This post will help you learn about the use of acknowledgements in research paper and determine how they are composed and why they must be present in a research paper. You will also learn what must be included and how to work with various academic documents. If you have always wanted to know about the use of tone and specifics related to acknowledgements, each section of our helpful blog will guide you toward clarity and success!
What is the acknowledgment section in academic writing?
When it comes to including the Acknowledgements sections in an academic paper, most students and researchers will think about the words of gratitude or a page that speaks of thanks to the teachers. In truth, learning how to write acknowledgements for research paper is way more than that! It is a section where you must reflect adherence to academic honesty and show a professional attitude. This is where you must give due credit to specific individuals who have contributed to your writing or influenced your work. It is also true for the university's department or groups that you may have consulted in the data collection process, when working on a survey paper, or when taking personal interviews or technical samples. Looking at the acknowledgement section, your readers must see who contributed to your work and what individuals have made it the way it is. In a certain sense, an acknowledgment section shows that you belong to an academic network.
What must be included in an acknowledgment section?
All acknowledgements in research paper are different, meaning that a student must follow no certain formula or universal rules. Nevertheless, every single college or university will provide you with a template matching their rules and the obligatory elements. When you start this section of your paper, you will receive a chance to thank those who have supported you in person or online during your writing process. Depending on whether you are working with a thesis, a journal publication, a term paper, or a lengthy dissertation, you must think twice about the length of this part. For example, learning how to write acknowledgement in research paper, your thesis or dissertation acknowledgements page must appear between the title and the abstract. The length should be no longer than a single page in this case. The other cases are usually 2-3 pages maximum unless specified otherwise for a global international project.
Since it's quite challenging to compose a perfect research paper acknowledgement that would fit all situations, let's take a look at several examples:
This X project would have been impossible without the unique support of Nick Holmes and Steven Wilson, the head researchers of Cyberdyne Systems, who have provided their technical assistance and relevant equipment.
If you want to turn to a single person, this manuscript acknowledgement example will fit you:
I would like to thank Mrs. Timmins, who has guided me through every section of my dissertation and helped me to overcome diverse doubts and challenges. Her patience and professionalism made This research work more confident and clear. I would also like to thank my university's department for their financial support in my dissertation writing help and transportation for all the fieldwork included.
Remember that these are only examples of elements that must be included. Now, let’s learn what must be included and what to avoid!
Things to mention and avoid when composing acknowledgment in academic writing
When you must work on an acknowledgement section of paper, the most important is to know what to avoid. Let’s check this short list of important aspects:
- Do not provide false information or incomplete names or nicknames.
- Avoid using generic statements that will not be able to provide sufficient information.
- Do not provide excessive personal details that do not relate to your work per se.
- Avoid including private or intimate details that may not be appropriate for an academic context.
Speaking of what must be present, here is another list for you:
- Show how each person has contributed by offering details.
- Provide only complete information.
- Learning how to write an acknowledgement section, make sure to use only an academic writing style.
- Keep your section filled with examples to make sense.
Some other things to remember include the following:
- The tone of your writing must use an active voice.
- It is recommended to avoid using specific pronouns like "his" or "their." When speaking of a person, use a full name instead to help people understand the connection.
- Your recommendations section of a research paper must include the names of those people on who you have based your research work.
- All the terms that are associated with a group or a company in your research acknowledgement must be written out in full (X Limited, Y Corporations, Z Group).
- If the results of your science research work have already been published in another place or a journal, you must also acknowledge it.
- All the short forms and abbreviations must come along with an explanation unless they are some common terms for some journals.
Now, do acknowledgements come before references? It depends! If we are discussing some research paper, you must start at the top of your research, right before your text begins. In some other cases, if you want to include appendices in a lengthy research or a book, the Acknowledgements must appear after the main text of your research work. It usually appears after your "Discussion" or "Conclusions" section, right before the Reference List section.
If you are unsure, you can always pay for research paper and have an expert check things for you to determine the best design section to start with!
How do you format or write an acknowledgment section correctly?
If you are only learning how to write acknowledgements, you should consult your academic advisor regarding formatting and specified length. Most academic papers will require you to follow the same writing style (APA, MLA, Chicago, Vancouver). Since the section must be included in both your paper and an academic thesis, repetition is allowed. The thesis must start with an acknowledgment, while a manuscript may have this part right before the references. The exact location of this section will also depend on your college or university, so make sure to consult an academic advisor first!
Let's break down an acknowledgements example for a thesis paper to determine who you can thank and what must be included for this particular case:
- A contribution of your supervisor.
- A certain research group (especially if you are going for your Master's degree or receive support from a Ph.D. specialist).
- Support staff from the lab or a research department.
- Any students who have supported you and/or contributed to your work.
- Administrative staff that may have helped you with the thesis submissions.
- Anyone who has helped you with the references.
- The funding bodies and grants.
- Linguists who have helped with translation.
- Any types of thematic collaborations or people who have helped you find information.
- Your close friends, family members, and colleagues.
Unlike an acknowledgement example for research paper, contributing to a journal paper is not the same thing! The university manuscripts can include all the elements our EduBirdie experts mentioned above. An academic publication in a journal must refer to a shorter list of people and/or organizations. You must acknowledge only useful and critical help. All of the acknowledgements must be written in the first person only!
The example of formatting elements for a journal may include:
- An example of direct technical help is when using equipment or sample data.
- Indirect assistance where the guidance on the topic has been provided or the background section of research paper that you write.
- Affiliated institutions and funding bodies.
- Learning how to write acknowledgement for project purposes with specific brands, you may mention them as well.
- Specific grant numbers must be mentioned.
- The ones who have received the funding if it goes beyond the publication's author.
- Any fellowships or groups that may be associated with your work.
Now, it’s time to move on to the rules, which will explain how to prepare your paper for publication.
This is how you format the acknowledgment section and prepare your paper for publication
- As you start with your example of an acknowledgment, always think about a gracious salutation and a way to identify those who have contributed best.
- It is necessary to provide the names in full by adding all the relevant possible academic salutations.
- The use of formal language is necessary, and you learn how to write an acknowledgement well.
- Remember to keep your writing personal and genuine, but never overdo it! You have to be inclusive and focus on gratitude.
- Once you are ready with your page, edit, proofread, and review your work. The paragraphs must be brief and clear.
- Read them aloud to make sure that they sound good!
The formatting for a publication will also depend on what you have written and how challenging it has been. For example, an acknowledgement for report must include specific references where you must talk about what each person has helped you with. It is necessary to add to your work's confidence and academic integrity. To make things easier, let’s take a look at several examples:
No words can express my gratitude to Mr. Jones, my academic advisor, for his invaluable support.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the lab research team, including Andy Jackson, Matthew Smith, and Anne Jones, for their collaborative efforts in fine-tuning, sampling for the results section of a research paper, and collecting analysis and data. Their experience has benefitted this study.
Some other acknowledgements examples include:
I would like to thank Mrs. Andersen for her invaluable scientific feedback and constant reassurance, which influenced my progress with my experiments, analysis work, and interpretation.
I would like to thank my university department at the UAC Chemical Lab for their endless support and insightful feedback. Mr. John Holmes has been unique in refining the methodology and scope of my thesis.
I want to thank the contributions of Arjen Lucassen and John Woyt for their assistance and for providing a literature review to prepare my work. Their experience helped to add credibility and proofread all the sections.
These author acknowledgements must start with the most important to the less important as you write. While it is not obligatory, it is often met in most academic examples our experts have seen.
Final aspects to consider when working on an acknowledgment section
In conclusion, turn to your memory and ensure no one has been forgotten! Whether starting with a research paper or wishing to publish a literature review, it is always necessary to add integrity to your paper. By saying thanks, you show respect and that you belong to the scientific team. The trick is to take notes as you compose the paper and make sure that you mention those who have helped you well.
Still, not every researcher finds starting this page easy, especially if you feel worried about mentioning every name and making it well. Thankfully, you do not have to worry as there are experts who know how to correct mistakes, format your paper well, and even humanize AI paper to perfection. Feel free to get in touch and let us remove your burdens as we add the final touch!
