Why does Academic writing condemn the use of first and second person pronouns

Academic writing standards generally condemn the use of first and second person pronouns such as I, me, my, you, and your. Why do you think this is the case?

There is a distinction between formal and informal writing. Personal pronouns are considered informal as you would write a letter to a friend. Academic writing is supposed to be formal. It's like holding your pinkie finger up when you drink a cup of tea. Nobody has any idea what the purpose is but that's how it's "supposed to be" done.

The choice of words that gives the reader a clear mental picture makes the best communication. However, if the purpose of the writing is to get the best grade, "supposed to be" always wins.

This must be a student asking this question from University of Phoenix (Axia) you should be able to answer this on your own without having to go and snatch someones answer shame on you ! !!

@heartthrob69- There is nothing wrong with surfing for different point of views on the subject. It's perfectly okay to look at many opinions on the subject to form your own. It is called thinking critically!

Amen rjwhatley220!!!!

this is also another form of learning, after all uop classes are online as well and its not like we have the whole book in front of us to surf.

The reason why first and second person pronouns are "condemned" is because the focus should be on the work, not the writer. An academic reader doesn't really care about the writer's opinions (which is what usually happens when first and second person pronouns are used), but care more about the topic and what is learned about IT, not the author.

I believe there are two reasons the use of first and second person pronouns are condemned in academic writing. The main reason instructors want to see academic writing in everything that is handed in is because the idea of college is to use critical thinking. Instructors want to see their students use their brain. Using first and second person pronouns such as I, me, my, you, and your may seem to flow naturally onto the page because this is how people tend to speak in everyday friendly conversation. However, this is not using the critical thinking process.
Along with critical thinking, college is to train students to be more professional. The second reason instructors want to see the elimination of first and second person pronouns is because they tend to make a piece of writing appear less professional. An employer would not be very interested in a resume that was cluttered with “I”. The employer may think if the person applying does not care enough to turn in a proper resume then why would the person use proper writing on the job.
Instead of using these pronouns try rearranging the sentence and adding different words. The elimination of pronouns only requires a little bit of thinking, and will make papers more enjoyable to read.

people simply look for new ideas...

Since academic writings are more intuitive and formal, they should lack pronouns either first or second which are personal. It is also true that it is the argument or the fact that is crucial than the writer who is putting them. Another point may be if any academic piece of writing is accomplished without mentioning any referent like them, it would be more interesting to read than otherwise.

I just wanted to say I too was searching for the answer to this question. I never laughed so hard in my life. But all of you are correct in saying searching the internet is the way to go. They NEVER said we could'nt. LOL

The reader does not want "your" opinion, They want the facts, unadulterated by the writer. If they wanted an opinion they would be reading the editorials.

Okay people, I guess ya'll need to move on over and make room for me on the bandwagon! I, too, am here "researching" the answer to this, and Yes!, I am a student also! So, what the heck is the true answer? Our "text" in "class" does not offer much in the way of "why" is is frowned upon!

First !Yes I am a student and I have to agree that my textbooks did not include an extensive amount of information on academic writing and pronouns. I, too, researched to learn more about what I was being ask to write about. There are alot of different opinions out here about researching this particular subject.In my opinion, I think it is ok and there is nothing wrong with looking for answers using different methods. How else would people learn if we could not research?

Haha I'm from the University of Phoenix and I came on here to view other people's answers. I don't want to steal them. Helllooo they have the plagerism check and i'm sure this would pop up.