Writing the Acknowledgements Section: Norms for Thanking Individuals, Wording, and Funding Attribution

The Acknowledgements section is often the most-read part of a thesis or paper, yet it remains one of the least standardized in academic writing. A 2021 analysis by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) of 500 retracted articles found that 12% contained problematic funding acknowledgements or omitted key sources of support. Meanwhile, a 2023 survey by Nature of 1,200 early-career researchers revealed that 34% were unsure how to correctly attribute funding from joint grants or multi-institutional projects. Getting this section wrong—whether by omitting a required funding statement or using overly casual phrasing—can delay thesis submission or even raise ethical red flags during peer review. This guide covers the norms for thanking individuals, precise wording templates, and the mandatory protocols for funding attribution, drawing on standards from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the American Psychological Association (APA 7th edition) .

Distinguishing Intellectual Contributions from Personal Thanks

The core rule of an academic acknowledgements section is role clarity. You must separate intellectual debts from emotional or personal support.

Intellectual Debts (Mandatory to Mention)

Anyone who contributed to the research design, data analysis, or manuscript editing should be acknowledged. This includes supervisors, lab technicians, statistical consultants, and colleagues who provided unpublished data. A 2022 study in Learned Publishing (Vol. 35, Issue 4) found that 68% of journal editors expect specific descriptions of each person’s contribution, not just a blanket “thanks to everyone.”

Personal Support (Optional but Common)

Family members, friends, or partners who provided emotional or logistical support can be thanked, but keep it brief. Avoid phrases like “without whom this would not have been possible” for multiple people—it dilutes the meaning. The University of Oxford’s 2023 thesis guidelines explicitly recommend limiting personal acknowledgements to one or two sentences to maintain professional tone.

Example wording: “I thank my supervisor, Dr. Li Wei, for critical feedback on the experimental design. I also thank my husband, Zhang Ming, for his patience during the writing process.”

Funding Attribution: Mandatory Statements and Grant Numbers

Funding attribution is not optional—it is a contractual and ethical requirement. The ICMJE 2023 Recommendations state that all sources of financial support must be disclosed, including grant numbers, funding agency names, and any conflicts of interest.

Grant Number Formatting

Every major funding body requires specific phrasing. For example, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) mandates: “This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant No. 82272345].” A 2021 audit by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) found that 15% of submitted theses had incorrect or missing grant numbers, leading to administrative delays.

Joint Funding and Multi-Institutional Grants

If your project received funding from multiple sources, list them in order of contribution size. Use a semicolon to separate. Example: “This research was funded by the European Research Council [ERC-2020-StG-949372] and the China Scholarship Council [CSC No. 202106120045].” Never omit a funder, even if the amount was small—the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires disclosure of all sub-awards, per their 2022 Policy on Reporting.

Avoiding Plagiarism in Funding Statements

Do not copy-paste funding wording from another paper without verifying your own grant details. The COPE 2023 Flowchart on Funding warns that 8% of retractions in biomedical journals are linked to fabricated or misattributed funding statements.

Wording Templates for Different Audiences

The tone of your acknowledgements should match the disciplinary culture and the formality level of your institution.

For STEM Fields (Formal and Direct)

Use passive voice and precise verbs. Template: “The authors acknowledge the technical assistance of [Name] from [Institution] for [specific task, e.g., electron microscopy imaging].” Avoid emotional language. The IEEE 2023 Author Guidelines explicitly discourage phrases like “deep gratitude” in engineering papers.

For Humanities and Social Sciences (Slightly More Personal)

Active voice is acceptable, but keep it professional. Template: “I am grateful to Professor [Name] for her insightful comments on Chapter 3 of this dissertation.” A 2020 analysis by the Modern Language Association (MLA) of 200 humanities dissertations showed that 72% used “grateful” or “thankful” as the primary verb.

For Collaborative or Multi-Author Papers

If you are the first author of a journal article, acknowledge co-authors by their specific contributions. Example: “We thank Dr. Chen for performing the statistical analysis and Dr. Patel for providing the clinical samples.” The ICMJE 2023 Authorship Criteria require that each co-author’s role be described in the acknowledgements or author contributions section.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Over-Thanking or Under-Thanking

A 2019 study in Journal of Scholarly Publishing (Vol. 50, Issue 3) found that the optimal length for a thesis acknowledgements section is 150 to 300 words—longer sections are perceived as unprofessional. For journal articles, keep it under 100 words. Do not thank your pet, a deity, or a fictional character—this has been flagged by COPE as a “trivial acknowledgement” that can undermine credibility.

Forgetting Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Approval

If your research involved human subjects or animals, you must include a statement like: “This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of [Institution] [Approval No. 2022-045].” A 2022 survey by the World Medical Association (WMA) found that 23% of retracted papers in clinical journals lacked this mandatory statement.

Using Informal Language

Avoid contractions (e.g., “I’d like to thank”) and emojis. The APA 7th edition Style Guide (2020) recommends formal register throughout the acknowledgements. Also, never write “I would like to thank everyone who helped me”—this is too vague. Specify at least three categories: advisors, funders, and technical support.

Formatting in LaTeX and Markdown

LaTeX Template for Thesis Acknowledgements

Use the acknowledgements environment in your document class. Example:

\begin{acknowledgements}
This work was supported by the National Key R\&D Program of China [Grant No. 2021YFC2500100]. I thank my supervisor, Dr. Wang, for guidance on the methodology. I also thank the laboratory staff at the Institute of Biophysics, CAS, for technical assistance with cell culture.
\end{acknowledgements}

Markdown Template for Journal Submissions

Most journals now accept Markdown for initial submissions. Example:

## Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 programme [Grant No. 862859]. The authors acknowledge the computational resources provided by the National Supercomputing Center in Guangzhou. No conflicts of interest to declare.

Always include a conflict of interest statement immediately after the funding attribution, per the ICMJE 2023 disclosure policy.

Ethical Considerations and Retraction Risks

The acknowledgements section is not a safe zone—ethical violations here can lead to retraction. A 2021 case report by COPE detailed a retraction because an author thanked a colleague who had fabricated data, thereby implying endorsement of the work.

Ghost Authorship and Gift Authorship

Do not thank someone who did not actually contribute—this is considered ghost authorship if they are later added as a co-author. Conversely, do not list someone as a co-author if they only provided funding or general encouragement. The ICMJE 2023 Guidelines state that “acquisition of funding” alone does not qualify for authorship, but it must be acknowledged.

Data and Material Sharing

If you used data or materials from another lab, acknowledge them explicitly. Example: “We are grateful to the [Name] Lab at [Institution] for sharing the RNA-seq dataset [Accession No. GSE123456].” This prevents future accusations of data theft. A 2023 study in Nature Communications found that 14% of data-sharing disputes involved missing acknowledgements of source labs.

FAQ

Q1: Can I thank my ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend in the acknowledgements?

Yes, but only if they provided direct academic support (e.g., proofreading, data entry). A 2022 survey by The Guardian of 500 PhD graduates found that 9% regretted including a personal relationship that later ended. To avoid future discomfort, use neutral language: “I thank [Name] for logistical support during the fieldwork.” Avoid emotional descriptors like “my partner” unless you are certain the relationship is permanent.

Q2: What if my funding agency requires a specific wording?

Always follow the exact wording provided by the funder. For example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires: “Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of [Institute] of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number [Number].” A 2021 compliance report by the NIH Office of Extramural Research found that 17% of grant reports were rejected due to incorrect wording. Check your grant agreement letter—it usually contains the mandatory statement.

Q3: How long should the acknowledgements be for a 200-page PhD thesis?

The University of Cambridge 2023 Thesis Guidelines recommend 200 to 350 words. Anything over 500 words is considered excessive and may be perceived as unprofessional by examiners. For a 200-page thesis, a typical breakdown is: 50% for intellectual contributions (advisors, lab mates), 30% for funding attribution (including grant numbers), and 20% for personal support (family, friends).

参考资料

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). 2021. Retraction Guidelines and Case Analysis.
• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). 2023. Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.
• American Psychological Association (APA). 2020. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition.
• Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). 2021. Audit Report on Thesis Funding Attribution Errors.
• Unilink Education. 2023. Academic Writing Style Guide for Chinese Researchers (internal database).