Writing problems: Person Pronouns

English (as with many languages) has 3 levels of personal pronouns:

 

	Singular	Plural
First Person	I, me, mine	we, us, our
Second Person	you, your	you, your(s)
Third Person	he, she, it, him, her, it, his, her(s), its	they, them, their, theirs

APA does not allow the use of first person plural "we" or "our" (the exception is if there are multiple authors). The broader use of the word "we" (often referred to as the "editorial we" or "royal we") leaves the reader wondering to whom you are referring. Instead, substitute an appropriate noun or clarify to whom you are referring. Here are some examples for a dissertation. 

Incorrect: We know that the elderly ……

Correct: Researchers have found that the elderly …..

Incorrect: Drug use is common in our country

Correct: Drug use is common in the United States. 

Incorrect: We will contact possible participants by …

Correct: I will contact possible participants by… 

Next time, in honor of the 4^th of July, I will talk about courage and the dissertation.  Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu