It's all my fault! The pragmatics of responsibility statements

Following an acknowledgement of colleagues who have critiqued a work, writers sometimes add that the final version is the sole responsibility of the author(s), and not of anyone being thanked. Although there is much variability in responsibility statements, they are formulaic and often consist of the following: a reference to the conventional nature of the statement, a reference to the content of or potential shortcomings in the writing, and a mention of the authors’ sole responsibility and/or exoneration of others for conclusions or deficiencies. For example: “Naturally, I remain responsible for any mistakes still present.”This paper investigates the face-enhancing value of responsibility statements. Like thanks, gambits, and apologies, responsibility statements are formulaic disclaimers. They exonerate others from blame, but also allow authors to claim ownership of and credit for their work. Responsibility statements allow authors to establish a professional persona and demonstrate that they know the conventions of their profession. Responsibility statements allow authors to present themselves as formal or scholarly, or they can violate the conventions and present themselves as humorous, creative, or individualistic.