Dear All,
During revision I typically advice students to leave out the "I
believe" just because it makes a weaker statement. Early in their
academic careers, students seem to be afraid of making statements
without the "I believe" as a hedging tool, so I urge them to omit it
to find their stronger, scholarly voices as writers.
I also teach them not to use the "we" to refer to themselves; as
somebody already commented, it's so archaic. There seems to be a
lingering idea that a paper is more "academic" if the author uses the
"we."
Auli
Quoting Linda McPhee <[log in to unmask]>:
> I should add that I sometimes have students draft early parts of
> their discussions in first person, because it is cognitively easier.
> They can think something through, and later write out the ?I?.
>
>
> Linda McPhee
> www.LindaMcPheeconsulting.com
--
Dr. Auli Ek
Continuing Lecturer
Writing Program
University of California, Santa Barbara
|