I or we

I or we

Should you refer to yourself as "I" or "we" in a single-authored paper?  Well, it depends on who you are.

 

Queen Elizabeth: We are not amused.

Queen Elizabeth: We are not amused.

If you're a royal, definitely use "we." 

 

 

 

What some readers start wondering when they see "we" in a paper with one author

  • Who's "we": you and your advisor?

  • Why don't you want to take responsibility for this?

 

 

 

 

What to avoid

An unfortunate outcome of a writer's unresolved I-WE battle is a sentence like this one:

 

It was found that an increase in X led to increases in Y.

 

It was found by....?  

In trying to dodge the "I/we" issue, we can fall into passive voice, and that is sure to either confuse our readers or lull them into a gentle slumber.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some workarounds if you're shy about "I" 

  • This paper finds...

  • The assumptions used in this paper...

  • This paper shows that...

 

They're not pretty.  But at least the reader knows who did what.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post by Varanya Chaubey

The 1st sentence of the Introduction

The 1st sentence of the Introduction

Interview season is here...

Interview season is here...

0