Hi, I believe this is the best area to ask this question. if not please move this tread. I'm writing software development thesis and in the literature review can i use words like "I'm", "I've", "we are" etc.. ? or isn't it unprofessional ? appreciate all your comments. Thanks
Actually, in an academic setting, these usages are not recommended: they are considered colloquial. If you are at a university, ask your department for a style sheet to make sure you meet all their requirements: departments usually have written guidelines for thesis writers. I hope this helps. PhilipSEO, PhD
When you are a renowned critic, scholar or academician, or something like that, readers might be interested in your "I." For now, let's assume that they don't. Play safe.
There's two different issues...first person and contractions. Contractions are probably acceptable but I would not recommend them in a scholarly piece. They are a form of abbreviation and just seem out of place in a work of authority. When I write formal pieces, I tend to avoid them. First person (I/we)...depends upon the assignment. I could see using something like, "While conducting my research, I found..." but, something like "I know widgets are blue..." seems a bit familiar for a thesis. For scholarly works, I would stick to third person - as in "Scholars, from the University of DP, indicated that they would limit the use of contractions in formal writing." instead of "I asked the scholars at the University of DP...". Another example...Instead of "While conducting my research, I used the following sources...", I would use something like "The following sources were consulting in preparing this work...". The possible exception being any sections where you are required to explain your findings or defend your conclusions.