Context is everything -- which is what I teach my students. I/we is not inherently right or wrong, but it depends on the discipline, or sometimes a particular department. This is exactly what students need to know. Rather than give them a definitive answer (which will be challenged in a different context), teach them how to think through what they want to do and how to figure out the local conventions. It will serve them better in the long run (although they may be annoyed that you don't give them a definitive answer).
Best,
Lynn Nygaard
-----Original Message-----
From: European Association for the Teaching of Academic Writing - discussions [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Anne Wegner
Sent: 21. september 2015 15:06
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Use of we/I in academic texts?
Dear colleagues
Two questions for you. I teach academic writing, mainly to PhD students from difference scientific areas at various German universities. One of the things I teach is that it is generally ok to use “we/I” in academic texts, while pointing out that its use does slightly depend on the area in which one is working or the journal for which one is writing. However, my daughter said that during her recent Bachelor studies (Durham University, political sciences), she was mainly writing, and being expected to write, in the passive voice, avoiding we/I. I have two main questions related to this:
1) Am I the only one getting my workshop participants to use we/I in an English academic text? If so, I'd better stop!
2) What do academic texts in other European languages generally contain - we/I or passive voice? In a German academic text, the use of we/I is generally frowned upon.
I would appreciate any comments and am happy to put together a summary of any answers I receive.
Many thanks
Anne Wegner
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