A Clear Perspective: First-Person Point of View in APA

First or Third Person in APA?

What point of view should you maintain when writing in the APA style? The answer is more fluid than you might have thought.

Depending on your content, institution’s requirements, and personal style, you may have the option to use either the first-person or third-person perspective. Just remember to keep it consistent when writing your paper in APA.

Here’s some additional advice from the APA Style Blog’s Timothy McAdoo.

Are you looking to meet the requirements for a paper or dissertation? If so, you’ll want to ensure your writing is as professional and polished as possible. Try DLA Today.

Use of First Person in APA Style

I am often asked why APA Style prohibits the use of I or we. I love this question, because the answer is always a pleasant surprise: I or we is perfectly acceptable in APA Style!

In fact, the Publication Manual actually recommends using first person, when appropriate, to avoid ambiguity.

Examples of Ambiguity

What types of ambiguity result when an author goes to great lengths to avoid using I or we? On pages 69–70, the Manual gives three possibilities:

1. Authors sometimes use the third person simply because it sounds more objective. Authors will often use the authors as a stand-in for I or we, but using this phrase can lead to confusion. Consider this sentence:

   As Smith and Jones (1999) and Drew (2007) noted, there is no correlation between television viewing time and calorie intake. The authors replicated this finding with three experiments.

   Does “the authors” refer to both Smith and Jones (1999) and Drew (2007)? Or does it refer to the authors of the current paper? You would likely guess it’s the latter, but the meaning would be clearer with we:

   As Smith and Jones (1999) and Drew (2007) noted, there is no correlation between television viewing time and calorie intake. We replicated this finding with three experiments.

2. Attempts to avoid first person can also lead to anthropomorphism. As the Manual notes (p. 69), an experiment cannot “attempt to demonstrate,” but I or we can.
3. Finally, the use of the editorial we can sometimes be confusing. For example, “we categorize anxiety disorders …” may leave the reader wondering whether we refers to the authors of the current paper, to the research community, or to some other group.

   But this doesn't mean we must be completely avoided. As the Manual states (p. 70), “we is an appropriate and useful referent.” You could simply rewrite this sentence, “As psychologists, we categorize anxiety disorders …”

Are you looking to meet the requirements for a degree, grant or publication? If so, you’ll want to ensure your writing is as professional and polished as possible. That’s where DLA Editors & Proofers comes in. DLA Editors & Proofers is a team of expert editors that helps students and professional academics achieve acceptance of their work for a degree, grant or publication. With their expertise across many fields, DLA Editors & Proofers makes improving your paper or dissertation easy until it’s ready for submission. So if you are looking to meet the requirements for a degree, grant or publication, take your time—use DLA Editors & Proofers to give your writing the edge it needs to meet even the strictest requirements. Try DLA Editors & Proofers today, and take the first step toward meeting the requirements for your degree, grant or publication.

Clarity Is King

It’s not always right, or always wrong, to use the first person. We all have different writing styles, and the use of first person may come more naturally to some than to others.

The most important thing to consider, whether using APA Style or another style, is the clarity and accuracy of each sentence in your text. To quote the Manual one more time, “Make certain that every word means exactly what you intend it to mean” (p. 68).

Want reliable, expert editing for your paper or dissertation? GET STARTED

But: Check With Your Institution

Just one caveat: As always, if you are writing a paper, thesis, or dissertation, your institution may have its own guidelines for the use of first person. The acceptability of first person is sometimes a hot topic, and guidelines vary from one institution to another.

Dissertation committees sometimes advise students to follow APA Style with a list of school-specific exceptions, and the acceptability of first person may be one of these. Likewise, if you are submitting a manuscript for publication, you should always check the publisher’s guidelines.