Module 2 · APA 4.16 & 4.17

First- vs. Third-Person & the Editorial "We"

Who is speaking in your paper? APA has a clear answer: you are — and you're allowed to say so. The rules here undo two myths at once: that academic writing bans "I," and that "we" is a polite stand-in for everyone.

4.16 — Use "I" for Your Own Work

Many students were taught to never write "I" in a paper. APA says the opposite: when you describe steps you took or conclusions you drew, use the first person. Referring to yourself in the third person — "the author," "the researcher," "this writer" — is ambiguous (which author?) and reads as evasive.

Third person for yourself: ambiguous The author reviewed the transcripts and identified three themes.

APA: own your work I reviewed the transcripts and identified three themes.

The reader of the first version can't tell whether "the author" is you or a source you're citing. The rule in one line: first person for your work, third person for everyone else's.

Both in one sentence Delgado (2024) measured routines weekly; I measured them daily.

4.17 — The Editorial "We"

"We" is only correct when it refers to yourself plus your co-authors. If you wrote the paper alone, there is no "we." And "we" can never mean people in general — that's the editorial we, and it forces readers to guess who you mean:

Editorial "we": who is "we"? We tend to underestimate how much sleep children need.

Who underestimates — parents? Pediatricians? Researchers? All humans? Replace the vague "we" with the specific noun you actually mean:

Specific Parents tend to underestimate how much sleep children need.

"We" done right (co-authored paper) We recruited participants from three campus childcare centers.

You wrote it...	Say	Never say
Alone	I	we, the author, this researcher
With co-authors	we	the authors (for yourselves)
About people in general	people, parents, researchers, nurses...	we, us, our

Watch the Hidden Editorial "We"

The editorial "we" sneaks in through "our" and "us," especially in introductions and conclusions:

Hidden editorial "we" Technology has changed how we raise our children and how they relate to us.

Fixed with specific nouns Technology has changed how families raise children and how children relate to caregivers.

Practice

Question 1

You are the sole author. Which sentence follows APA 4.16?

Question 2

Which sentence contains an editorial "we" that APA 4.17 says to avoid?

Question 3

What's the best revision of: "We all know that toddlers struggle with sharing"?

🗣️ First- vs. Third-Person & the Editorial "We"