Acknowledgements

Toward the end of your writing, you will have to begin thinking about your acknowledgement page, that place at which you thank everyone who has had any part in helping get from idea to completion. Don’t do this last-minute, because you will inevitably leave people out, and then you will feel guilty about it for a long time. The best thing is to keep a running list that you can add to as their names come to mind.

While all other parts of a dissertation must be scholarly and formal, this page (and it is usually a few pages) can be personal, more informal in composition, and even humorous if you choose. As far as actually putting it together, there are some organizational considerations:

1. You should have categories of dissertation acknowledgements, and individual acknowledgements should all be placed in one of those. For example, you will have your advisor and committee members – they constitute a category. You might have informal “advisors” who helped – that’s a category. More about these shortly.
2. If you establish your categories first, you are less likely to leave someone out, because each category will “trigger” the people who fall in it.

Writing Acknowledgements for Dissertation Submission

You may indeed come up with additional categories than those listed here, but this will give you a start point at least:

1. Your Advisor and Committee Members: This group should be placed either first or last, because they were really important in the entire process and, without this group, you would not have this piece of work. You may want to acknowledge each committee member for a specific piece of advice or encouragement – it makes them feel appreciated. Your advisor probably deserves a bit longer piece of prose, for s/he was your first-stop when you were really struggling or hit a wall.
2. Others in the Department Who Gave Guidance or Assistance: There are probably other professors in your department with whom you had a great relationship and who seemed to always be available when you were discouraged or angry. These are the “informal” advisors who you must acknowledge – they deserve a place on this page, and be specific about what they meant to you. Remember, this is the one place in which you can allow your personal feelings and your heartfelt thanks be heard.
3. The Office Staff You May Have Bothered a Bit: It is not unusual to get to know the administrative assistants in the department office pretty well. You are in there often, and one or more may have been really kind or done some extra favors for you. (Maybe you were occasionally broke and someone loaned you money for a meal until payday; perhaps someone bent the rules and made copies for you or got you onto that appointment schedule with your advisor by bumping someone else whose need was not as urgent as yours).
4. Friends: Dissertation work is grueling and a roller coaster of highs and lows. If you had friends who agonized and celebrated with you; if you had friends who forced you to go have a beer or run away for a lost weekend that no one will ever speak about, then you need to acknowledge their moral support and encouragement, by name if you want to.
5. Undergraduate Professors: There may have been those professors during your undergrad work that were just unforgettable or truly inspirational or who wrote recommendations for your graduate school application. It’s nice to recognize them in your acknowledgement dissertation page as well. Some writers even go back to high school with a “shout out,” because of the inspiration they received.
6. Support Groups: If you were part of any study or dissertation writing support group, you should acknowledge the support you got from those members. Dissertation writing might have been a very isolating experience indeed, without these group members.
7. Family Members/Spouse/Significant Other: If you put your advisor and committee members first, then your family should go last, or vice versa, because those two positions are the most important one on the page. Which family members you choose to include is a personal decision, but you should be specific about their contributions in getting you where you are.
8. Miscellaneous: These categories probably cover everyone who has been in your life, but you do have the right to be a little humorous, as previously stated. One student acknowledged Dr. Seuss, for a book that he had had since childhood, titled Oh the Places You Will Go, had served as an inspiration to or many years; another student acknowledged her dog for its unconditional love and acceptance no matter what mood she was in. These things add a personal touch, and that’s important.

You cannot include us or Rewarded Essays on this list even though the help you get from writing services may be considerable. We are glad to guide you through the whole process and don`t mind being out of this list. Though we will definitely appreciate your review of our work here, on the website.

Some Additional Thoughts

1. Be certain that you check grammar and spelling very carefully on this page. You have had many others read all of the other parts, but no one will be reviewing this one for you.
2. If you want to get some ideas regarding the wording of your acknowledgements, it might be a good idea to look at some dissertation acknowledgements examples – you can find them all over the web.
3. If you wish to insert some creative writing into you acknowledgements page, the writers at ProEssayService are ready to oblige!

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