Shouting Down a Well: The Development of Authorial Identity in Thesis Writing

Abstract

Despite the growing recognition that the researcher’s voice can be discerned in research writing, a positivist and technocratic view of the issue continues to dominate the narrative. In particular, debate centres on whether or not researchers should attempt to be as invisible as possible in their research, particularly in qualitative research. However, can the researcher’s voice ever be genuinely excluded? In my own thesis journey, the discovery and expression of my own voice and personality as a researcher, and its impact on the final product, was a significant discovery that took much longer than I thought it would. This was ultimately one of the most valuable outcomes of the process. In this chapter, therefore, I argue that the researcher cannot be truly separated from their research. In light of this argument, I argue that, far from seeking to disappear from their own writing, researchers should seek to make their presence in the research not only more obvious but specifically explicit.