Academic texts are regarded as impersonal texts. They follow what is known as the and " and "I and " and " taboo. The present study resolves the question of how the and " and "I and " and " is to be seen in academic texts. The concept of the author moves on a multiplicity of levels. On the one hand, typical academic acts (such as and " and "solving a research problem and " and ") are continually being explicated, on the other, typical attitudes are also being indicated (such as uncertainty). In the model, the marking levels are integrated. Thus the ';author in the text, can be determined both as typical of a domain and as an individual figure.