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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42262
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

The restrictions on 1st person (singular or plural) does depend on:

1. The genre of writing
2. The style guide being followed
3. The opinion of the teacher/instructor/advisor/publisher/editor
4. The context within the paper

### Genre of Writing

Generally speaking, it is _research_ writing that tends to favor not using 1st person. The reason for this is that research ought to be objective, not subjective, and too many inexperienced students (i.e. college undergraduates or younger, though even some graduates) doing research writing tend to _write opinion_, rather than _properly researched and documented facts_. So for these types of students, it is often safest for a teacher to say _avoid 1st person_. This helps force the student not to be thinking about what they "believe," but rather what they can "prove" via their research.

### Style Guides

Style guides vary on what is allowed, but generally have some similar ideas. For instance, _The Concise Rules of APA_, 6th edition (2010) states for an appropriate use of 1st person (bold added):

> Innappropriately or illogically attributing action in an effort to be objective can be misleading. ... To avoid ambiguity, use a personal pronoun rather than the third person **when describing steps taken in your experiment**.  
>   
>   _Correct:_  
>     We reviewed the literature.  
>   
>   _Incorrect:_  
>     The authors reviewed the literature. (sec. 1.09, pp. 19-20)

But then further clarifies use (bold added):

> For clarity, restrict your use of _we_ to **refer only to yourself and your coauthors** (use _I_ if you are the sole author of the paper). Broader uses of _we_ may leave your readers wondering to whom you are referring. (sec. 1.09, p. 20)

So in short, don't include in a "we" (1) the readers, (2) other people in the field of study who did not author the paper with you.

Similarly, _A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations,_ 9th edition (2018), which tends to follow _The Chicago Manual of Style_ in a lot of respects, says the following about avoiding 1st person (bold added):

> Most instructors and editors do agree that two uses of _I_ should be avoided:
> 
> - Insecure writers begin too many sentences with _I think_ or _I believe_ (or their equivalent, _In my opinion_). **Readers assume that you think and believe what you write, so you don't have to say you do.**
> - Inexperienced writers too often narrate their research: _First I consulted ..., then I examined ..._, and so on. Reader care less about the story of your research than about its results. (sec. 11.1.7, p. 120)

And then later notes two more with respect to the 1st person plural as well:

> But many instructors and editors object to other uses of _we_:
> 
> - the royal _we_ used to refer reflexively to the writer
> - the all-purpose _we_ that refers to people in general (sec. 11.1.7, p. 121)

Between the above inappropriate uses, the manual notes some positive uses:

> The first person is appropriate on two occasions ...
> 
> - An occasional introductory _I_ (or _we_) _believe_ can soften the dogmatic edge of a statement ... The trick is not to hedge so often that you sound uncertain or so rarely that you sound smug. 
> - ... when it's the subject of a verb naming an action unique to you as the writer of your argument. Verbs referring to such actions typically appear in introductions (_I will show/argue/prove/claim that X_) and in conclusions (_I have demonstrated/concluded that Y_). Since only you can show, prove, or claim what's in your argument, only you can say so with _I_. ... On the other hand, researchers rarely use the first person for an action that others must repeat to replicate their research. Those words include _divide, measure, weigh, examine_, and so on. ... Those same principles apply to _we_, if you're one of two or more authors. (sec. 11.1.7, pp. 120-121)

### Authority's Opinion

Style guides give some "allowance," but whoever an author is writing for has ultimate say on what precisely is allowed. This is generally noted in the style guides as well.

For instance, the second bullet point in the preceding quote about "appropriate" uses would _not_ be a valid use by a number of people in authority who believe such [metadiscourse](https://www.bethel.edu/undergrad/academics/support/study-skills/files/avoid-metadiscourse.pdf) (or [signposting](https://jameshaytonphd.com/signposting-your-writing/)) that gives a discussion of what the author "will do" in the paper is _bad writing_ for a couple of reasons: (1) regarding whether an author "proves" the point or not is up to the reader, whether the author believes it was proven or not; (2) what the author is showing, arguing, claiming, etc., should be evident within good writing without it being explicitly stated.

The point, however, is that the one the author is writing for (whether a class or a publication) determines the appropriate uses of 1st person; the author just needs to follow the rules laid down.

### Context within the Paper

This relates directly to the caveats noted in the style guide section above, and also relates to the authority's acceptance or not. Some places in a paper may be appropriate to use 1st person, other places not. If an author is giving a personal illustration, it would be appropriate; but in a research paper, a personal illustration is generally not often used (since it cannot be verified; it is subjective). So whether or not it is allowed in a particular place will no doubt depend much on the context within the paper itself.

Original score: 1