Dissertation acknowledgement is the section where you give due acknowledgement to those people who had a major contribution to your research. Acknowledgement section gives due credit to the people and exemplifies honest scholarship. It endorses the support of others and their contributions to the entire research process. If you are done with your dissertation and confused about how to write a dissertation acknowledgement, then you have come to the right place because we will guide you on writing a perfect acknowledgements section.
What is the acknowledgements section?
Dissertation acknowledgement section allows you to pay gratitude to people whose help was crucial to your research. It is your chance to thank people who encouraged and supported you in a personal and professional capacity during the dissertation writing journey. The acknowledgement section is placed between the title and abstract page. It should be summed up in one page and must not exceed it. You can write acknowledgements in an informal style, unlike the rest of the formal section, and you are also allowed to use first-person pronouns.
Who should be acknowledged in the dissertation?
Dissertation acknowledgement comprises personal and professional categories. Personal endorsements include paying gratitude to friends, family, spouses, and mentors. On the other hand, professional gratitude acknowledges the contributions of colleagues, professors, and research supervisors. However, it is always recommended to refer to the dissertation manual of your university before writing the acknowledgement section. Dissertation manuals of universities differ, and there are sometimes specific guidelines, order, and structure of acknowledgements. For instance, some universities do not like personal acknowledgements and keep it confined to professional ones. Nonetheless, it is always preferable to provide professional acknowledgements first and, subsequently, personal acknowledgements. You can also decide the order of the people you want to place in the section. For example:
- Chairperson, Supervisor, internal and external defence committee
- Funding organisation (if any)
- Professors (who provided support) and colleagues
- People who provided support in editing and proofreading
- Library and resource centre personnel
- Archive representatives who provided access to important documents
- Research participants
- Family, friends, and mentors
Usually, it is preferable to only mention those people whose support was directly relevant and important for your research. You should avoid giving unnecessary acknowledgements.
How to write a dissertation acknowledgement?
Start with Professional Acknowledgements
Professional acknowledgements in the dissertation acknowledgement section should come first. It is imperative to pay gratitude to those people whose support was quite substantial. It is important to include everyone who contributed to your research in a professional capacity, and you must not overlook anyone. People who made direct contributions to your research should be included first. Here are a few things to remember while writing the professional acknowledgements:
- Acknowledge the Head of the Department or Chairperson even if he or she did not provide much help, but it is important to pay homage to the Head of the Department.
- Academic rules must be followed, and you must provide the full legal names with appropriate titles and designations.
- If you received funding and support from any organisation, there is no need to mention the names of each person but simply state the organisation’s name.
- Ethical considerations must be strictly followed, and therefore avoid providing the study participants’ names due to privacy concerns. You can simply acknowledge them by saying “the respondents” or the “study participants.”
Personal Acknowledgments
The next thing to include in the dissertation acknowledgement section is paying gratitude to family and friends. However, you do not necessarily have to include the names of all of your family and friends. You just need to thank those whose support was crucial in your dissertation writing journey. Ensure to include the names of important family members such as parents or spouses and friends who supported you in writing your dissertation. You can also dedicate the dissertation to a deceased parent or friend whose presence in your life was inspiring.
Divide the people into categories and order
The next step is dividing the people into categories and order. It means that people whose support was crucial come first, followed by people whose presence was a source of inspiration. Lastly, you can pay gratitude to family and friends. It is important to keep a proper order, avoid repetitions, and exclude unnecessary names. If you need help writing the acknowledgements section, you can always take assistance from expert writers at Dissertation Writing Service.
How should you phrase the sentences?
While you are writing the dissertation acknowledgement, it is important to avoid using dull and repetitive language. You must use varied and interesting phrases to write the acknowledgements section. Variation in sentences is essential for writing the dissertation acknowledgement, and therefore if you need any help, you can always reach out to experts at Dissertation Writers UK. You can use the following sentence starters as references:
- I am highly indebted to…
- I would like to offer my sincerest appreciation to…
- I am grateful to…
- I had the honour of working with…
Example of acknowledgements section
First and foremost, I would like to pay my gratitude to my research supervisor, whose support and invaluable feedback was crucial to my research. Then, I would like to say special thanks to the department chairperson and defence committee whose guidance and support assisted me in producing this work. Additionally, this research would not have been possible without the financial support from McKinley Foundation, which financed my research.
I am also highly indebted to my colleagues and professors, whose moral support was crucial in my project. Also, special thanks to the library personnel, study participants and archive representatives who helped me access invaluable data and important documents. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the love and support of my family and friends. Their belief and faith in my capabilities were a source of encouragement and support for me, which helped me finish the dissertation on time.
Conclusion
Dissertation acknowledgement is your chance to pay gratitude to the people whose support was crucial in your research. You can write it in informal and personalised language; however, avoiding unnecessary details is important. You must keep it confined to one page only.
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