first person in academic writing

first person in academic writing

The Importance of Using First Person in Academic Writing

1. Introduction

Writing is a difficult task for someone who has little patience for it. People who claim to be “bad writers” often say they don’t enjoy writing because they just don’t know where to start. However, by simply beginning to write, not worrying for a moment about grammar or spelling, one may write quite a bit on a topic in a very short period of time – something many accomplished writers will say is one of the most important steps in the writing process. By using this quick and easy method of writing, we can say that one uses a literary technique called “free-writing” which is the simple act of engaging in continuous non-stop writing for a certain duration of time. Although free-writing may be the most difficult part of the writing process for someone with writer’s anxiety, it is the best way to promote a relaxed, non-judgmental writing environment. Free-writing has direct positive effects on the writer, the paper or essay, and the eventual reader. In order to understand just how effective free-writing can be, we can examine the writing process as a whole, and how free-writing can cater to each step of that process.

2. Benefits of Using First Person

Drawing Conclusions – When it comes to making the case for the idea behind a research essay, there is no better way to come to a sound conclusion than by stating your case, explaining why you have discounted certain alternatives, and showing the reader what has led you to the idea in the first place. Writing in first person can allow this to happen with much more ease. Instead of spending large amounts of energy telling a somewhat convoluted story about what others have said regarding a subject, you can state your case and move to analyze/expand upon others’ work much more quickly. This is a big plus.

Engaging – Using first-person pronouns and active voice beautifully links your reader to your experience. We instantly make the writing more personal and passionate. It will allow your readers to connect to your experience in a way that has them deciding in the end whether they agree or disagree with your specific position. This connection is something that will not only help you receive a higher grade, but it will get you thinking and writing about a subject with a higher degree of complexity.

3. Addressing Concerns and Misconceptions

First and second person are acceptable in APA Style, but to clarify a point, a writer would be best off using first person. Let’s say a writer wants to clarify a point, but the point is unclear in the writer’s mind. The writer may begin, “I am not sure if this is true.” With shepherding critiques from faculty, each telling the writer to change his point, the phrase becomes lost in a maze of edits with no critique actually modifying the point. With each critique, the writer now has to explain to each critic what the old point was, as if the critic is the writer’s audience. A month later, the writer has a paragraph that says neither what he originally intended nor what he learned through the writing process. To have written, “I am not sure if this is true, but in the past tense, the Mayans seemed to have been a very advanced civilization,” would have been more efficient. This can save time otherwise wasted in explanation or rewriting since a change of a word or a verb tense here and there as the writer’s idea evolved would have sufficed to meet critiques, and the reader will receive a very clear timeline of how the writer arrived at the current point.

4. Guidelines for Using First Person Effectively

An alternative method for determining the expectation of first person is considering whether the activity or comment is an attempt to direct the reader to something that may exist in the rest of the paper. If so, then this activity or statement is better suited to first person as a method of results forward referencing. This is common in literature reviews, or any activity that is setting the stage for an up and coming argument or result. The criteria for first person is much less strict in this situation and it is not difficult to find examples of it being used effectively to series a chain of events over various topics or sections.

As an example, consider an argument claiming that the probability for a significant result is so close to the alpha value that testing the result is practically the same as committing a type I error. Now consider the comment “In this case, we’d reject the null hypothesis” to signify a test without actually conducting the test and providing evidence. It is clear that the context of the first statement is an attempt to support an activity that lacks evidence and it is no different from the statement.

In these cases, it can be very tempting to use first person without actually providing context or support. While it is less restrictive, research on the use of first person suggests that a statement implied by the use of first person is no different from a statement that directly uses first person as a means of support. If the statement would be inappropriate for the level of first person context, then it will also be inappropriate for the statement of the result.

In this instance, the first person is expected to satisfy supporting evidence or comments from what the author will do or has done, such as “we should test whether the null hypothesis is true” and “I will provide evidence for this argument”. Due to the contextual expectations of first person as a method to present support activities and comments, strong caution should be taken when the context of the claim checks the criteria for use of first person. This may occur when the claim is an argument, or a statement describing a testing activity in a hypothetical manner.

Rupley and Nichols (1997) present the guidelines for effective and appropriate use of first person in academic writing. These guidelines state that the use of first person is acceptable in theses, articles, books, and term papers “that report on original research, or describe the author’s original ideas on a topic”. It is not necessarily what is “reporting on original research” but rather what is “original research” and the “author’s original ideas” that dictate whether or not first person should be used.

5. Conclusion

Writing is a medium of communication that is an essential skill, used in many academic disciplines and professions. It is the way in which the writer conveys their thoughts and ideas about a particular topic. In academic writing, this is usually done through the utilization of other people’s work to support and build upon one’s own ideas and findings. Whether writing a research paper or an essay, the most important and difficult task one will encounter is writing clearly through the utilization of others’ ideas. A common belief is that this is so difficult and the best strategy is to avoid the first person in favor of the third person. In this essay, I have discussed the overall importance of using the first person and active voice in one’s writing. I have developed this discussion through the synthesis of information from references and experience with writing. Thus, this essay will be most effective and easy to understand due to the directness of the writing and frequent use of examples. Being able to write in a clear consistent manner is of the utmost importance in effectively conveying one’s thoughts and ideas and is significantly enhanced through the use of the first person.