Different fields of study have different traditions about whether authors can refer to themselves as “I” or “We” when discussing their thoughts and actions. An advantage of using “I/We” is that active verbs may be used. A disadvantage is that emphasis is given to the person or persons performing the action, rather than to the action itself.

The most common way to avoid using the first-person perspective is to write as if the text itself is performing actions.

This paper will analyze…; This section will describe…; This research has demonstrated…;

To avoid using the first person, the passive voice is often used.

Mosquitos were collected from 15 sites in Dalarna.

By measuring gene expressions induced in fish tissues, conclusions concerning aquatic ecosystem health can be made.

If the person or persons doing the research must be invoked, the following type of construction can be used.

The graves containing the artefacts were examined by the author. There were four graves for which no gender attributions have been made, to the author’s knowledge.

The indefinite prounoun one can also be used, even if the paper has several authors.

These results lead one to speculate about the future use of solar panels in Sweden.