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Some researchers claim that first-person pronouns should not be used in research writing because they are not objective. But consider the first sentence from Watson and Crick’s article announcing their discovery of the DNA double helix in the 1950s (Watson & Crick, 1953).
And later in the paper they continue in the following way.
It is not true, then, that I and we are not used in modern research writing. However, and by way of example, just as the passive is preferentially used in the Methods section to report research procedures and activities, so personal pronouns are also used in certain ways. In particular, they are used to refer to the authors’ own writing and thinking, and when the authors are main characters in contrast to other researchers. This means that I and we are generally found in the introduction, where authors state their intentions (I will show that …, We start by …, I claim that …, We argue that …, etc.) or in the discussion and conclusion where they compare or contrast their work with the work of others.
First-person pronouns are, then, quite acceptable in research writing as long as you use them in certain limited ways.
 | We wish to suggest a structure for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid (D.N.A.). This structure has novel features which are of considerable biological interest. |
And later in the paper they continue in the following way.
| It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material. |
It is not true, then, that I and we are not used in modern research writing. However, and by way of example, just as the passive is preferentially used in the Methods section to report research procedures and activities, so personal pronouns are also used in certain ways. In particular, they are used to refer to the authors’ own writing and thinking, and when the authors are main characters in contrast to other researchers. This means that I and we are generally found in the introduction, where authors state their intentions (I will show that …, We start by …, I claim that …, We argue that …, etc.) or in the discussion and conclusion where they compare or contrast their work with the work of others.
 | Although Larsson and Eklund found moderate support for the theory, we found none. This may be because their population was from Scandinavia while ours was from Catalonia. |
First-person pronouns are, then, quite acceptable in research writing as long as you use them in certain limited ways.
Recommended citation:
«Use the active with the pronouns I or we» [en línia]. A: Llibre d’estil de la Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona. Serveis Lingüístics. <https://www.ub.edu/llibre-estil/criteri.php?id=3455> [consulta: 26 abril 2024].