{"id":7958,"date":"2025-08-20T15:03:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T13:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leko.service.th-nuernberg.de\/owl\/?post_type=artikel&p=7958"},"modified":"2025-08-20T15:16:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T13:16:54","slug":"when-may-i-write-i","status":"publish","type":"artikel","link":"https:\/\/leko.service.th-nuernberg.de\/owl\/en\/artikel\/when-may-i-write-i\/","title":{"rendered":"When May I Write \u201cI\u201d?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

Writing in the first person<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Some Social Sciences researchers use the first-person singular, the \u201cI\u201d, as a matter of course. Others tend to prefer impersonal sentence constructions, such as e.g.<\/abbr>: \u201cThis paper examines the question of whether \u2026\u201d. Some refer to themselves in the third person as \u201cthe author\u201d or \u201cthe writer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What counts as \u201cacademic writing\u201d cannot be decreed \u2013 by anyone \u2013 but is constantly \u201cin flux\u201d and depends on the reference group of colleagues who either accept \u201csuch things\u201d or frown upon them.<\/cite><\/p>\n

\u2013 Gerhard Riemann<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Very personal texts, e.g.<\/abbr> in the style of autoethnography, which offer deep insights into one\u2019s own experiences and feelings and may partly confuse or even unsettle readers, would not have been imaginable some time ago in the context of Social Sciences journals.<\/p>\n

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It depends on the context<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

It is not only about whether authors use or avoid the word \u201cI\u201d, but also about what and how much they reveal about themselves.<\/p>\n

When reconstructing and discussing one\u2019s own field research experiences, it can be particularly important and lead to new insights to describe in personal words what was difficult, required effort, or was experienced as chaotic. And in such cases, it makes more sense to write: \u201cI became nervous and started stuttering when the client pressed further\u201d, instead of \u201cThe author of this report showed signs of nervousness and experienced word-finding difficulties when the client asked additional questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
It always depends on the context and the purpose pursued with a text: A self-reflective ethnographic report, in which one engages with one\u2019s own experiences and aims to make them transparent, is different from a literature discussion or a research proposal.<\/cite><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The range of academic language<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

It is important, on the one hand, that students do not freeze in awe before the supposed academic language but form their own impression of the range of Social Sciences texts and the respective linguistic and stylistic means.<\/p>\n

There is no single rule for academic language. To avoid being intimidated and disempowered, it helps to read Social Sciences literature yourself rather than relying only on \u201cexam-relevant PowerPoint slides\u201d.<\/p>\n

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It is also important to clarify with your lecturers how personal or impersonal the texts should be in their view \u2013 and that, of course, includes the question of using \u201cI\u201d.<\/cite><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The lecturers at the Faculty of SW<\/abbr> have very different academic socializations, and that is a good thing.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
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Students should never cultivate the false belief that a certain way of writing is not available to them just because they are still students or only aspiring social educators. They can use their minds just as much as lecturers.<\/cite><\/p>\n

\u2013 Gerhard Riemann<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"\"<\/div>\n

Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Does the word \u201cI\u201d make my academic work look unprofessional?<\/h3>\n

Context and purpose are decisive: A self-reflective ethnographic report, in which one engages with one\u2019s own practice or field research experiences and aims to make them transparent, is different from a literature discussion or a research proposal.<\/p>\n

How do I find the right academic language for my paper?<\/h3>\n

There is no single correct academic language, but a dynamic range of possibilities within the field. It is best to consult your lecturers and supervisors to discuss different styles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Writing in the first person Some Social Sciences researchers use the first-person singular, the \u201cI\u201d, as a matter of course. Others tend to prefer impersonal sentence constructions, such as e.g.: \u201cThis paper examines the question of whether \u2026\u201d. Some refer to themselves in the third person as \u201cthe author\u201d or \u201cthe writer.\u201d What counts as \u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":5411,"menu_order":44,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"artikel_category":[1540],"artikel_post_tag":[1921,1923,1557,1927,1925,1919,1870,1542],"fakultaet":[1269,1275],"arbeitsart":[1310,1251],"class_list":["post-7958","artikel","type-artikel","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","artikel_category-language-style","artikel_post_tag-first-person","artikel_post_tag-i","artikel_post_tag-language","artikel_post_tag-me","artikel_post_tag-myself","artikel_post_tag-scientific","artikel_post_tag-subjectivity","artikel_post_tag-writing-style","fakultaet-bw-en","fakultaet-sw","arbeitsart-hausarbeit-en","arbeitsart-masterarbeit-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhen May I Write \u201cI\u201d? - Online Writing Lab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/leko.service.th-nuernberg.de\/owl\/en\/artikel\/when-may-i-write-i\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When May I Write \u201cI\u201d? - Online Writing Lab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Writing in the first person Some Social Sciences researchers use the first-person singular, the \u201cI\u201d, as a matter of course. 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