ when referring to a plural antecedent and ‘they’ for a singular one by mistake. In most cases, five pronouns are too many for a sentence in any case, but whether you have many or only one pronoun in a sentence, it is vital that your reader is able to identify the antecedent(s) readily and with certainty. Sometimes the grammar checking function in Word will catch an incorrectly or oddly used pronoun, but much like the spell check function, this is far from reliable. So read your sentences over carefully and whenever you encounter a pronoun, ask yourself if its meaning might possibly be unclear – not to you, but to a reader who can’t know what you’re saying unless you express your meaning effectively – and if there’s any doubt, use a noun or noun phrase instead. Because using pronouns too extensively can tend to distance not only the reader but also the writer from precisely what he or she is saying, analysing your text in this way can actually help you clarify your forms of expression in ways that reach far beyond pronouns, much as writing the meaning of Latin abbreviations out in your text can. Using one thing for another is only a successful policy if both you and your reader know exactly what the replacement represents.

The practice of putting yourself into the shoes of your reader and viewing your own writing from as objective a perspective as you can possibly manage can be surprisingly enlightening and incredibly helpful. If you’re able to achieve a little distance from your work, you’ll also be able to read it as you might read the scholarly work of colleagues, and while this can assist you with managing far more than pronouns, it will almost always reveal problematic uses of pronouns that contribute to an unprofessional written voice. I am referring specifically here to the use in scholarly prose of the first-person plural pronoun ‘we’ (and ‘us’ and ‘our’ in the other declensions). ‘We’ can be used with impunity in academic or scientific writing if it refers specifically to the authors, and ‘I’ is equally acceptable for a single author. In fact, ‘I’ when used with discretion is often preferable to a third-person circumlocution such as ‘the present author’ and ‘we’ more appropriate than, say, ‘the present investigators.’ The two (‘I’ and ‘we’) should not be mixed, however: a paper either has one or more than one author, so it’s either ‘I’ or ‘we,’ not one in one paragraph and the other in the next. ‘We’ can also be used successfully (though with care) when referring to researchers or practitioners as a group, such as ‘we ethnographers’ or ‘we as surgeons,’ especially when your work relates to methodology and self-awareness.

‘We’ should not be used in scholarly writing, however, in a general or fictional sense that implicitly includes the readers or even the whole of humanity. Generalising, as any researcher knows, is a dangerous business, and when you include your readers in that ‘we,’ you also (usually unwittingly) imply that your readers are thinking exactly what you are. Assuming that your readers are thinking as you are can be one of the most certain and instantaneous ways in which to lose your readers’ sympathy. ‘We can observe that…,’ ‘We see here…,’ ‘We now know that…,’ ‘We human beings do not…’ and similar phrases can rapidly become irritating, especially if the author has not provided the results or explanation to shore up the claim. The job of the academic or scientific author is to show, explain, persuade, even defend when necessary with regard to his or her discoveries, but never to assume that the reader is already convinced or to use that assumption as a way in which to develop an argument or as a substitute for scholarly argumentation. ‘We observed that…,’ ‘We saw…,’ ‘We discovered that…’ (with the ‘We’ applying to the authors in each case) and ‘Human participants in this study did not…’ all report results, and therefore present evidence and advance an academic or scientific argument. What your readers see or think or discover may or may not do so, and assuming (even unwittingly) that what’s going on in your mind is also going on in the minds of your readers often means ignoring the potential for many different responses and interpretations. So while it is good to anticipate the needs of your readers, the best way to meet those needs is to rely on what’s going on in your own mind and do your very best to share that clearly and thoughtfully in your writing. So check your use of ‘we’ carefully as you proofread and revise your paper, and if there’s no specific and appropriate antecedent for it, devise a different way to express your thoughts.

‘You’ should also be avoided in academic and scientific prose. This is rarely a problem for authors as ‘we’ tends to be, but since I use the second-person voice so frequently in this Guide to facilitate concise expression of the advice I’m offering you as an academic or scientific author working toward publication, I thought I best mention it. My practice in this regard is a good example, then, of anticipating the perspective and needs of readers, yet also a classic case of do what I say, but not exactly what I do: in most contexts using ‘you’ simply establishes too personal a voice for formal academic or scientific writing.

Even the use of ‘he,’ ‘she’ and ‘they’ can be fraught with difficulties, particularly because of the need to avoid gender-specific language. The matter is straightforward when speaking of a male or female subject, but when your language needs to be more general, problems can arise. Some writers would argue that ‘they,’ ‘them’ and ‘their’ are acceptable, non-gender-specific substitutes for the singular forms ‘he or she,’ ‘him or her’ and ‘his or her.’ However, ‘they,’ ‘them’ and ‘their’ are plural, so they are not appropriate or correct with reference to singular nouns, and using them as though they are can quickly become extremely confusing. So when you use something like ‘a person,’ you need to use a singular pronoun: ‘when a person considers the idea, he or she also realises…,’ not ‘when a person considers the idea, they also realise.’ Finally, a human being, person, participant, interviewee, mother, man, teenager or girl is never an ‘it,’ so do be sure to use ‘he,’ ‘she’ or ‘they’ (or ‘him,’ ‘her’ or ‘them’ in the objective cases and ‘his,’ ‘her’ and ‘their’ in the possessive) when referring to a person. Relative pronouns should be used similarly: ‘the man who did that’ or ‘the participant who scored highest,’ not ‘the man that did that’ or ‘the participant that scored highest.’

Such careful usage will not only render your writing clearer and more precise, it will also keep the human element alive in your prose along with scholarly formality. Avoiding the use of a generalising ‘we’ and a ‘you’ that’s too direct does not mean that you should remove the human element from your prose, and there are a variety of ways to retain this element. Sometimes when reporting complex methods and data while working within tight word limits, an author can let words that assert the presence of human participants in a study fall to the wayside. Most common is the tendency for patients or participants suffering from a particular disease or ailment to be reduced through a kind of shorthand to the disease or ailment. While this sort of language is sometimes necessary to convey results efficiently, it should be avoided as much as possible, and certainly not used when first introducing the participants in your study. Some journals have rather strict guidelines about referring to research participants – some of them even frowning upon the use of ‘subjects’ instead of ‘individuals’ or ‘people’ – so do be sure to check the journal guidelines before making final decisions about such matters.

PRS Tip : The proofreaders at PRS are well educated in a variety of disciplines and all of us are experts in the English language. We know how a scholarly paper in English should read because we are scholars, and some of us have published our own academic or scientific writing. So there’s a great deal we can do to help you make your scholarly voice just what it should be, but it’s essential that you do everything you can to ensure that your vocabulary, grammar and syntax are as correct and clear as possible. Remember that if a seasoned professional proofreader familiar with academic and scientific prose, the specific discipline and the errors commonly encountered when working across languages isn’t able to make sense of what you’re trying to say, it’s very difficult to provide assistance. When we read papers for our clients, we strike up a dialogue in marginal comments, and this is a good way for clients to start a dialogue with us as well. So if you’re having trouble with a particular construction or a specific section in your paper, explain the problem as well as you can in a comment. If you’re translating a quoted passage, let us know it’s your translation and we’ll check the English and improve it if necessary. This sort of proactive approach will help us direct attention where it is most needed and help you maximise the effect of the money you spend on professional proofreading.

This article is part of a book called Guide to Academic and Scientific Publication: How To Get Your Writing Published in Scholarly Journals . It provides practical advice on planning, preparing and submitting articles for publication in scholarly journals.

Whether you are looking for information on designing an academic or scientific article, constructing a scholarly argument, targeting the right journal, following journal guidelines with precision, providing accurate and complete references, writing correct and elegant scholarly English, communicating with journal editors or revising your paper in light of that communication, you will find guidance, tips and examples in this manual.

This book is focusing on sound scholarly principles and practices as well as the expectations and requirements of academic and scientific journals, this guide is suitable for use in a wide variety of disciplines, including Economics, Engineering, the Humanities, Law, Management, Mathematics, Medicine and the Social, Physical and Biological Sciences .

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Is It Okay to Use "We" In a Research Paper? Here's What You Need to Know

Explore "we" in research papers: guidelines, alternatives, and considerations for effective academic writing.

Jun 25, 2024

Is It Okay to Use "We" In a Research Paper? Here's What You Need to Know

When embarking on the journey of academic writing, particularly in research papers, one of the first questions that often arises is about pronoun usage. Specifically, many writers grapple with the question: Is it okay to use "we" in a research paper?

This seemingly simple grammatical choice carries significant weight in academic circles. Using pronouns, especially first-person pronouns like "we," can influence the tone, clarity, and perceived objectivity of your work. It's a topic that has sparked debates among scholars, with opinions evolving and varying across different disciplines.

The importance of pronoun usage in academic writing cannot be overstated, especially in contexts like thesis and scientific writing. It affects how your research is perceived, how you position yourself as an author, and how you engage with your readers using the first person or third person.

The choice between using "we," maintaining a more impersonal tone, or opting for alternatives can impact the overall effectiveness of your communication.

In this blog post, we'll explore the nuances of using "we" in research papers, examining both traditional and modern perspectives. We'll delve into the pros and cons, provide guidelines for appropriate usage, and offer alternatives to help you confidently navigate writing academic papers.

Traditional Stance on Using "We" in Research Papers

historical preference for third-person perspective.

Academic writing traditionally favored a third-person perspective, especially in scientific fields. This preference emerged in the late 19th century as part of a push for objectivity in scientific communication. The goal was to present research as unbiased facts and observations.

Key aspects:

Emphasis on passive voice versus active voice when choosing to use the first person or third person in writing a research paper.
The use of impersonal constructions and passive voice can help avoid personal pronouns.
Third-person references to authors

Reasons for avoiding first-person pronouns

Arguments against using "we" in research papers:

Perceived lack of objectivity
Ambiguity in meaning
Concerns about formality
Shift of focus from research to researchers
Adherence to established conventions
Avoid presumption in single-authored papers when you decide to use first-person pronouns or not. when you decide to use first-person pronouns or not.

This approach shaped academic writing for decades and still influences some disciplines, especially in the context of writing a research paper. However, attitudes toward pronoun usage have begun to change in recent years.

Changing Perspectives in Academic Writing

Shift towards more personal and engaging academic prose.

Recent years have seen a move towards more accessible academic writing. This shift aims to:

Increase readability
Engage readers more effectively by incorporating second-person narrative techniques.
Acknowledge the researcher's role in the work
Promote transparency in research processes

Key changes:

More direct language
Increased use of active voice can make your academic papers more engaging.
Greater acceptance of narrative elements

Acceptance of first-person pronouns in some disciplines

Some fields now allow or encourage the use of "we" and other first-person pronouns. This varies by:

Discipline: More common in humanities and social sciences
Journal: Some publications explicitly permit or prefer first-person usage
Type of paper: Often more accepted in qualitative research or opinion pieces

Reasons for acceptance:

Clarity in describing methods and decisions
Ownership of ideas and findings is crucial when writing a research paper.
Improved reader engagement in scientific writing
Recognition of researcher subjectivity in some fields

However, acceptance is not universal. Many disciplines and publications still prefer traditional, impersonal styles.

When It's Appropriate to Use "We" in Research Papers

Hands of Businessman Notebook and documents working research paper stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Collaborative research with multiple authors

Natural fit for papers with multiple contributors
Accurately reflects joint effort and shared responsibility
Examples: "We conducted experiments..." or "We conclude that..."

Describing methodology or procedures

Clarifies who performed specific actions, helping to avoid personal pronouns that might otherwise confuse the audience.
Adds transparency to the research process, particularly when first-person pronouns are used effectively.
Example: "We collected data using..."

Presenting arguments or hypotheses

Demonstrates ownership of ideas
Can make complex concepts more accessible in a research report.
Example: "We argue that..." or "We hypothesize..."

Discipline-specific conventions

Usage varies widely between fields
More common in Social sciences, Humanities, and Some STEM fields (e.g., computer science)
Less common in Hard sciences, Medical research
Always check journal guidelines and field norms, particularly regarding the use of the first person or third person.

Key point: Use "we" judiciously, balancing clarity and convention.

When to Avoid Using "We" in Research Papers

research Fake Dictionary, definition of the word research. research paper stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Single-authored papers

Can seem odd or presumptuous
Alternatives: Use "I" if appropriate, Use passive voice, and Refer to yourself as " the researcher " or "the author"

Presenting factual information or literature reviews

Facts stand independently of the author
Keep the focus on the information, not the presenter, when writing a research paper.
Examples: "Previous studies have shown..." instead of "We know from previous studies..." "The data indicate..." instead of "We see in the data..."

When trying to maintain an objective tone

Some topics in research reports require a more detached approach.
Avoid "we" when: Reporting widely accepted facts, Describing established theories, Presenting controversial findings
Use impersonal constructions: "It was observed that...", "The results suggest..."

Please remember: Always prioritize clarity and follow your field's conventions.

Alternatives to Using "We"

Passive voice.

Shifts focus to the action or result
Examples: "The experiment was conducted..." (instead of "We experimented...") "It was observed that..." (instead of "We observed that...")
Use personal pronouns sparingly to avoid overly complex sentences.

Third-person perspective

Refers to the research or study itself
Examples: "This study examines..." (instead of "We examine...") "The results indicate..." (instead of "We found...")
Can create a more objective tone

Using "the researcher(s)" or "the author(s)"

Useful for single- authored papers
Maintains formality while acknowledging human involvement
Examples: "The researchers collected data..." (instead of "We collected data...") "The author argues..." (instead of "We argue...")
Can become repetitive if overused in writing research papers.

Tips for using alternatives:

Vary sentence structure to maintain reader interest
Ensure clarity is not sacrificed for formality
Choose the most appropriate alternative based on context
Consider journal guidelines and field conventions when writing a research paper.

Remember: The goal is clear, effective communication of your research, whether you use first person or third person.

Tips for Effective Academic Writing

Consistency in pronoun usage.

Choose a style and stick to it throughout
Avoid mixing "we" with impersonal constructions
Exceptions: Different sections may require different approaches, Clearly mark any intentional shifts in perspective

Balancing formality with clarity and engagement

Prioritize clear communication
Use simple, direct language where possible when writing research papers, and try to use the term that best fits the context.
Engage readers without sacrificing academic rigor
Techniques: Use active voice judiciously, Vary sentence structure, Incorporate relevant examples or analogies

Seeking feedback from peers or mentors

Share drafts with colleagues in your field to improve your research report.
Ask for specific feedback on writing style
Consider perspectives from Senior researchers , Peers at similar career stages, Potential target audience members, and how they prefer the use of the first person or third person in research.
Be open to constructive criticism

Additional tips:

Read widely in your field to understand style norms when writing research papers.
Practice different writing styles to find your voice
Revise and edit multiple times
Use style guides relevant to your discipline
Consider the reader's perspective while writing

Remember: Effective academic writing communicates complex ideas while meeting field-specific expectations.

Computer, brain scan and doctor asian woman in hospital at night for medical, research or learning. Healthcare, thinking and screen with young medicine professional in office of clinic for neurology Computer, thinking and doctor asian woman in hospital at night for medical, research or learning. Healthcare, mri scan on screen with young medicine professional in office of clinic for neurology Researcher stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Recap of key points

The use of "we" in research papers is evolving
Appropriateness depends on Discipline, Journal guidelines, Research type, Personal preference
Alternatives include passive voice and third-person perspective, while the increased use of passive voice can sometimes create ambiguity.
Consider audience, field norms, and clarity when choosing a style
Consistency and balance in the use of first person or third person are crucial.

Encouragement to make informed choices in academic writing

Understand the context of your work
Stay informed about current trends in your field
Prioritize clear communication of your research
Be confident in your choices, but remain flexible
Remember: No universal rule fits all situations, Effective writing adapts to its purpose and audience
Continually refine your writing skills, including the appropriate use of personal pronouns in APA format.

Final thoughts:

Writing style impacts how your research is received
Make deliberate choices to enhance your paper's impact by using appropriate personal pronouns.
Balance tradition with evolving norms in academic writing
Your unique voice can contribute to advancing your field, particularly in writing a research paper.

Ultimately, choose a style that best serves your research and readers while adhering to relevant guidelines of scientific writing and thesis format. It may also be acceptable to use first-person pronouns where appropriate.

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Visual: Screen opens to a background image with a person typing on a laptop and a notebook and pencil, along with the Walden University Writing Center logo. The title Walden University Writing Center and tagline “Your writing, grammar, and APA experts” appears on the screen. The screen changes to show the series title “Formatting & Style” and the video title “Pronouns.”

Audio: Guitar music

Visual: Slide changes to one with the following: Pronouns

Avoid referring to yourself in the third person

I will analyze the lesson plan.
I reviewed the case study.

Audio: APA provides some guidance on what pronouns are appropriate for writers to use in certain situations, since it often depends on context. The first guideline is that you should avoid referring to yourself in third person. This includes referring to yourself as “the researcher” or “the author”, like in these examples. Instead, APA recommends using first person, in this case “I”, when you’re talking about your own research, actions you’ve taken, or experiences you’ve had. Writers should use this first person instead of the third person, which helps avoid ambiguity.

Visual: Slide changes to one with the following: Pronouns

Avoid “I think” or “I believe” statements

Education is a right everyone should have.
Businesses that treat employees fairly will succeed.

Audio: However, because we use first person to refer to our own actions or experiences, does not mean we should use “I” whenever we’d like to in our academic writing. Generally, in academic writing the idea is that statements you make are beliefs or thoughts you have, so you should also avoid “I think” or “I believe” statements. The notations that you think or believe something is implied, since you’re the author of that statement, so the phrases can be eliminated altogether. Sometimes students will include “I think” or “I believe” statements because it’s become a habit in their writing. Our recommendation is to allow yourself to do that as you write, but then come back through your paper and simply delete those statements to eliminate them. As you can see with our examples here, by eliminating the “I think” and “I believe” statements altogether, we’re left with clear, declarative sentences.

Avoid referring to the reader with “we” or “you”

Parents need to ensure students have strong reading skills.
Teachers need to ensure students have strong reading skills.

Audio: APA also provides guidance on how to use the third person, specifically the pronoun “we.” APA doesn’t recommend writers use the editorial “we,” which is when individuals refer themselves in the third person with “we.” This editorial “we” can be used in other writing styles, but APA recommends avoiding it to refer to yourself because it’s not necessary. Additionally, APA recommends avoiding using “we” when you’re talking about groups of people you are discussing. In this example, “we” is used to refer to a group that needs to ensure students have strong reading skills, but as readers, we don’t know who “we” includes. The use of the pronoun isn’t very precise, and it could include any number of people. Instead, replacing “we” with the specific group you are referring to will help your writing be more specific and clear. In this case, the writer might have meant “parents” or “teachers.” Both options change the meaning of the sentence, and so by naming the specific group, the writer would make this idea clearer.

Visual: Slide changes to the following: Pronouns

Use singular “they” when appropriate:

When a person uses “they” as their pronoun
When a person’s gender is unknown or irrelevant
They turned in the questionnaire.
Jamie shared their experiences as a genderqueer person.

Audio: The final guidance APA provides for pronouns is around the use of singular “they.” The singular use of the pronoun “they” was once discouraged in academic writing, but it now should be used to be inclusive of all gender identities. You should use the singular “they” when the person you are talking about uses “they” as their pronoun, as well as when a person’s gender is either unknown or irrelevant. In these cases, using “they,” “them,” and “theirs” is appropriate, as shown in these examples.

It may take some practice to become proficient at using these guidelines for pronouns, but with practice, you’ll soon be able to easily navigate which pronoun to use when!

Visual: The screen changes to an ending slide with a person typing on a laptop and a notebook and pencil, along with the Walden University Writing Center logo. The email address [email protected] appears on the screen.

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Writing Tips

First-Person Pronouns in Academic Writing

3-minute read
11th June 2018

During school, many of us were told to never use “I” in an essay. And so we went on to college, trying our best to write papers without using any first-person pronouns. But where does this rule come from? And is it really wrong to use “I” in an essay? Read on to find out!

When Not to Use “I” in Academic Writing

It is true that using too many first-person pronouns in a college paper will look bad. This is because it looks like you’re expressing an opinion rather than discussing facts. For instance:

I think the Watergate scandal had a big effect on American politics.

The “I think” here is unnecessary. Watergate was undeniably a major incident in American politics, so it is not simply an opinion. You could even cite sources where its impact is discussed.

Similarly, overuse of first-person pronouns can detract from the focus of your writing. Take the following example from a scientific paper:

I observed the sample through a microscope, and I noticed an unusual microbe.

Here, the focus is on the person conducting the study instead of the study itself. But scientific writing is supposed to be objective. It would therefore be better to say:

The sample was observed through a microscope. This revealed an unusual microbe.

By using the passive voice here, we make sure the focus is on the experiment, not the experimenter.

In both of these cases, then, it would be better to avoid use of the first person.

Using First-Person Pronouns Correctly

However, there are cases when it is correct to use first-person pronouns in an essay. These include:

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To emphasize or clarify your own role in a study
To position yourself in relation to other thinkers

For example, we could write the following without using the first person:

In studying queue formation in Starbucks, the issue of how social behavior is affected by caffeine withdrawal was explored.

However, this gives us no indication of who is conducting the study and the use of passive voice leads to an awkward sentence. We might therefore want to use first-person pronouns to ensure clarity:

In studying queue formation in Starbucks, we explored how social behavior is affected by caffeine withdrawal.

Another alternative would be using “the researcher” or “the author” to refer to ourselves in the third person. But this can also be problematic. For instance:

While Ving and Rhames (2001) argued that tea drinkers are more violent, the researchers have not found evidence to back up this claim.

The identity of “the researchers” here could be ambiguous. Does it refer to Ving and Rhames? Another study by someone else? Or is it the authors of this paper? It would therefore be better to say:

While Ving and Rhames (2001) argued that tea drinkers are more violent, we have not found evidence to back up this claim.

With this simple change, we can immediately what this sentence is saying. In general, then:

DO NOT use the first person if it makes your work sound overly subjective or draws focus from what you are meant to be discussing
But DO use the first person if it helps to ensure clarity and concision in your writing

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Choice of personal pronoun in single-author papers

Which personal pronoun is appropriate in single-author papers - 'I' or 'we'? Could the use of 'I' be considered egotistical? Or will the use of 'we' be considered to be grammatically incorrect?

publications
writing-style

see also hsm.stackexchange.com/questions/2002/… – GEdgar Commented Apr 30, 2016 at 21:15
1 Your question is similar to academia.stackexchange.com/questions/11659/… – Richard Erickson Commented Dec 14, 2017 at 17:04
15 Easy solution: get a co-author. It wouldn't be the first time – Davidmh Commented Dec 14, 2017 at 17:22

7 Answers 7

Very rarely is 'I' used in scholarly writing (at least in math and the sciences). A much more common choice is 'we', as in "the author and the reader". For example: "We examine the case when..."

One exception to this rule is if you're writing a memoir or some other sort of "personal piece" for which the identity of the author is particularly relevant.

Now let me quote Paul Halmos (Section 12 of "How to Write Mathematics"):

One aspect of expository style that frequently bothers beginning authors is the use of the editorial "we", as opposed to the singular "I", or the neutral "one". It is in matters like this that common sense is most important. For what it's worth, I present here my recommendation. Since the best expository style is the least obtrusive one, I tend nowadays to prefer the neutral approach. That does not mean using "one" often, or ever; sentences like "one has thus proved that..." are awful. It does mean the complete avoidance of the first person pronouns in either singular or plural. "Since p , it follows that q ." "This implies p ." "An application of p to q yields r ." Most (all ?) mathematical writing is (should be ?) factual; simple declarative statements are the best for communicating facts. A frequently effective time-saving device is the use of the imperative. "To find p , multiply q by r ." "Given p , put q equal to r ."... There is nothing wrong with the editorial "we", but if you like it, do not misuse it. Let "we" mean "the author and the reader" (or "the lecturer and the audience"). Thus, it is fine to say "Using Lemma 2 we can generalize Theorem 1", or "Lemma 3 gives us a technique for proving Theorem 4". It is not good to say "Our work on this result was done in 1969" (unless the voice is that of two authors, or more, speaking in unison), and "We thank our wife for her help with the typing" is always bad. The use of "I", and especially its overuse, sometimes has a repellent effect, as arrogance or ex-cathedra preaching, and, for that reason, I like to avoid it whenever possible. In short notes, obviously in personal historical remarks, and perhaps, in essays such as this, it has its place.

You can download the pdf of Halmos' complete essay .

6 +1 for the Halmos quote. Your example ("we let...") is certainly a place where I wouldn't use a pronoun at all! – David Ketcheson Commented Aug 23, 2012 at 6:04
2 @scaaahu Without reading the specific example, I can't be sure, but... I would liken "We call something X" to saying "this is how it's done" descriptive of those in the know and prescriptive for those new to the area. – Dan C Commented Aug 23, 2012 at 6:57
19 I can see the value of Halmos' advice in the specific field of mathematics, where the entire content of a paper is composed of incontrovertible facts. However, in the natural sciences things are rarely so clear-cut, and in the end what most papers express are not facts but opinions. These are highly informed opinions based on evidence, but they are opinions nevertheless. In my view it's counterproductive and misleading to try and avoid any mention of whose opinions they are, so I think it's very appropriate to introduce such a paper with "I argue that...". – N. Virgo Commented Aug 26, 2012 at 10:28
22 Additionally, outside of mathematics you have to deal with descriptions of experiments. It's a question of style whether to say "a device was constructed", "we constructed a device", "I constructed a device". Personally, I find the first incredibly awkward (constructed by whom?), the second a bit jarring (wait, was there someone else involved?) and the third perfectly fine. – N. Virgo Commented Aug 26, 2012 at 10:32
6 I, for one, find the idea of using 'we' in a single-author essay to be utterly bizarre. Authors should take responsibility for their own work and leave the readers out of it. – Ubiquitous Commented May 12, 2015 at 15:06

Authorial "we" is quite common, even in single author papers (at least in math and related fields). The explanation I've heard is that it should be read as both the writer and the reader (as in "we now prove...", meaning that we two shall now prove it together). Some people find it awkward, and insist on "I", but this is unusual (and I've heard of referees demanding "we"). In cases where "we" is truly nonsensical (for instance, introducing a list of people being thanked), people who avoid "I" either find an alternate phrasing or refer to themselves in the third person ("The author would like to thank...").

In single-author papers, I think consistency trumps any particular rule or style. As the Haimos essay suggests, you can achieve whatever style you choose; you just need to make sure that it makes sense.

For instance, don't switch back and forth between "I" and "we," or between active and passive constructions too close to one another. Make the use of "I" and "we" clear to indicate active participation in the project (for instance, for assumptions or approximations made, you choose that—unless it's something everybody does).

21 I agree with "don't switch back and forth between 'I' and 'we'", but I disagree with your comparison of that with "[don't switch back and forth between] active and passive constructions". There are contexts where habitual use of I makes sense. I know of no analogous contexts for repeated use of passive constructions . As a general rule, writing extensively in the passive voice is just bad writing . – Dan C Commented Aug 23, 2012 at 15:20
+1, "I" or "We", it's your call, but be consistent (and also use the present tense, but this is another story). – Sylvain Peyronnet Commented Aug 23, 2012 at 17:08
The passive voice is useful for switching the emphasis. But what I meant was don't go "We modeled X. This was done to study Y. We will not look at Z further. Z was not modeled because A." and so on. – aeismail Commented Aug 23, 2012 at 20:15
2 "We modeled X to study Y. We did not model Z because A." – JeffE Commented Aug 24, 2012 at 12:53
7 @aeismail: I honestly can't find anything objectionable in your proposed counterexample! – Aant Commented Aug 26, 2012 at 23:49

When not faced with a journal/publisher specific style, my go to style guide is APA. I really like the APA style blog. In this post they explain:

If you’re writing a paper alone, use I as your pronoun. If you have coauthors, use we.

They go on to lash out against the editorial we

However, avoid using we to refer to broader sets of people—researchers, students, psychologists, Americans, people in general, or even all of humanity—without specifying who you mean (a practice called using the editorial “we”). This can introduce ambiguity into your writing.

There is also another related post about using we and avoiding ambiguity.

3 The context is important, though. If you are writing a scientific/mathematical paper, writing "I" will come across as odd and unprofessional, so this would be pretty bad advice. – Rob Commented Sep 18, 2021 at 19:45

There are already two good answers for this entry, one is also accepted. But I'm going to give my two cent answer anyway...

This is what I learned from a workshop on writing scientific texts. Basically, my suggestion would be avoid using either "we" or "I" in the whole paper, except the "Experiment and results" section 1 . The idea is that by using passive form in the text, you avoid both issues related to being egotistical or ungrammatical.

Then in the "Experiment and results" you use "We" 2 . Why not using passive form in "Experiment" section? Well, you could but the idea here is that these results can be produced by everyone, including readers. So "we" is not referring to author(s), but to author(s) and readers. 1. This might not be the case in fields that papers do not have an experimental section. 2. Once could object that this will result in inconstancy in paper which is a valid objection.

1 Why the factually incorrect "we" in the experiments and results sections? This is nonsense. The "we" should be used iff it can refer to author and reader . – Walter Commented Jul 6, 2017 at 9:25

The " royal we " works

The " royal we " suggests a hypothetical population of peers who hold some position. This hypothetical population may-or-may-not include the reader, at the reader's option. And since it's a hypothetical population with a subjective number of members, " we " is appropriate.

Even if you're talking about a real-world action that you did to perform a specific experimental step, it's still accurate to describe the hypothetical population as having performed that action.

This approach has a few advantages:

It's easier for readers to put themselves into your shoes as a member of the population engaging in the study.

It avoids distracting the reader with inconsistent pronouns for the authors across papers.

It's field-dependent. English teachers told me the following:

In STEM you use "we" for "the reader and the author(s)", regardless of how many authors you have. (Note that the "royal we" would be the wrong term, since the authors don't wish to sound as ostentatious in "we, the king of ...".)

In languages, you use "I" if you are the sole author.

2 That really is bad advice. "We studied X" does not mean that the reader studied it. – aeismail Commented Jan 6, 2018 at 22:57
11 @aeismail That really is a bad comment. In STEM, "we studied X" in the conclusion of a paper does mean that the reader studied X while reading the paper. In languages, "we" may mean sound pompous, may or may not involve the reader, or be completely misunderstood. – user85520 Commented Jan 6, 2018 at 23:43
1 And what does It mean in the introduction? It shouldn’t mean one thing in the introduction and another somewhere else. – aeismail Commented Jan 7, 2018 at 1:21
4 Sorry, "we" does not universally mean "reader and the author." There are too many usages where that definition simply doesn't work: "We added reagent X." "We measured the growth of species Y." "We observed that Y grew with temperature." The reader did none of those. – aeismail Commented Jan 7, 2018 at 2:14
4 It would be more accurate to say that in mathematics (and related areas like theoretical computer science), one uses "we" for "the author and the reader(s)". There is no such area as "STEM". – JeffE Commented Jan 7, 2018 at 4:27

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Appropriate Pronoun Usage

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Because English has no generic singular—or common-sex—pronoun, we have used HE, HIS, and HIM in such expressions as "the student needs HIS pencil." When we constantly personify "the judge," "the critic," "the executive," "the author," and so forth, as male by using the pronoun HE, we are subtly conditioning ourselves against the idea of a female judge, critic, executive, or author. There are several alternative approaches for ending the exclusion of women that results from the pervasive use of masculine pronouns.

Recast into the plural

Original: Give each student his paper as soon as he is finished.
Alternative: Give students their papers as soon as they are finished.

Reword to eliminate gender problems.

Original: The average student is worried about his grade.
Alternative: The average student is worried about grades.

Replace the masculine pronoun with ONE, YOU, or (sparingly) HE OR SHE, as appropriate.

Original: If the student was satisfied with his performance on the pretest, he took the post-test.
Alternative: A student who was satisfied with her or his performance on the pretest took the post-test.

Alternate male and female examples and expressions. (Be careful not to confuse the reader.)

Original: Let each student participate. Has he had a chance to talk? Could he feel left out?
Alternative: Let each student participate. Has she had a chance to talk? Could he feel left out?

Indefinite Pronouns

Using the masculine pronouns to refer to an indefinite pronoun ( everybody, everyone, anybody, anyone ) also has the effect of excluding women. In all but strictly formal uses, plural pronouns have become acceptable substitutes for the masculine singular.

Original: Anyone who wants to go to the game should bring his money tomorrow.
Alternative: Anyone who wants to go to the game should bring their money tomorrow.

An alternative to this is merely changing the sentence. English is very flexible, so there is little reason to "write yourself into a corner":

Original: Anyone who wants to go to the game should bring his money.
Alternative: People who want to go to the game should bring their money.