3 tips for writing dissertation acknowledgements

The rules for including dissertation acknowledgements are set out by the program director or the dissertation advisor. It is an intriguing and somewhat confusing process. Most students wonder why anyone else’s name should go in the acknowledgements when they are the one that did most of the work – and writing a dissertation is a huge undertaking. However, it is deemed as a good way of showing who helped you along the way through this very time consuming process.

There are formulas for acknowledgements. Many students just copy the formula and then put the names of their own people into it. That’s one way of doing it, but there are certainly other ways as well. It is a way to show deepest appreciation for those who supported you and assisted you through this mammoth project.

3 tips to making a fantastic acknowledgement

  1. Find and use a template. Some stellar writers have crafted excellent acknowledgements which can be used without fear of copyright infringement or plagiarism. Obtain several of these templates and see which one sounds the most like you. The advantage of this method is that you are using a tried and true technique. The downfall of using a template is that yours will sound like everyone else’s , and in fact may sound like old hat to your committee.
  2. Write your own. To do this, you can look at examples and see what you like or don’t like in each one and then, using your own words, write an acknowledgement that is uniquely your own and expresses your feelings in your own way. You can be more personal to the people whose names you are including, and it will also give you a big sense of accomplishment.
  3. Hire an expert to write one for you, with your guidance. Let the writer know what tone you would like used, and you could even point out some acknowledgments you’ve found that you like and what elements you want included in your own acknowledgement. Your expert writer might be so skilled and experienced in writing these that he can show you some samples of his own writing and let you choose what style you want. He can craft the entire thing for you.

Every part of your dissertation is important and deserves the time and effort it takes to make it the highest quality possible. The acknowledgements is no exception.