1
How to Avoid Using First Person Point of View in Academic Writing
First, Second and Third Person Point of View
First person is often used in personal narrative – when the writer is telling a story or
relating an experience. This perspective is the writer’s point of view, and the writer
becomes the focal point.
First person pronouns: I, we, me, us, my, mine, our, and ours.
Examples of first person point of view:
• I went to the lake with my family last summer, and we swam all day.
• We went to Europe for a class trip when I was in grade six.
• Our car broke down, costing us a thousand dollars in repairs.
• Ours is the blue house on the corner and my room is on the top floor.
Second person is rarely used in fiction, but is often found in speeches, letters, and other
forms of non-fiction. It is used to address the reader directly.
Second person pronouns: you, and your.
Examples of second person point of view:
• You may be interested to hear how I won the track meet at school.
• There is no way of knowing how you will react to the information I have to give to
your group.
Third person is a flexible narrative device and is often used in fiction, non-fiction, and
academic writing. It is used when someone else is being spoken about or referred to.
The author is not a character in the story or paper, but rather as an unspecified,
unnamed narrator conveying information.
Third person pronouns: She, he, it, they, them and their.
Examples of third person point of view:
• In this article, they argued that the literacy rates in Canada were dropping.
• She identifies obesity as the leading cause of heart failure in North America.
• There is no denying the effect he has had on history.
Objectivity in Academic Writing
Academic writing is formal in tone and meant to be objective, using cited sources to
support an argument or position. This assumes the focus is not the author, but rather
the writing (“this essay”, “this report”, “this literature review”).
Examples of objective statements supported by fact: