What One Needs to Know about Dissertation Acknowledgments

The section on dissertation acknowledgments may seem to be not important comparing to the other parts of your dissertation since it will not earn you any points. However, you are still required to provide it to thank people who helped you to complete the most difficult work in your studying so far. Although many students find writing this section stressful, this is not so, and to prove this, we offer you our guide to essential points you need to keep in mind when completing it.

The Start

People tend to forget things over time. This is especially true for students, who are highly busy when completing their dissertation. Therefore, being under everyday pressure, they may forget some acts of being helped. Therefore, we recommend starting the acknowledgments list right after you start your project. By noting each act of help, you will ensure that you do not hurt anyone’s feelings by not including them in the list.

Reflect on the Milestones

Before getting to the point, you may consider briefly discussing significant milestones of the whole paper, indicating the main problems you have experienced since the start of this project. This part will help your readers understand what role those people played in the process of writing and why you are actually grateful to them.

 

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Relax and Be Generous

Again, since this part of the paper will not be evaluated, you should not feel any pressure, so just relax and take your time showing your appreciation. When it comes to saying “thank you,” there is no need to be chary of praise, so make sure you mention everyone who was helpful. However, it will still make sense to be laconic not to make the section on acknowledgements bigger than another, more meaningful to the actual study, part of the paper.

Structure the Section

In most cases, one has many individuals to say “thank you” to, such as supervisors, colleagues, representatives of other relevant institutions, friends, and even family members. Therefore, it will look appropriate if you first thank those who were directly involved in assisting you with completing the dissertation (supervisors, institutions, etc.) and only then those who indirectly supported you in your endeavors (family and friends).

Keep It Diverse

Remember to diversify your language when completing this section since saying each time “thank you…” is not an option as it will sound more than just awkward. In fact, there a number of other ways you can show your appreciation:

• I highly appreciate the assistance of…
• I am grateful to…
• Let me also acknowledge the enormous contribution of…
• Many thanks to…

Finally, try to give this section some time. Just as any other part of your dissertation, it will need you to get to it a couple of times to make sure you did not forget anyone who was actually helpful.

Good luck with your dissertation and remember to be thankful!