Dear Mike
Your question: Hi,
listen I’ve been told some stuff about the rules for written take-home exams and it seemed to me quite crazy, so I wanted to know if it’s true. Stuff like:
– You can’t write in first person
singular: “in my paper I want to prove that…”
– You can quote a source only
once for all the papers you’re writing I mean, it isn’t true, right? I can
understand the rule about first person singular, but the one and only quote from
a book…
My answer would be that of course you can write in first person singular. BUT be aware that :
– in some disciplines it is not common to write in first person singular (for instance philosophy and many disciplines in the area of natural sciences)
– first person singular
must be used in relation to academic “actions” like the one you mention: I want to prove. “I” can also be used in relation to argue, categorize, analyze, discuss etc. But it cannot be used for expressing personal views that are not based on academic argumentation, for instance: I think, I like etc.
Concerning quotes: You can quote the same source as many times as necessary for making your argument, but be aware that the important thing is how and for what purpose you are quoting. Don’t overdo it! What the reader/teacher wants to see is your text, your argument and for what purposes you are using the quotes.
I hope these answers were helpful?
Best,
Bente