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Subject:Re: Use of the First Person From:Bernice Kieffer <bernice_kieffer -at- MENTORG -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 30 Jan 1998 08:45:25 PST
On Jan 30, 11:19am, Dan Sabin wrote:
> I'm an engineer, and I recently submitted a paper to a pretty well-known
> standards organization. The reviewers rejected my paper mainly for
> stylistic reasons, especially as related to my use of the first person
> "we" when I was referring to myself and the other researchers on the
> project. For example, instead of saying, "The researchers found...," I
> often stated "We found..."
>
> " According to the
> reviewers, using "we" in a professional document is not an acceptable
> technical writing style.
>
> I wonder what you technical writers have to say about this...
Dan:
Unfortunately, what we tech writers think about it is not relevant when dealing
with a "standards organization". In writing, we often have to conform to the
old wisdom "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
Although I believe that writing in the first person is more natual and "user
friendly", it is a style of writing that is often not acceptable in formal
publications, scientific writing, and especially military writing which still
uses such archaic phraseology as "shall".
All orgainizations have thier own standards for writing and when dealing with
them you just conform.
