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Question on paper writing... There is only one author listed, but the wording keeps using "we" as in "we show that..." Is it considered poor practice to use "I
by phkahler 2y ago
Question on paper writing... There is only one author listed, but the wording keeps using "we" as in "we show that..." Is it considered poor practice to use "I" in a one-person paper? Or is "we" including the reader in the exposition?
- bglazer 2y agoThe “royal we” is common for single author academic work. I’m honestly unsure why. StackExchange seems to think it refers to both author and reader together. I think it conveys a sort of distance from the author, giving the writing less of a personal and more general tone. https://hsm.stackexchange.com/questions/2002/how-did-royal-we-become-a-standard-of-scientific-writing https://hsm.stackexchange.com/questions/2002/how-did-royal-w...
- NotAnOtter 2y agoIt's assumed you at some point talked to someone in the lab, or your advisor, or your advisee, or literally anyone about the paper. If you didn't that's probably problematic. So "we" gives non-formal credit to your community.
- tgv 2y agoI have never heard that as an explanation. That kind of credit is often expressed in foot/end notes, at least in the field I worked in. It is implied that the authors speak for themselves.
- NotAnOtter 2y agoWell IMO if you're giving some trivial level of credit someone else, you should use 'we', since you're both 'talking. If you reference them by name in the paper somewhere, I feel even stronger about my stance.
- noqc 2y agoWhen I use it, I mean it the way stackexchange says it is meant
- aeve890 2y agoThis is formal academic style, not wolfram style.
- suspended_state 2y ago[dead]