Dissertation Acknowledgments Writing Guide

Writing a dissertation is a tough job as each section requires effort to write it especially the literature review part. Being a doctoral student, critically analyzing the papers becomes part of your job and you get better from time to time. The best section is the one that doesn't require any citations and you write it with happiness.

If you are at that stage of acknowledgment, then you probably have finished dissertation. First of all, congratulations on getting all write up done. Your all hard work is written on those pieces of paper so write a meaningful acknowledgment to make it perfect. In this article, we will help you to explore, what acknowledgment and when? Why? How? to write it.

What is acknowledgment?

Acknowledgment is the section in your dissertation in which you write to thank and appreciate the efforts of other people that helped you not only in writing but also in conducting research work. You can also thank your classmate and family for helping you out in every matter in your life. So, why you write it? It's simple, writing means that you are not alone in this journey. Mentioning people's names in acknowledgment will help the committee to know who helped you and keep you motivated in the studies.

When and how to write acknowledgment?

After defining acknowledgment here comes the question, when to write it? Most people write it in the early stage. Don't do that mistake. Write it at the end so that you do it with a clear mind and know the roles of people who played in during your studies. Writing earlier is not wrong, but keep it saved in a separate draft so that you can edit it later.

Now, let's take a look at how to write it. Writing is an easy task. All you need is to plan things out in your head. It doesn't require any special words. It is better to write down the names of people who helped you in your journey and appreciate them in good words. Here are some guidelines that will help you to write it. Keep the following things in mind to write the acknowledgment section:

• Department's requirements – First of all, you need to check your school's requirement of writing a dissertation. The guidelines are mainly available in pdf format so read them carefully and follow them properly. Keep restrict yourself to requirements and don't add anything meaningless in it.
• Admire people from your institute – After reading the requirements you may start writing the acknowledgment. Write down the names of people who helped you in conducted the doctoral studies. You can also mention who funded your research. Write the full name of your supervisor, professors, committee members, chairman of the school, classmates, research participants, and editor. 
• Acknowledge people from personal life – The acknowledgment section is a great place to thank especially the people in your personal life. Here you can mention people who keep you inspired and motivated. They may include, parents, siblings, past teachers, spouse, children, and friends.
• Have appropriate word length – In most cases the dissertation's section is long and may consist of more than 10 pages. For section of acknowledgment, it is limited to one page only and approximately 300 words. Word count may vary from your school's requirement but the page is only one. So, write it precisely and mention the only necessary thing.
• Add a little bit of humor in it – The dissertation is dry but you can add humor in your acknowledgment to make it much more interesting and kinda funny. This will attract attention to both readers and yourself. But don't indulge in it too much. You can add sentences, like "Finally after this, I will move forward in taking care of my unborn child". Don't add humor if you are not good at it.

 So, you know what acknowledgment is, so start writing with the help of tips and guidelines. Numerous samples are available on the internet. Search for it and highlight the important things in it. Remember, to stick to the word count and think of it as an opportunity to thank people in your life. This will show how much you care for them.