Is it normal in English to talk about oneself in the third person in these cases?

Question

A Japanese person said that it is often normal to talk about oneself in the third person in English. This is what he wrote: > For example, when you write a CV or an introduction of yourself, the > formal way is to refer to yourself in third person. The same is in > academic paper. Do you think this is true?

Answer 1

In an academic paper, students can use themselves as examples if they refer to themselves in third person. However, with a CV or introduction of yourself (such as with a cover letter), you can use first person.

Answer 2

I do not believe this is very common. In academic papers, I and we are frequently used. "We randomly assigned...." "We gathered data...". Sometimes I've seen "the researchers...."

As far as CVs, I have never seen anyone refer to themselves in the 3rd person, partly because there aren't any opportunities to use full sentences.

The only instance I can think of using the third person is if you are writing your own introduction to be read by someone else, or when writing a bio that will be included on a publication or website.

Ex: "John Smith is a professor of economics at State University. He has published on....."