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• Thesis & Dissertation Acknowledgements | Tips & Examples

Thesis & Dissertation Acknowledgements | Tips & Examples

Published on May 3, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on July 18, 2023.

The acknowledgements section is your opportunity to thank those who have helped and supported you personally and professionally during your thesis or dissertation process.

Thesis or dissertation acknowledgements appear between your title page and abstract  and should be no longer than one page.

In your acknowledgements, it’s okay to use a more informal style than is usually permitted in academic writing , as well as first-person pronouns . Acknowledgements are not considered part of the academic work itself, but rather your chance to write something more personal.

To get started, download our step-by-step template in the format of your choice below. We’ve also included sample sentence starters to help you construct your acknowledgments section from scratch.

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Table of contents

Who to thank in your acknowledgements, how to write acknowledgements, acknowledgements section example, acknowledgements dos and don’ts, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the acknowledgements section.

Generally, there are two main categories of acknowledgements: professional and personal .

A good first step is to check your university’s guidelines, as they may have rules or preferences about the order, phrasing, or layout of acknowledgements. Some institutions prefer that you keep your acknowledgements strictly professional.

Regardless, it’s usually a good idea to place professional acknowledgements first, followed by any personal ones. You can then proceed by ranking who you’d like to thank from most formal to least.

• Chairs, supervisors, or defense committees
• Funding bodies
• Other academics (e.g., colleagues or cohort members)
• Editors or proofreaders
• Librarians, research/laboratory assistants, or study participants
• Family, friends, or pets

Typically, it’s only necessary to mention people who directly supported you during your thesis or dissertation. However, if you feel that someone like a high school physics teacher was a great inspiration on the path to your current research, feel free to include them as well.

Professional acknowledgements

It is crucial to avoid overlooking anyone who helped you professionally as you completed your thesis or dissertation. As a rule of thumb, anyone who directly contributed to your research process, from figuring out your dissertation topic to your final proofread, should be mentioned.

A few things to keep in mind include:

• Even if you feel your chair didn’t help you very much, you should still thank them first to avoid looking like you’re snubbing them.
• Be sure to follow academic conventions, using full names with titles where appropriate.
• If several members of a group or organization assisted you, mention the collective name only.
• Remember the ethical considerations around anonymized data. If you wish to protect someone’s privacy, use only their first name or a generic identifier (such as “the interviewees”)/

Personal acknowledgements

There is no need to mention every member of your family or friend group. However, if someone was particularly inspiring or supportive, you may wish to mention them specifically. Many people choose to thank parents, partners, children, friends, and even pets, but you can mention anyone who offered moral support or encouragement, or helped you in a tangible or intangible way.

Some students may wish to dedicate their dissertation to a deceased influential person in their personal life. In this case, it’s okay to mention them first, before any professional acknowledgements.

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After you’ve compiled a list of who you’d like to thank, you can then sort your list into rank order. Separate everyone you listed into “major thanks,” “big thanks,” and “minor thanks” categories.

• “Major thanks” are given to people who your project would be impossible without. These are often predominantly professional acknowledgements, such as your advisor, chair, and committee, as well as any funders.
• “Big thanks” are an in-between, for those who helped you along the way or helped you grow intellectually, such as classmates, peers, or librarians.
• “Minor thanks” can be a catch-all for everyone else, especially those who offered moral support or encouragement. This can include personal acknowledgements, such as parents, partners, children, friends, or even pets.

How to phrase your acknowledgements

To avoid acknowledgements that sound repetitive or dull, consider changing up your phrasing. Here are some examples of common sentence starters you can use for each category.

Note that you do not need to write any sort of conclusion or summary at the end. You can simply end the acknowledgements with your last thank you.

Here’s an example of how you can combine the different sentences to write your acknowledgements.

A simple construction consists of a sentence starter (in purple highlight ), followed by the person or entity mentioned (in green highlight ), followed by what you’re thanking them for (in yellow highlight .)

Acknowledgements

Words cannot express my gratitude to my professor and chair of my committee for her invaluable patience and feedback. I also could not have undertaken this journey without my defense committee, who generously provided knowledge and expertise. Additionally, this endeavor would not have been possible without the generous support from the MacArthur Foundation, who financed my research .

I am also grateful to my classmates and cohort members, especially my office mates, for their editing help, late-night feedback sessions, and moral support. Thanks should also go to the librarians, research assistants, and study participants from the university, who impacted and inspired me.

Lastly, I would be remiss in not mentioning my family, especially my parents, spouse, and children. Their belief in me has kept my spirits and motivation high during this process. I would also like to thank my cat for all the entertainment and emotional support.

• Write in first-person, professional language
• Thank your professional contacts first
• Include full names, titles, and roles of professional acknowledgements
• Include personal or intangible supporters, like friends, family, or even pets
• Mention funding bodies and what they funded
• Appropriately anonymize or group research participants or non-individual acknowledgments

Don’t:

• Use informal language or slang
• Go over one page in length
• Mention people who had only a peripheral or minor impact on your work

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In the acknowledgements of your thesis or dissertation, you should first thank those who helped you academically or professionally, such as your supervisor, funders, and other academics.

Then you can include personal thanks to friends, family members, or anyone else who supported you during the process.

Yes, it’s important to thank your supervisor(s) in the acknowledgements section of your thesis or dissertation .

Even if you feel your supervisor did not contribute greatly to the final product, you must acknowledge them, if only for a very brief thank you. If you do not include your supervisor, it may be seen as a snub.

The acknowledgements are generally included at the very beginning of your thesis , directly after the title page and before the abstract .

In a thesis or dissertation, the acknowledgements should usually be no longer than one page. There is no minimum length.

You may acknowledge God in your dissertation acknowledgements , but be sure to follow academic convention by also thanking the members of academia, as well as family, colleagues, and friends who helped you.

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Thesis Acknowledgements Examples

5 Examples For Your Inspiration

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewers: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | May 2024

The acknowledgements section of your thesis or dissertation is an opportunity to say thanks to all the people who helped you along your research journey. In this post, we’ll share five thesis acknowledgement examples to provide you with some inspiration.

Overview: Acknowledgements Examples

• The acknowledgements 101
• Example:  Formal and professional
• Example:  Warm and personal
• Example:  Challenge-centric
• Example:  Institution-centric
• Example:  Reflective and philosophical
• FREE Acknowledgements template

Acknowledgements 101: The Basics

The acknowledgements section in your thesis or dissertation is where you express gratitude to those who helped bring your project to fruition. This section is typically brief (a page or less) and less formal, but it’s crucial to thank the right individuals in the right order .

As a rule of thumb, you’ll usually begin with academic support : your supervisors, advisors, and faculty members. Next, you’ll acknowledge any funding bodies or sponsors that supported your research. You’ll then follow this with your intellectual contributors , such as colleagues and peers. Lastly, you’ll typically thank your personal support network , including family, friends, and even pets who offered emotional support during your studies.

As you can probably see, this order moves from the most formal acknowledgements to the least . Typically, your supervisor is mentioned first, due to their significant role in guiding and potentially evaluating your work. However, while this structure is recommended, it’s essential to adapt it based on any specific guidelines from your university. So, be sure to always check (and adhere to) any requirements or norms specific to your university.

With that groundwork laid, let’s look at a few dissertation and thesis acknowledgement examples . If you’d like more, check out our collection of dissertation examples here .

Need a helping hand?

Example #1: Formal and Professional

This acknowledgement formally expresses gratitude to academic mentors and peers, emphasising professional support and academic guidance.

I extend my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Jane Smith, for her unwavering support and insightful critiques throughout my research journey. Her deep commitment to academic excellence and meticulous attention to detail have significantly shaped this dissertation. I am equally thankful to the members of my thesis committee, Dr. John Doe and Dr. Emily White, for their constructive feedback and essential suggestions that enhanced the quality of my work.

My appreciation also goes to the faculty and staff in the Department of Biology at University College London, whose resources and assistance have been invaluable. I would also like to acknowledge my peers for their camaraderie and the stimulating discussions that inspired me throughout my academic journey. Their collective wisdom and encouragement have been a cornerstone of my research experience.

Finally, my sincere thanks to the technical staff whose expertise in managing laboratory equipment was crucial for my experiments. Their patience and readiness to assist at all times have left a profound impact on the completion of my project.

Example #2: Warm and Personal

This acknowledgement warmly credits the emotional and personal support received from family, friends and an approachable mentor during the research process.

This thesis is a reflection of the unwavering support and boundless love I received from my family and friends during this challenging academic pursuit. I owe an immense debt of gratitude to my parents, who nurtured my curiosity and supported my educational endeavours from the very beginning.

To my partner, Alex, your endless patience and understanding, especially during the most demanding phases of this research, have been my anchor. A heartfelt thank you to my supervisor, Dr. Mark Brown, whose mentorship extended beyond the academic realm into personal guidance, providing comfort and motivation during tough times.

I am also thankful for my friends, who provided both distractions when needed and encouragement when it seemed impossible to continue. The discussions and unwavering support from my peers at the university have enriched my research experience, making this journey not only possible but also enjoyable. Their presence and insights have been pivotal in navigating the complexities of my research topic.

Example #3: Inclusive of Challenges

This acknowledgement recognises the wide range of support received during unexpected personal and academic challenges, highlighting resilience and communal support.

The path to completing this dissertation has been fraught with both professional challenges and personal adversities. I am profoundly grateful for the enduring support of my supervisor, Dr. Lisa Green, whose steadfast belief in my capabilities and academic potential encouraged me to persevere even during my lowest moments. Her guidance was a beacon of light in times of doubt.

I must also express my deepest appreciation for my family, who stepped in not only with emotional reassurance, but also with critical financial support, when unexpected personal challenges arose. Their unconditional love and sacrifice have been the foundation of my resilience and success.

I am thankful, too, for the support services at the university, including the counselling centre, whose staff provided me with the tools to manage stress and maintain focus on my academic goals. Each of these individuals and institutions played a crucial role in my journey, reminding me that the pursuit of knowledge is not a solo expedition but a communal effort.

Example #4: Institution-Centric

This acknowledgement succinctly appreciates the financial, academic, and operational support provided by the university and its staff.

This dissertation would not have been possible without the generous financial support from the University of Edinburgh Scholarship Programme, which enabled me to focus fully on my research without financial burden. I am profoundly grateful to my advisor, Professor Richard Miles, for his sage advice, rigorous academic guidance, and the confidence he instilled in me. His expertise in the field of microbiology greatly enriched my work.

I would also like to thank the staff at the university library, whose assistance was indispensable. Their patience and willingness to help locate rare and essential resources facilitated a thorough and comprehensive literature review. Additionally, the administrative and technical staff, who often go unmentioned, provided necessary support that greatly enhanced my research experience. Their dedication and hard work create an environment conducive to academic success.

Lastly, my peers’ encouragement and the intellectual environment at the university have been vital in completing my research.

Example #5: Reflective and philosophical

This acknowledgement reflects on the philosophical growth and personal insights gained through the support of mentors, peers, and family, framing the dissertation as a journey of intellectual discovery.

Completing this thesis has been not only an academic challenge but also a profound journey of personal and philosophical growth.

I am immensely grateful to my mentor, Professor Sarah Johnson, for encouraging me to explore complex ideas and to challenge conventional wisdom. Her guidance helped me navigate the philosophical underpinnings of my research and deepened my analytical skills. My fellow students in the Philosophy Department provided a supportive and intellectually stimulating community. Our discussions extended beyond the classroom, offering new insights and perspectives that were crucial to my thesis.

I am also deeply thankful for my family, whose intellectual curiosity and spirited philosophical debates at home sparked my interest in philosophy from a young age. Their continuous support and belief in my academic pursuits have been instrumental in my success.

This dissertation reflects not only my work but also the collective support of everyone who has touched my life academically and personally. The journey has taught me the value of questioning and the importance of diverse perspectives in enriching our understanding of complex philosophical issues.

FREE Acknowledgements Template

To help fast-track your writing process, we’ve created a free, fully editable template . This template covers all the necessary content for a generic thesis or dissertation acknowledgements section. If you’re interested, you can download a copy here .

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How to write acknowledgements in a thesis or dissertation

Navigating the intricate process of writing a thesis or dissertation can be challenging.

One crucial, yet often overlooked part is the thesis acknowledgement. It is also the only bit of my thesis that anyone really reads.

This section allows you to express gratitude to those who contributed to your academic journey. From supervisors and professors to family and friends, the acknowledgement section provides a platform to thank all who played a part in your work.

Whether you’re unsure about how to begin or looking for the best ways to acknowledge your mentors, this blog will provide valuable insights and practical advice to help you create an impactful thesis acknowledgement.

What is your thesis acknowledgement?

A thesis acknowledgement is a section in your thesis where you express gratitude to those who helped and supported you during your research and writing process.

It typically comprises two parts: professional and personal acknowledgements.

• Professional acknowledgements include your supervisor, colleagues, other academics, funding bodies, or institutions that significantly contributed to your work.
• Personal acknowledgements encompass your family and friends who provided emotional support or helped with editing and proofreading.

The acknowledgements section is usually more informal than the rest of your thesis , and it’s acceptable to write in the first person. It’s typically placed at the beginning of your thesis, either before the abstract or the table of contents.

Although the length may vary, it usually doesn’t exceed one page. It’s crucial to plan ahead, listing everyone you wish to thank and consider their specific contribution to your work.

Who to thank in your acknowledgements

In your acknowledgements, you should first thank the members of academia who contributed to your research, including:

• funding bodies,
• supervisors,
• professors,
• proofreaders,
• and research participants.

Mention them using their full names and titles.

If an authoritative figure in your field provided feedback, their acknowledgement adds weight to your research.

Despite the circumstances, a brief thank you to your supervisor is necessary.

Personal acknowledgements can include friends, family members, or even pets who provided inspiration or support during the writing process. Always refer to your university’s guidelines on acknowledgements.

Creating an acknowledgement can be slightly subjective, as the order and individuals to be thanked can vary greatly depending on the circumstances of the work and the author’s preferences.

However, generally, this example follows a common structure:

The order can be customized based on the importance of the roles these individuals played in the author’s journey.

Some may prefer to thank family or significant others first, while others might start with professional relationships such as advisors or collaborators.

It’s also crucial to keep in mind that the way of expressing gratitude can differ significantly between cultures and individuals.

How Long Should My Acknowledgements Be?

The length of an acknowledgement section varies depending on the individual and the nature of the project.

Some people prefer to keep their acknowledgements brief and only thank those individuals who made significant contributions to their work.

Others may choose to include a more extensive list of people, such as mentors, colleagues, and friends, who provided support and encouragement throughout the process.

In general, it is recommended to keep your acknowledgements concise and focused on those who had a direct impact on the project

. Including a heartfelt thank you to these individuals is a meaningful way to show appreciation for their efforts.

However, it is important not to get carried away and turn the acknowledgement page into a long list of names. Remember that the focus should be on quality rather than quantity, as the acknowledgement section should not overshadow the main content of the project. 

Where Should My Acknowledgements Go?

The placement of your acknowledgements can vary, but it’s typically located in the first part of your thesis.

Mine is right after the abstract and before the introduction of my PhD thesis. 

You can place it right before your dissertation abstract or before the table of contents. However, the exact positioning may depend on the guidelines and requirements provided by your university.

Always ensure to check your university’s formatting requirements to be sure you’ve chosen the correct location for your acknowledgements section. 

Thesis acknowledgement examples

Here is my PhD thesis acknowledgement.

Here are some sentence starters that you can use for inspiration:

1. “This thesis acknowledgement is a tribute to all the people who made my academic journey worthwhile.” 2. “I would like to thank my supervisor, whose unwavering support has been instrumental in the completion of this thesis.” 3. “In this acknowledgement section, I extend my deepest gratitude to all who have walked with me on this challenging but fulfilling journey.” 4. “Firstly, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the academic staff who provided their invaluable expertise and guidance.” 5. “My thesis would not have been possible without the endless help and support from my colleagues.” 6. “Special thanks go to my family, whose constant encouragement fueled my perseverance during the completion of this dissertation.” 7. “In the professional acknowledgements, I would like to acknowledge the significant contributions made by my research participants.” 8. “I would also like to thank the funding bodies, whose financial support made this research possible.” 9. “Through this acknowledgment, I express my heartfelt gratitude to my friends who have been my pillars of strength.” 10. “The completion of this thesis or dissertation is the culmination of efforts from various individuals whom I would like to express my sincere appreciation.” 11. “This thesis acknowledgement section is an opportunity to give thanks to those who made this journey less daunting.” 12. “I would like to express my gratitude to my editor, whose meticulous proofreading greatly improved my thesis.” 13. “Without their dedication, this thesis would not have been possible.” 14. “I express my sincere gratitude to all those whose names appear in this acknowledgement for their invaluable input.” 15. “In this acknowledgement for my thesis, I extend my appreciation to all those who have been part of this journey.”

Top tips to write acknowledgements

• Plan Ahead : Make a list of the people you want to acknowledge and their specific contributions to your work.
• Follow University Guidelines : Check your university’s formatting and content guidelines to ensure your acknowledgements adhere to them.
• Use First Person : Unlike the rest of your thesis, the acknowledgements can be written in the first person.
• Keep it Brief : The acknowledgement section should generally not exceed one page. Be concise and precise in expressing your gratitude.
• Maintain Professional-Personal Order : Start with professional acknowledgements (e.g., supervisors, colleagues, funders) before moving on to personal ones (e.g., friends, family).
• Be Specific : Highlight the specific contributions each person or organization made to your thesis.
• Use Full Names and Titles : When acknowledging academic contributors, use their full names and appropriate titles.
• Use Informal Language : Acknowledgements can be written in a more informal style, but avoid colloquial language.
• Proofread : Ensure your acknowledgements are free of spelling and grammar errors.
• Be Genuine and Sincere : The acknowledgements section should sincerely reflect your gratitude to the people who helped you in your academic journey.

Wrapping up – writing your acknowledgements section

As we reach the conclusion of this informative journey into the art of writing acknowledgements for a thesis or dissertation, it’s clear that this often-overlooked section carries significant emotional and professional weight.

A dissertation acknowledgements page is more than just a list of names; it’s a chance to express genuine gratitude and give due credit to all who have contributed to your academic journey. 

Remember, writing this section of your thesis isn’t an obligatory chore but a genuine opportunity to thank those who supported you.

From the tireless members of your thesis committee to the friends and family who offered emotional support, it’s a platform to acknowledge all the people who helped.

From mentors who provided expert guidance, colleagues who offered invaluable insights, to the institutions that funded your research – everyone deserves a heartfelt note of thanks.

Sample acknowledgements in a thesis often include both professional acknowledgements first, followed by personal ones, ensuring that all contributors are recognized appropriately. Always remember to use full names and titles for professional acknowledgements, and express your gratitude sincerely.

The acknowledgement page isn’t a place for long tales, jokes or anecdotes; instead, keep your acknowledgements concise, specific, and heartfelt.

As shown in the thesis acknowledgement examples, you should reflect on the people and organizations that significantly contributed to your research or writing, whether in a substantial technical manner or through support and guidance throughout the process. 

Studentship that allowed you to pursue your research, faculty who guided your studies, even friends who provided distractions when they were most needed – all these contributors deserve your thanks. Remember, it’s okay to use their first names for those who’ve been part of your personal journey, but for professional acknowledgments, full names and titles are recommended. 

As a PhD student, your acknowledgements should reflect your journey – the struggles, the triumphs, and most importantly, the people who have helped you along the way. Whether you include a list of names in alphabetical order, or you decide to group people or organizations, remember to be genuine, concise, and respectful. 

Whether it’s a thesis dedication to a mentor, expressing gratitude to your parents, thanking your friends for their love and encouragement, or even including certain political aspects that influenced your research, the acknowledgments section is yours to personalize. 

Writing a thesis or dissertation is a monumental task, and the people who support you through it are worth acknowledging. Keep this guide in mind when you write your thesis acknowledgements, and don’t forget to thank those who’ve been there for you – for in the journey of research and writing, no one truly walks alone. 

The last sentence may be a heartfelt statement, “I would like to express my gratitude to all those who walked with me throughout my research journey – your support was my strength, and this achievement is as much yours as it is mine.”

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

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• Acknowledgements for PhD Thesis and Dissertations – Explained
• Doing a PhD

The Purpose of Acknowledgements

The acknowledgement section of a thesis or dissertation is where you recognise and thank those who supported you during your PhD. This can be but is not limited to individuals, institutions or organisations.

Although your acknowledgements will not be used to evaluate your work, it is still an important section of your thesis. This is because it can have a positive (or negative for that matter) influence the perception of your reader before they even reach the main body of your work.

Who Should I Acknowledge?

Acknowledgements for a PhD thesis will typically fall into one of two categories – professional or personal.

Within these categories, who you thank will ultimately be your decision. However, it’s imperative that you pay special attention to the ‘professional’ group. This is because not thanking someone who has played an important role in your studies, whether it be intentional or accidental, will more often than not be seen as a dismissal of their efforts. Not only would this be unfair if they genuinely helped you, but from a certain political aspect, it could also jeopardise any opportunities for future collaborations .

Professional Acknowledgements

This may include, but is not limited to:

• Funding bodies/sponsorship providers
• Supervisors
• Research group and lab assistants
• Research participants
• Proofreaders

Personal Acknowledgements

• Key family members and friends
• Individuals who inspired you or directly influenced your academic journey
• Anyone else who has provided personal support that you would like to mention

It should be noted that certain universities have policies which state only those who have directly supported your work, such as supervisors and professors, should be included in your acknowledgements. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you read your university guidelines before writing this section of your thesis.

How to Write Acknowledgements for PhD Thesis

When producing this section, your writing style can be more informal compared to the rest of your thesis. This includes writing in first person and using more emotive language. Although in most cases you will have complete freedom in how you write this section of your thesis, it is still highly advisable to keep it professional. As mentioned earlier, this is largely because it will be one of the first things your assessors will read, and so it will help set the tone for the rest of your work.

In terms of its structure, acknowledgements are expected to be ordered in a manner that first recognises the most formal support before moving onto the less formal support. In most cases, this follows the same order that we have outlined in the ‘Who Should I Thank’ section.

When thanking professionals, always write out their full name and provide their title. This is because although you may be on a first-name basis with them, those who read your thesis will not. By providing full names and titles, not only do you help ensure clarity, but it could also indirectly contribute to the credibility of your thesis should the individual you’re thanking be well known within your field.

If you intend to include a list of people from one institution or organisation, it is best to list their names in alphabetical order. The exception to this is when a particular individual has been of significant assistance; here, it would be advisable to list them.

How Long Should My Acknowledgements Be?

Acknowledgements vary considerably in length. Some are a single paragraph whilst some continue for up to three pages. The length of your acknowledgement page will mostly depend on the number of individuals you want to recognise.

As a general rule, try to keep your acknowledgements section to a single page. Although there are no word limits, creating a lengthy acknowledgements section dilutes the gratitude you’re trying to express, especially to those who have supported you the most.

Where Should My Acknowledgements Go?

In the vast majority of cases, your acknowledgements should appear directly after your abstract and before your table of contents.

However, we highly advise you to check your university guidelines as a few universities set out their own specific order which they will expect you to follow.

Phrases to Help You Get Started

We appreciate how difficult it can be to truly show how grateful you are to those who have supported you over the years, especially in words.

To help you get started, we’ve provided you with a few examples of sentences that you can complete or draw ideas from.

• I am deeply grateful to XXX…
• I would like to express my sincere gratitude to XXX…
• I would like to offer my special thanks to XXX…
• I would like to extend my sincere thanks to XXX…
• …for their assistance at every stage of the research project.
• …for their insightful comments and suggestions.
• …for their contribution to XXX.
• …for their unwavering support and belief in me.

Thesis Acknowledgement Examples

Below are three PhD thesis acknowledgment samples from which you can draw inspiration. It should be noted that the following have been extracted from theses which are freely available in the public domain. Irrespective of this, references to any individual, department or university have been removed for the sake of privacy.

First and foremost I am extremely grateful to my supervisors, Prof. XXX and Dr. XXX for their invaluable advice, continuous support, and patience during my PhD study. Their immense knowledge and plentiful experience have encouraged me in all the time of my academic research and daily life. I would also like to thank Dr. XXX and Dr. XXX for their technical support on my study. I would like to thank all the members in the XXX. It is their kind help and support that have made my study and life in the UK a wonderful time. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my parents, my wife and my children. Without their tremendous understanding and encouragement in the past few years, it would be impossible for me to complete my study.

I would like to thank my supervisors Dr. XXX and Dr. XXX for all their help and advice with this PhD. I would also like to thank my sisters, whom without this would have not been possible. I also appreciate all the support I received from the rest of my family. Lastly, I would like to thank the XXX for the studentship that allowed me to conduct this thesis.

I would like to thank my esteemed supervisor – Dr. XXX for his invaluable supervision, support and tutelage during the course of my PhD degree. My gratitude extends to the Faculty of XXX for the funding opportunity to undertake my studies at the Department of XXX, University of XXX. Additionally, I would like to express gratitude to Dr. XXX for her treasured support which was really influential in shaping my experiment methods and critiquing my results. I also thank Dr. XXX, Dr. XXX, Dr. XXX for their mentorship. I would like to thank my friends, lab mates, colleagues and research team – XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX for a cherished time spent together in the lab, and in social settings. My appreciation also goes out to my family and friends for their encouragement and support all through my studies.

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How to Write Acknowledgements

Last Updated: September 12, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 755,943 times.

Any time you publish work or are recognized publicly, it's good form to thank the people who've helped you along the way with an acknowledgment. It can be a tricky piece of writing, though. What tone to use? How formal should your thanks be? Who should you thank? Whether it be academic acknowledgments, public thanks, or other reasons for thanking people, wikiHow can help you offer your gratitude in style. See Step 1 for more information.

Academic Acknowledgment and Thank You Speech Templates

Writing Academic Acknowledgements

• The acknowledgment page can either be a list or a more fluid paragraph. It would be fine to write, "I would like to thank Professor Henderson, Dr. Matthews, etc." until you've worked your way through the list.
• It would also be perfectly acceptable to address each person individually and more personally: "I would like to thank Professor Henderson for her expert advice and encouragement throughout this difficult project, as well as Dr. Matthews for his brilliance in the lab." [2] X Research source
• Some people feel uncomfortable emphasizing certain people's help over other people's help, in which case the list form in alphabetical order is a perfectly acceptable method of writing an Acknowledgment.

• In general, it's helpful to think in groups, even going to far as to format all the thank-yous of a particular group in a single sentence: "I would like to thank Dr. Stevens, Dr. Smith, and Professors Clemons for their extraordinary support in this thesis process."
• If you worked with a small committee, it's customary and thoughtful to thank each person for the specific things they contributed to your work.

• If your scholarship at the University was supported by any fellowships or scholarships, it would also be appropriate to name them in this section: "This project would have been impossible without the support of the Katherine G. Katherine Foundation, the Reese's Peanut Butter scholarship, and the Guggenheim Group."

• Remember that your friendships and romances may change over the years, so it might be best to keep particularly mushy romances and declarations of love out of your acknowledgment page, so you won't have to see it later if it doesn't work out.
• It's generally best to avoid overtly personal anecdotes and inside jokes in an academic acknowledgements page. If you want to reference other students' constant joking around in the lab, say, it would be better to say, "Thanks to Joe and Katherine for their friendship in the lab" than "Thanks to Joe and Katherine for dunking my slides in Jell-O when I was hungover." [6] X Research source

Writing a Thank-You Speech

• Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame induction speech was widely criticized for being tone deaf and spiteful, talking down to many former opponents and somewhat tarnishing his great legacy. Don't fall in the same trap.

Writing Other Acknowledgements

• Like an academic publication, it's also important to remember to address any financial support you received during the publication of your book. If you received any artist residencies, grants, or fellowships while working on your book, you need to list them in the acknowledgments.
• Use your writing skills to approach the acknowledgment creatively. Authors like Lemony Snicket, Neil Gaiman, J.D. Salinger, and others have used the form for witty and usually-self deprecating anecdotes about the friends and cohorts they choose to thank.

• Friends and family
• Other bands who helped you along the way, lending gear or instruments
• Recording engineers and label folk
• Musical inspirations

• In the letter, explain your desire to thank them and explain the publication or event at which you'd like to thank them. Express your gratitude for their assistance and encourage them to get in touch to approve your acknowledgment. More often than not, they'll be flattered.

Expert Q&A

• Look at samples. Evaluating someone else's existing acknowledgements can help, especially if you are writing a specific kind of acknowledgement such as a thesis acknowledgement or other academic item. Thanks Helpful 46 Not Helpful 8

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• ↑ https://esl.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/LI/li-how_to_write_acknowledgements_in_a_dissertation.pdf
• ↑ https://www.awelu.lu.se/referencing/writing-acknowledgements/
• ↑ https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/funding-acknowledgements
• ↑ https://www.ref-n-write.com/blog/research-paper-example-writing-acknowledgements-appendix-sections-academic-phrasebank-vocabulary/
• ↑ https://gradschool.unc.edu/academics/thesis-diss/guide/ordercomponents.html#dedication
• ↑ http://www.katemessner.com/think-before-you-thank-writers-acknowledgments/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/proofreading/index.html

About This Article

If you’ve published an academic work and you want to write acknowledgments, dedicate one page at the end of the document to thanking your supporters. You can write out your acknowledgments as a heartfelt paragraph thanking each person individually, or you can write a list in order of those who helped you the most, or even an alphabetical list if you’re uncomfortable emphasizing certain people over others. Include teachers, anyone who contributed to the project, personal supporters, and organizations or foundations which provided you with financial aid. For tips on writing acknowledgments for a literary work, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Best Acknowledgement for Dissertation (10 Samples and Guide)

January 15, 2024

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By Mohsin Khurshid

Embark on a journey through the art of crafting heartfelt acknowledgments for your dissertation. Explore examples and a comprehensive guide on acknowledging those who made your project possible. Uncover the best practices in expressing gratitude, from family to mentors.

Table of Contents

• 1.1 Acknowledgement for Dissertation
• 1.2 Dissertation Acknowledgement Sample
• 1.3 Acknowledgement for Dissertation Paper
• 1.4 Acknowledgement Sample for Dissertation
• 1.5 Acknowledgement in Dissertation to Family
• 1.6 Acknowledgement for Masters Dissertation
• 1.7 Undergraduate Dissertation Acknowledgements
• 1.8 Dissertation Acknowledgements Funny
• 1.9 Example of Dissertation Acknowledgement to God
• 1.10 Sample Acknowledgement for Dissertation File
• 2 How to Write Acknowledgement for Dissertation:
• 3 Conclusion

Ten Best Samples of Acknowledgement for Dissertation Project

Discover diverse examples showcasing gratitude in dissertation acknowledgments. Explore samples ranging from traditional expressions to unique acknowledgments for family, masters, and even humorous takes. Find inspiration for your own heartfelt acknowledgment.

Acknowledgement for Dissertation

I express my deep appreciation to my advisor for their unwavering guidance in shaping this dissertation. Their expertise and encouragement were vital throughout the research journey. Gratitude extends to my family, whose unwavering support made this academic endeavor possible.

I also acknowledge the contributions of colleagues and friends, creating a collaborative atmosphere that enriched my work. This acknowledgment is a heartfelt tribute to those who played a pivotal role in the success of this dissertation.

Dissertation Acknowledgement Sample

My sincere gratitude goes to all who contributed to this dissertation. Special thanks to my advisor, whose mentorship was invaluable. The support from family, friends, and colleagues created an uplifting environment. This acknowledgment is a token of appreciation to those who stood by me.

Each contributor, whether big or small, has left an indelible mark on this academic journey, and for that, I am truly thankful.

Acknowledgement for Dissertation Paper

In expressing gratitude for this dissertation, my heartfelt thanks go to my advisor for their continuous support and guidance. The collaborative efforts of colleagues and friends added depth to the research. Special acknowledgment is due to family, whose unwavering support sustained me.

This dissertation acknowledgment is a tribute to the combined efforts that made this academic endeavor possible.

Acknowledgement Sample for Dissertation

This acknowledgment is a sincere expression of gratitude to my advisor, mentors, and peers who contributed significantly to the completion of this dissertation. Their unwavering support, valuable insights, and encouragement have been pivotal in shaping the project.

I extend special thanks to [Advisor’s Name] for their guidance and patience, which made this journey a rewarding experience. This acknowledgment is a token of appreciation for the collaborative effort that made this dissertation possible.

Acknowledgement in Dissertation to Family

In the completion of this dissertation, my family has been a pillar of support and encouragement. Their unwavering belief in my capabilities and understanding during challenging times were instrumental. This acknowledgment extends heartfelt thanks to [Family Members’ Names] for their constant encouragement and unwavering support. Their role in this academic endeavor goes beyond words, and I am deeply grateful for their presence throughout this journey.

Acknowledgement for Masters Dissertation

Completing this master’s dissertation wouldn’t have been possible without the support and guidance of [Advisor’s Name]. Their mentorship and expertise played a crucial role in shaping this academic work.

I also extend my thanks to [Mention Other Contributors] for their contributions. This acknowledgment is a reflection of the collaborative effort that went into the successful completion of this master’s dissertation.

Undergraduate Dissertation Acknowledgements

Completing my undergraduate dissertation was a journey marked by invaluable support from various corners. I express my deep gratitude to my advisor for their guidance and patience throughout the process. Thanks are also due to [Mention Other Contributors], whose insights enriched my research.

The support from friends and family played a crucial role in navigating the challenges. This acknowledgment is a tribute to the collective effort that made my undergraduate dissertation a reality.

Dissertation Acknowledgements Funny

Embarking on the serious task of dissertation writing, a touch of humor lightens the load. Special thanks to my caffeine companion, coffee, for being a constant ally during those late-night writing sessions. Gratitude to my computer for not crashing during critical moments.

Humorous acknowledgment goes to [Include Something Funny], who brought laughter to the stressful times. This funny dissertation acknowledgment is a lighthearted nod to the quirks and challenges that made the academic journey memorable.

Example of Dissertation Acknowledgement to God

In completing this dissertation, I humbly acknowledge the divine guidance of God. My gratitude extends to the Almighty for providing strength, wisdom, and inspiration throughout this academic journey.

The acknowledgment to God is a heartfelt expression of faith, recognizing the unseen hand that guided me in moments of doubt and challenge. This dissertation stands as a testament to the divine support that made the impossible possible.

Sample Acknowledgement for Dissertation File

As I present this dissertation file, I express my sincere appreciation to all who contributed to its creation. Special thanks to my advisor and mentors for their guidance. This acknowledgment extends to family, friends, and colleagues whose support shaped this document. The acknowledgment for the dissertation file is a recognition of the collaborative effort that turned ideas into written words.

It’s a token of gratitude to those who played a role, big or small, in bringing this document to completion.

How to Write Acknowledgement for Dissertation:

Crafting an effective dissertation acknowledgment involves thoughtful consideration of those who contributed to your academic journey. Begin with a genuine expression of gratitude to those who played significant roles:

1. Primary Advisor:

Start with your primary advisor. Acknowledge their guidance, support, and mentorship.

2. Thesis Committee:

Extend gratitude to other committee members . Recognize their valuable insights and contributions.

3. Academic Mentors:

Acknowledge mentors, professors, or colleagues who provided guidance and support.

4. Fellow Students:

Include fellow students for their camaraderie and shared academic experiences.

5. Family and Friends:

Express appreciation for the unwavering support of family and friends. Acknowledge their understanding and encouragement.

6. Institutions or Funding Sources:

If applicable, acknowledge any institutions, organizations, or funding sources that supported your research.

7. Colleagues or Collaborators:

Recognize any collaborators or colleagues who contributed to the project.

8. Professional Contacts:

If relevant, include professionals in the field who provided assistance or insights.

When structuring your acknowledgment, consider starting with the most influential contributors, such as your primary advisor and committee members. Progress to those who played supporting roles, ensuring that each acknowledgment is sincere and specific. Use warm and appreciative language, keeping the acknowledgment concise and focused on those directly related to the dissertation.

In crafting your dissertation acknowledgments, draw inspiration from these examples. Express gratitude thoughtfully to create a meaningful acknowledgment section that reflects the collaborative spirit of your academic journey.

Acknowledgement for PhD Thesis (5 Samples and Guide)

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3 inspiring master’s thesis acknowledgement examples

Writing a thesis acknowledgment is a meaningful milestone, marking the completion of a master’s thesis and the end of a master’s education. Questions about its length, tone, and acceptability commonly arise for many students. To provide inspiration, here are three concise master’s thesis acknowledgment examples for you to consider as you compose your own.

What to consider when writing a master’s thesis acknowledgement

While there are usually no fixed rules on how to write it, remember that the acknowledgment is one of the first things that the reader (including potential assessors!) will see, as it is usually placed before the thesis introduction . Thus, you want to make a good impression. While making an acknowledgment personal, keep it somewhat formal.

If you want more information, check out this post on general tips that I wrote on how to create a distinct and meaningful acknowledgment section that reflects your gratitude and appreciation.

Master’s thesis acknowledgement example 1: formal and polite

Crafting a brief, formal, and polite thesis acknowledgement is a universal practice, ensuring that you convey appreciation without overstepping personal boundaries.

Master’s thesis acknowledgement example 2: emotional and personal

Master’s thesis acknowledgement example 3: humorous and grateful

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How to Write Acknowledgements for a Thesis

Last Updated: January 19, 2023

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 19,466 times.

The acknowledgements section of your thesis provides you with an opportunity to thank anyone who supported you during the research and writing process. Before writing your acknowledgements, it's helpful to first choose who exactly you want to include. Then, you can construct your acknowledgements using the right tone and language to properly thank those who contributed to and supported your work in both academic and personal ways.

Choosing Who to Thank

• If you choose not to include funders or advisors in your acknowledgements, you could risk insulting them. This could prevent them from working with you in the future, and could even lead them to refuse to write you any letters of recommendation.
• In many cases, you'll have 1 academic advisor who is the chair of your thesis review committee, and then 2 or 3 additional faculty members who serve as secondary co-advisors. If this is the case, make sure that you include your secondary co-advisors in addition to your chair.

• This could be other faculty members, fellow students, research assistants, archivists, librarians, or other institutional personnel who assisted in the research and writing process in any way.
• Professional contributors could include people who read and reviewed your work, helped facilitate research, or talked through challenging concepts and ideas with you throughout the thesis-writing process.

• For example, while you may be close with and enjoy seeing a particular cousin or childhood friend, if they weren't actively supporting you during this time, you likely won't have space to include them in your acknowledgements.

• If a well-known academic in your field was particularly inspirational but did not read your work, you can also mention them in your acknowledgements if you have space to do so.

• If your faith is particularly important to you, you could also consider dedicating your thesis to the higher power you believe in. This could be done within the acknowledgments, or on a separate dedication page depending on your institution's formatting preferences.

• If someone was a great influence in your life but didn't contribute to your thesis directly, you could consider writing them a personal letter or email instead of including them in your acknowledgements.

Constructing Your Acknowledgements

• While there's no set rule about acknowledgement order, in general, funders are thanked first for their financial support, then academic supervisors, followed by other academics and professionals, as well as colleagues and classmates.

• If you're afraid that your personal supporters might be offended by being acknowledged last, you could explain to them that this is a professional courtesy.

• Since your academic advisor was likely a big part of your research and writing process, you'll likely want to expand on how they helped you. For example, you could write, “I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Timothy Kelly, for his guidance and prompt feedback throughout this process.”

• In contrast, you can include only first names for your personal acknowledgements if you choose.

Using the Right Tone and Language

• If you focus on your own accomplishments too much, you could risk coming off as a bit smug. Instead, let the quality of your work speak for itself and use the acknowledgements to focus on others.

• This is particularly important to keep in mind when you thank your academic peers or faculty members that you've developed a personal relationship with, as it can be tempting to write too casually in these instances. [16] X Research source
• For example, to thank your advisor, you could write, “I could not have completed this work without the unwavering support of my chair, Dr. Sherre McWhorter. Dr. McWhorter, your patience and guidance made this work possible.”

• If your parents provided substantial support for you during this process, thank them in a personal manner by saying something like, “It is impossible to extend enough thanks to my family, especially my parents, who gave me the encouragement I needed throughout this process.”
• Instead of naming each of your friends individually, you could try thanking them collectively in a more casual manner. For example, you could write, “To my friends, this would have been a much more difficult feat without you. Thank you all for your unwavering support and for reminding me to take breaks and have fun when I’ve been stressed out.”

• If you want to thank someone for their support in a more emotional, personal manner, try thanking them in person or with a handwritten letter.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/acknowledgements/
• ↑ https://www.phdstudent.com/Writing-Tips/writing-acknowledgements-your-personal-gratitude
• ↑ Jeremiah Kaplan. Research & Training Specialist. Expert Interview. 2 September 2021.
• ↑ https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/FYP/html/ack.htm

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15+ Samples of Acknowledgement for Thesis and Dissertation

Here, in this blog post, you can find some of the samples of acknoweldgement for thesis written by students all over the world on different topics. These acknowledgement examples are to inspire you and to show how the thesis is written.

Acknowledgement Examples for School/College Projects

Most popular Acknowledgement For School/College Projects [7 Examples] Acknowledgement for English Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Project Class 11 and 12 Acknowledgement for Project of Class 8, 9 and 10 By subjects Acknowledgement for Accounting Project [3 Examples] Acknowledgement for Business Studies Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Chemistry Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Computer Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Economics Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for English Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Geography Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for History Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Maths Project for Students [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Physics Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Social Science Project [5 Examples] Others Acknowledgement for Group Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Graduation Project [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Disaster Management Project [3 Examples] Acknowledgement for Yoga Project [3 Samples]

You can get some idea of how you can write your own acknowledgement with these samples. All of these are samples are one of the best acknowledgement for thesis for masters and PHDs .

For Acknowledgement for your school/college project you can check out out other posts.

All of these samples of acknowledgement is taken from publicly available documents. Some of these samples are from award winning thesis writings. Here are some beautiful thesis acknowledgement from different writers.

Saying thank you with style

How to write an acknowledgement: the complete guide for students, thesis acknowledgement – sample 1.

This sample of acknowledgement is presented by University of Illinois Graduate College. You can check the full thesis sample here.

Acknowledgement For Thesis – Sample 2

This short acknowledgement is written by Christopher Sipola from University of Edinburgh for his thesis. You can check the full thesis sample here.

University: University of Edinburgh Author: Christopher Sipola Full Thesis Sample: https://project-archive.inf.ed.ac.uk/msc/20172438/msc_proj.pdf

Example of Acknowledgement For Thesis – Sample 3

This short acknowledgement is written by Matthew Brillinger from University of Ottawa for his thesis. You can check the full thesis sample here.

University:   University of Ottawa Author: Matthew Brillinger Full Thesis Sample: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/35312/1/Brillinger_Matthew_2016_Thesis.pdf

Acknowledgement Sample For Thesis – Sample 4

University:   Columbia University Author: Julien Saint Reiman Full Thesis Sample: https://history.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/06/Reiman-Julien-Thesis.pdf

Acknowledgement Example For Thesis – Sample 5

University:   University of Ottawa Author: Heather Martin Full Thesis Sample: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/32518/3/Martin_Heather_2015_thesis.pdf

Thesis Acknowledgement Example – Sample 6

University: University of Ottawa Author: Guillaume Thekkadath Full Thesis Sample: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/36669/3/Thekkadath_Guillaume_2017_thesis.pdf

Thesis Acknowledgement – Sample 7

Example of thesis acknowledgement – sample 8.

University: Sample Thesis Author: Full Thesis Sample: https://www.cs.siu.edu/files/thesis.pdf

Acknowledgement for Thesis – Sample 9

Sample acknowledgement for thesis – sample 10.

University: The University of Toledo Author: Sample Thesis Full Thesis Sample: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=toledo1333741245&disposition=attachment

Sample Acknowledgement for Thesis – Sample 11

University: IOWA STATE University Author: Varsha Ravichandra Mouli Full Thesis Sample: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cs_etd/

Acknowledgement for Thesis – Sample 12

Acknowledgement samples for thesis – sample 13, acknowledgement for thesis – sample 14.

University: Nottingham University Author: Jean D. M. Underwood. Full Thesis Sample: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11711/1/325961.pdf

Acknowledgement Samples – Sample 15

Acknowledgement samples for thesis – sample 16, thesis acknowledgement samples – sample 17.

University: Brunel Business School Brunel University Author: Kinana Ahmad Jammoul Full Thesis Sample: http://107.170.122.150:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/95/Shristi%20Karmacharya%20Thesis%209881.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

You can take inspiration from these acknowledgement samples to write your own acknowledgement for your project. All these acknowledgement samples are taken from publicly available documents and you can use these as a sample to take inspiration for your project acknowledgement.

More on thesis statements

Jump into these quick guides to write a strong thesis statement in no time. We have included tons of good (and bad) examples to show you how to do it right. A simple formula is included in each article to help you create your strong thesis statement with suggested wordings.

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6 thoughts on “15+ Samples of Acknowledgement for Thesis and Dissertation”

A profpund geatitude for your sample research acknowledfement! It is of great help in the success of my thesis study. God bless!

20 Best Acknowledgement Samples and Templates

Most published works include an Acknowledgement page that thanks to the people who helped the author put the book, thesis, or presentation together. Similarly, it is vital to acknowledge such people when something you write is published or recognized publicly. Doing this will go a long way in showing them that their contribution – whether professional, emotional or personal – did not go unnoticed.

That said, writing an acknowledgment is not always an easy task. You have to use the write format and tone and pick whom among your long list of supporters to mention. This article looks at everything that goes into this key part of any published work.

What Is Acknowledgement?

Acknowledgments are a crucial element of any published piece of work, be it professional, fictional, non-fictional, or academic. The acknowledgment section is dedicated to thanking the people that helped the author put together the writing. For example, in a thesis, the acknowledgment page will recognize the efforts of lecturers, lab assistants, and librarians that helped the writer research their findings.

Usually, the acknowledgment is one to two pages long and placed at the beginning of the published work, following the contents page. It is concise, to the point, and can take several formats. It can also mention one person or team or multiple parties.

Acknowledgement Samples and Templates

Who Should Be in the Acknowledgment?

A lot of work goes into creating published work, especially a thesis, and there are so many people you could thank in the acknowledgments. There is also no hard and fast rule about who should or shouldn’t be included. As such, you could mention family members, friends, employers, professors, librarians, lab assistants, and volunteers who made your research possible. That said, here are the parties most commonly mentioned in acknowledgments:

• Mentors – These are the people that have inspired, supported, and molded you into the person you are today. You can mention their contribution in your acknowledgment.
• Sources – Thank your sources or everyone who did research work or provided you with crucial information for your thesis.
• Graphic Designers – If the front cover of your work includes attractive artwork designed to draw in readers, you should thank your book cover or graphic designer.
• Illustrators – Some books or published works include in-page illustrations that express their content. If yours does, mention your illustrators in the acknowledgment.
• Editors – Thank your editors. These are the people that read through your work and correct any errors – grammatical, spelling, format, etc. – that you might have made.
• Publishers – Many authors also thank the people that published their books.
• Family Members – Mention friends, siblings, parents, children, or spouses that supported you during your research and writing period.

How to Write Acknowledgements

Because the Acknowledgment page is not part of your research or primary content, it can be challenging to weave it into the rest of the book. This usually means that you have to be very particular about your tone, format, content, and delivery. The following step-by-step guide will help you:

Step 1: Choose Your Tone

Book authors have more flexibility when it comes to the tone of their acknowledgments. The acknowledgment in a thesis – however – should be brief, professional, and relatively informal compared to the rest of the document. It should also be specific to the parties that helped you.

Step 2: Select a Format

Depending on your writing preferences, you can format your acknowledgment as an alphabetical list or paragraph. The latter is more personal because it goes into details about the person’s contribution, while the latter is more general. It works well for authors who would prefer not to emphasize the support of some people over others.

Step 3: Mention the Important Names

The key people to acknowledge for support on your thesis are your advisors and professors. You can also thank the academics that supervised your project and the thesis committee. If the committee was small, consider thanking them individually for their contribution.

Step 4: Thank Other Assistants

Don’t forget to mention librarians, lab assistants, junior professors, or even classmates that played a role in your project. You don’t have to go into detail about what they did; you can just mention them by name and thank them for their contribution.

Step 5: Mention Any Financial Aid You Received

If your project was funded by a research group, scholarship, or foundation, it is customary to thank them. You can mention them by name or contact data.

Step 6: Thank Friends and Family

Finally, close your acknowledgment by thanking your parents, siblings, friends, partners, or other close acquaintances that supported you during the research process. Try not to go into detail about or make any declarations on current romances or friendships, as these tend to change with time, and it could be a hassle to edit your acknowledgment page.

Tips for Writing Acknowledgements

Many acknowledgments are written on paper, while others are delivered as speeches. If you decide to go with the latter option, here are some tips you should consider:

• Keep your speech short – It is highly likely that the audience won’t be entirely made up of people in your acknowledgment list, so they probably won’t want to listen to you drone on for pure. Cut your list to the most important names.
• Be sincere in your delivery – Avoid using humor in a bid to capture the audience’s attention, as you never know when things could go wrong. Someone could take a joke personally. Instead, be sincere about your gratitude. The audience will respond to that.
• Mention present parties – Try to mention the people on your list who made it to the event where you will be giving your speech. This will make the acknowledgment more special.
• Use anecdotes to emphasize points, especially when describing how someone supported you.

Even if you are an expert in your field, it is unlikely that you will work alone on a thesis or research work. If you had help during the research, writing, editing, or publishing phases of your paper or book – and you likely did – it is important to appreciate the people who helped you through a well-written Acknowledgement. You can use this one to two-page piece to thank your professors, colleagues, research assistants, editors, publishers, friends, and family for their support.

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What to include in your Acknowledgments section

By charlesworth author services.

• Charlesworth Author Services
• 02 June, 2018
• Academic Writing Skills

Most academic papers have many people who have helped in some way in the preparation of the written version or the research itself. This could be someone from a sponsoring institution, a funding body, other researchers, or even family, friends or colleagues who have helped in the preparation. These people need to be mentioned in the Acknowledgments section of the paper.

Acknowledgments section in different academic documents

The Acknowledgments section is present in both a paper and an academic thesis . For papers, the Acknowledgments section is usually presented at the back, whereas in a thesis, this section is located towards the front of the manuscript and is commonly placed somewhere between the abstract and Introduction . However, the exact location varies between each university , as each establishment possesses its own style guide for theses and student submissions. So, it is always worthwhile consulting your university’s academic style guide before writing a manuscript for undergraduate/postgraduate submission.

Acknowledgments section in theses

For academic theses, there is no right or wrong way to acknowledge people, and who you want to acknowledge is down to personal preference. However, the common types of people authors acknowledge in their academic theses include:

• Supervisor’s contributions
• Research group (especially if the thesis in question is a master’s and the work is helped along by a PhD student)
• Support staff (laboratory technicians, etc.)
• Any students who undertook side projects with them (e.g. final year undergraduates, summer students, master’s students)
• Administrative staff (there can be a lot of bureaucracy for thesis submissions)
• Referees that got them onto the course (postgraduate only)
• Funding bodies
• Any collaboration with industry and the people they worked with at said establishment(s)

Acknowledgments section in journal papers

Now, whilst university manuscripts can include any combination of the above (including all and none in some cases), academic publications in journals more commonly acknowledge the same kind of people/organizations, but again it is up to the author(s) what they feel should be acknowledged; not every piece of help needs to be acknowledged, just the most useful/prevalent help. Also, acknowledgments should be written in the first person .

Examples of whom and what should be acknowledged in a journal publication are listed below:

• Direct technical help (e.g. supply of animal subjects, cells, equipment setup, methods , statistics/data manipulation, samples, chemicals/reagents, analytical/spectroscopy techniques)
• Indirect assistance (topical and intellectual discussions about the research which can lead to generation of new ideas)
• Affiliated institutions
• Grant numbers
• Who received the funding (if not the author, e.g. a supervisor)
• Any associated fellowships

Whom to acknowledge - and whom not to acknowledge

• Other authors/contributors : It is not common practice for the lead paper writer (i.e. the person writing and publishing the manuscript) to acknowledge the other authors/direct contributors to the paper. Only those who are not recognized as authors may be thanked and acknowledged.
• Reviewers : Authors are also not allowed to thank reviewers personally, or those who inspire them but cannot directly receive their appreciation – although reviewers can be thanked if they are kept anonymous .
• Friends and family : Unlike university manuscripts, journal manuscripts should not include help and guidance from family and friends.

Other acknowledgments

• Titles and institutions : Titles such as Mr, Mrs, Miss, etc. are not commonly included, but honorary titles such as Dr, Professor, etc. are. The institutions of the acknowledged people are usually mentioned.

For example, the following would not be acceptable:

We dedicate this work to the deceased Prof. Bloggs.

However, the following would be acceptable:

We acknowledge Prof. Bloggs for discovering the secret of anonymity.

Additional pointers for writing the Acknowledgments section

• The  tone  of the section should be in an active voice.
• Do not use pronouns indicating possession (i.e. his, her, their, etc.).
• Terms associated with specific companies should be written out in full, e.g. Limited, Corporation, etc.
• If the results have been published elsewhere, then this should also be acknowledged.
• Any abbreviations should be expanded unless the abbreviation appears in the main body of the text.

Below are examples of the Acknowledgments sections taken from a couple of papers from Nature Communications :

Duan L., Hope J., Ong Q., Lou H-Y., Kim N., McCarthy C., Acero V., Lin M., Cui B., Understanding CRY2 interactions for optical control of intracellular signalling, Nature Communications, 2017,  8:547

Xu Q., Jensen K., Boltyanskiy R., Safarti R., Style R., Dufresne E., Direct measurement of strain-dependent solid surface stress, Nature Communications, 2017,  8:555

Many people think that the Acknowledgments section of a manuscript is a trivial and unimportant component. However, it constitutes a vital means to ensure that all affiliated support for the paper can be duly and transparently mentioned. By acknowledging people for their efforts and contributions, you demonstrate your integrity as an academic researcher. In addition, crediting other people for their help can also increase their presence in the academic world and possibly help to boost their career as well as your own.

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Acknowledgement Letter

Get All Types Of Acknowledgement Samples.

Acknowledgement For Project

Post by Ruben Patel Leave a Comment

Completing a project is a rewarding experience, but it’s never done without the help and support of others. That’s why it’s important to include an acknowledgement section in your project report. This is a chance to express your gratitude to everyone who helped you along the way, whether it was a teacher, mentor, colleague, friend, or family member, there’s always someone who goes above and beyond to help us achieve our goals. Acknowledgements are typically included in project reports, research papers, and other formal documents.

Writing an effective acknowledgement is not difficult, but it does require some thought and care. When writing an acknowledgement, it is important to be specific and to thank people by name. It is also important to be sincere and to express your gratitude in a meaningful way.

If you’re not sure who to thank, or what to say, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. In this blog post, I’ll share 100+ Samples of acknowledgements for projects , so you can find the perfect inspiration for your own. Whether you are writing an acknowledgement for a college project, a research project, a group project, or a professional project , these examples will help you get started.

Table of Contents

Why is it important to acknowledge people who have helped you with your project?

Acknowledging people who helped you with your project is a gracious and essential way to show your appreciation for their contributions and to build strong relationships. It shows that you value their time, effort, and expertise and that you recognize that your success is not solely your own.

When you acknowledge someone for their help, you are also sending a message to others that you are a team player and that you are supportive of others’ success. This can create a more positive and productive work environment for everyone involved. It also gives credit where credit is due, and it is an opportunity to build relationships and showcase your professionalism.

Here are some tips for acknowledging people who helped you with your project:

• Be specific. Mention the specific things that each person did to help you, and how their contributions made a difference.
• Be sincere. Let people know that you are truly grateful for their help.
• Be timely. Acknowledge people as soon as possible after you have completed your project.
• Be creative. There are many ways to acknowledge people, such as writing a thank-you note, giving them a small gift, or simply saying thank you in person. Choose a way that is meaningful to the person and the situation.

By acknowledging the people who helped you with your project, you are showing your appreciation for their contributions and building stronger relationships. You are also sending a message that you are a team player and that you value the success of others.

How to write an effective acknowledgement for a project

An acknowledgement is a way to recognize and appreciate the contributions of others to your project. It is a chance to say thank you to those who have helped you in any way, big or small.

A well-written acknowledgement can show your gratitude, build relationships, and reflect well on you and your work. When crafting your acknowledgment, be specific, mentioning names and detailing their impact.

To write an effective acknowledgement, start by identifying the specific things that each person or group of people did to help you. Then, write a brief statement expressing your gratitude for their contributions. Keep your acknowledgement to the point, and avoid including unnecessary details. Be sure to include the person’s name or title, and avoid using generic language.

Some tips for writing a good acknowledgement –

• Use Names and Roles: Say thanks by mentioning people’s names and what they did. It’s like giving each person a special shout-out for their unique contribution.
• Be Honest and Real: Don’t use fancy words. Just say what you really feel. People can tell if you’re being genuine.
• Keep it Proper: Use proper grammar and spelling, and avoid using slang or informal language.
• Thank Everyone: Don’t forget anyone! Say thanks to the main helpers and even those who worked behind the scenes. Everyone deserves a shout-out!

Samples of Acknowledgement For a Project

Sample 1 – acknowledgement for project (general).

I want to express my gratitude to my teacher, _____ [Teacher’s Name], for their encouragement, insightful suggestions, and mentorship. I’d also like to extend my thanks to my principal, _______ [Principal Name], for granting me this wonderful opportunity to be part of this project.

Also, I would like to express my appreciation to all those who have supported and contributed to the completion of this project. Your assistance, guidance, and encouragement have been invaluable. Thank you for being a part of this project.

Lastly, I want to thank my family & friends for their understanding and support during this project.

Sample 2 – Acknowledgement Sample For School Project

I would like to acknowledge my advisor, Dr. Ranjan, for his guidance and support throughout the project. His insights and feedback were invaluable in helping me to develop my research questions and methodology. I would also like to thank my collaborators, Shyam Roy and Sumit Sen, for their contributions to the data collection and analysis. Their expertise and hard work were essential in completing the project on time. Finally, I would like to thank my research assistant, Sima Gupta, for her help with the literature review and bibliography. Her attention to detail and organizational skills were essential in helping me to keep track of my research.

Sample 3 – Acknowledgement for a Research Project for the School

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my project supervisor, ______ [Your Supervisor’s Name], for their invaluable guidance and support throughout the research process. Their expertise and dedication were instrumental in shaping this project. I would also like to thank my classmates for their constructive feedback and encouragement. Additionally, I extend my appreciation to the library staff for their assistance in accessing research materials.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to my _____ [family name] for their love and support during this project. This project truly reflects the collective effort of many, and I’m deeply appreciative of their contributions.

Acknowledgement for College Project Samples

Acknowledgement for college project (individual project).

I want to convey my heartfelt gratitude to my professor, ______ [Professor’s Name], for their support and encouragement during the research and writing of this history project. Their expertise in the subject matter greatly contributed to the depth and quality of the project.

Also, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our Principal, _______ [Principal Name], for his unwavering support and encouragement throughout this project. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked on this project under her guidance, and I am confident that my learning and personal growth have been enriched as a result.

I would also like to thank my friends, for their feedback and support. Their input was invaluable in helping me to develop and refine my ideas. Lastly, my family’s support and encouragement were essential throughout the completion of this project.

Acknowledgement for College Project (Group Project)

We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who contributed to the successful completion of this project. Our sincere thanks go to our project team members for their dedication and collaboration throughout the project. Each member played a significant role in shaping the outcome. Special thanks to our professor, ______ [Professor’s Name], for their guidance and valuable feedback, which enriched our work.

I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to The University of _______ [University Name] for affording us the opportunity to collaborate on the _______ [Project Name]. Lastly, we want to thank our families and friends for their patience and encouragement during this project. Their belief in me helped me to stay motivated and to persevere through difficult times.

Acknowledgement for University Project

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my mentor, Dr. _______ [mentor’s name], for their guidance and support throughout this project. Dr. ______ [mentor’s name] was always available to answer my questions and provide me with feedback. They were also instrumental in helping me to develop my research skills and to write my thesis. I am grateful for their patience and encouragement.

I would also like to thank my classmates, [classmates’ names], for their collaboration and support. We worked together to overcome challenges and to achieve our goals. We shared resources and ideas, and we helped each other to stay on track. I am grateful for their friendship and support.

Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their love and support. They encouraged me to pursue my goals and to never give up. I could not have completed this project without them.

Acknowledgement for a Research Project

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my supervisor, [Supervisor’s Name], whose encouragement, guidance and support from the initial to the final level enabled me to develop an understanding of the subject. This research wouldn’t have been possible without the funding and resources provided by [Funding Organization/Institution]. I am also grateful to my research team members, [team members’ names], for their hard work and dedication. We worked together to collect data, analyze results, and write the research paper.

Various Acknowledgment Samples for Different Projects, Subjects, and Topics (100+ Samples)

Acknowledgment Samples On Different Subjects

Acknowledgment Samples On Different Topics

Dos and Don’ts of Writing Acknowledgements

FAQs on Acknowledgement For Project

1) What is an acknowledgment for a project?

An acknowledgement for a project is a section of the project report where you express your gratitude to the people and organizations who helped you complete the project. It’s a way to recognize and appreciate their involvement.

2) What should I include in my acknowledgment?

Include the names of individuals or organizations who played a significant role in your project. You should also briefly mention their specific contributions. For example, you could thank your mentor for providing guidance and support, or thank your team members for their hard work and dedication. Express genuine gratitude and keep the tone respectful and appreciative.

3) How can I write an acknowledgement for school?

Start by thanking teachers, classmates, or anyone who supported your academic journey. Be specific about their contributions, whether it’s guidance, assistance, or inspiration. Mention any school resources or facilities that played a role, and keep the tone sincere and respectful. You can also express your gratitude for the opportunity to learn and grow.

4) How can we write an acknowledgment for a group project?

Start by thanking the team collectively for their contributions. Ensure that you individually thank each group member for their specific contributions, specifying their roles in the project. For example, you could thank someone for their research, writing, editing, or design skills.

5) Is acknowledgement compulsory for project?

No, acknowledgement is not compulsory for a project, but it is a good practice to acknowledge the people who helped you with your project. This shows that you are grateful for their contributions and that you value their work. It can also help to build relationships and trust with the people you have worked with.

6) What if I don’t know who to thank?

If you are not sure who to thank, It’s better to acknowledge a few extras than miss out on someone who played a part. Acknowledge anyone who made a significant contribution, including t eam members, mentors, advisors, funders , or those who provided resources and support. You can also thank your department, institution, or other organizations that provided you with support.

7) How lengthy should an acknowledgement be?

It depends on your project’s size and how many people or groups you want to thank. But a good idea is to keep it short—around one page or 100 to 200 words.

8) What is the difference between acknowledgment and acknowledgement?

There is no difference between acknowledgement and acknowledgment. Both spellings are correct, but “ acknowledgment ” is more commonly used in American English, while “ acknowledgement ” is preferred in British English. Choose the one that fits the spelling conventions of your intended audience or follow the style guide provided for your project.

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Breaking News

Robert Towne, Oscar-winning screenwriting icon behind ‘Chinatown,’ dies at 89

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Robert Towne, the screenwriting icon who won an Academy Award for his original script for “Chinatown,” died Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 89.

His publicist Carri McClure announced the news on Tuesday.

In a screenwriting career launched in 1960 as a writer for low-budget producer-director Roger Corman , Towne earned an early reputation in Hollywood as a sought-after “script doctor,” stepping in to do uncredited work on troubled screenplays for movies such as “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967) and “The Godfather” (1972).

Towne had yet to become a legend of the New Hollywood era of filmmaking when he saw a 1969 photo essay in West, the Los Angeles Times’ old Sunday magazine.

Titled “Raymond Chandler’s L.A.,” it featured recently shot photographs of Los Angeles locales taken as if it were still the late 1930s and ‘40s heyday of Chandler’s fictional hard-boiled private eye Philip Marlowe, including an evocative photo of a vintage convertible parked next to an old streetlight outside Bullocks Wilshire, the landmark Art Deco luxury department store on Wilshire Boulevard.

Towne, a Los Angeles native born during the Depression, said in a 2008 Writers Guild Foundation interview that he was amazed that “you could still recapture the L.A. that I vaguely remembered by the judicious selection of locations around the city, many of which I knew.”

“That got me started thinking.”

Indeed, Towne often acknowledged that the photo essay was a catalyst for writing the critically acclaimed, influential screenplay for which he is best known: “Chinatown.”

It’s Only LA, Jake : ...

It was in Eugene, Oregon, in April of 1971 that I ran across a public library copy of Carey McWilliams’ “Southern California Country: An Island on the Land”--and with it the crime that formed the basis for “Chinatown.”

May 29, 1994

Directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, the 1974 film classic is set in 1937 Los Angeles and features Nicholson as private investigator J.J. “Jake” Gittes, who is hired to investigate a supposedly cheating husband but instead finds himself enmeshed in a dark mystery involving deception, murder, and a vast water and land conspiracy in the San Fernando Valley.

Towne received rare public acknowledgment of his behind-the-scenes work in 1973 when “Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola accepted a screenwriting Oscar for that landmark film and, “giving credit where credit is due,” thanked him for writing “the very beautiful scene between Marlon [Brando] and Al Pacino in the garden” — a scene Towne wrote the night before it was shot that illustrates the transfer of power from the aged Mafia don to his son Michael and indirectly captures the love between the two characters.

Two years later, the press was calling Towne “the hottest writer in Hollywood.”

Bookending his Academy Award-winning script for “Chinatown” were Oscar nominations for his screen adaptation of the novel “The Last Detail” (1973), starring Nicholson as one of two Navy lifers escorting a young prisoner to Portsmouth Naval Prison; and for “Shampoo” (1975), which he co-wrote with the film’s producer, Warren Beatty , who starred as a womanizing Beverly Hills hairdresser.

Among Towne’s other screenwriting credits are “The Yakuza” (with Paul Schrader), “The Two Jakes” (a “Chinatown” sequel), “Days of Thunder,” “The Firm,” (with David Rabe and David Rayfiel), “Mission: Impossible” (with David Koepp) and “Mission Impossible: II.” As a frequent script doctor, he also did uncredited work on films such as “Drive, He Said,” “The Parallax View,” “Marathon Man,” “The Missouri Breaks,” and “Heaven Can Wait.”

Robert Towne: Gauguin, Van Gogh, James Agee and me

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Nov. 3, 2002

The tall, bearded and soft-spoken screenwriter who favored slim cigars became a director with the 1982 film “Personal Best,” from his original screenplay about two female track stars. He later directed and wrote the screenplays for “Tequila Sunrise,” “Without Limits” (written with Kenny Moore) and “Ask the Dust,” set in Depression era Los Angeles.

Towne also co-wrote the 1984 film “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes,” which was based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel “Tarzan of the Apes,” a project Towne had been working on for many years. But Towne, who was originally slated to direct, was so unhappy with the finished film, co-written by Michael Austin and directed by Hugh Hudson, that he had his name replaced in the credits with a pseudonym: P.H. Vazak, the name of his Komondor, a Hungarian livestock guard dog, who then went on to share an Oscar nomination with Austin.

But none of Towne’s screenplays obtained the enduring stature of “Chinatown,” which continues to be studied by writers and film-school students and is considered one of the finest movie scripts ever written. Based on a vote of its members, the Writers Guild of America ranked “Chinatown” at No. 3 in its 2006 list of the “101 Greatest Screenplays,” behind “Casablanca” and “The Godfather.”

In presenting Towne with an honorary doctorate of fine arts degree at the American Film Institute’s commencement ceremony in 2014, Coppola said, “You have in your script for ‘Chinatown’ provided the de facto blueprint for aspiring screenwriters, a platonic ideal of both structure and style taught as a template around the world.”

In the 2020 book “The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood,” author Sam Wasson revealed that one of Hollywood’s best-known script doctors received uncredited help himself: For more than 40 years, Towne paid Edward Taylor, a longtime close friend, to help him with his scripts, including “Chinatown.”

A vintage L.A. story

‘Chinatown’s’ timeless noir allure gets the 30th anniversary treatment from the film academy.

Nov. 15, 2004

Taylor, who was Towne’s literature- and theater-loving roommate at Pomona College and later taught sociology and statistics at USC , began secretly working with Towne on his scripts in the mid-1960s and, according to the book, apparently had no problem with remaining anonymous. Towne, Wasson wrote, continued to consult with Taylor in person or by phone until Taylor’s death in 2013.

Towne, who was not interviewed for the book, made a veiled public acknowledgment of his secret collaborator in an introductory essay for a 1983 limited edition of the “Chinatown” screenplay: While writing “the heart” of the script on Catalina Island in the fall of 1972, Towne received periodic visits by his friend Taylor, whom he described as having been his Jiminy Cricket, Mycroft Holmes, and Edmund Wilson since their college days.

Born Robert Burton Schwartz in Los Angeles on Nov. 23, 1934, Towne was 2 when his family moved to San Pedro, where his father bought a women’s apparel store called the Towne Smart Shop. It wasn’t long before Lou Schwartz was being called Mr. Towne.

“I think he liked that,” Towne said of his father, who later became a successful real estate developer, in the Writers Guild Foundation interview. “By the time my brother [Roger] was born, he had legally changed his name.” (Roger Towne later co-wrote the screenplay for the 1984 film “The Natural.”)

The family later moved to Rolling Hills on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and then to Brentwood.

Sleuthing ‘Chinatown’

Director Roman Polanski and writer Robert Towne fought and fought over the script and yet produced a classic.

July 8, 1999

At Pomona College in Claremont in the 1950s, Towne studied philosophy. He also took a creative writing class, in which one of his short stories, based on a recent stint working on a commercial tuna-fishing boat, “got everybody’s attention,” he recalled.

While in college, Towne considered becoming a journalist. But by the late 1950’s, Towne, who served a stint in the Army, was in Hollywood taking an acting class taught by blacklisted actor Jeff Corey, whose students included James Coburn , Sally Kellerman and Richard Chamberlain. Another student was Nicholson, who became Towne’s close friend.

“My training as a writer really came from seven years of improvising in that class, and coming to have a feeling for what was effective dramatically, what was effective in terms of dialogue and just what people could and couldn’t say to be effective,” Towne recalled.

His first professional break came when another student in the class, Corman, who as a quickie film producer and director was there to learn more about the creative process of actors, offered him a chance to write. “It was tough making a living writing for Roger,” Towne said, “but at least he gave me a start.”

Towne’s first screenwriting credit was for Corman’s “Last Woman on Earth,” a 1960 science-fiction film in which Towne played one of the three starring roles under the name Edward Wain. Under the same name, he also was one of the stars of Corman’s “Creature from the Haunted Sea” (1961). For Corman, he also wrote the screen adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story “The Tomb of Ligeia” (1964), starring Vincent Price .

Review: Sam Wasson takes a deep dive into ‘Chinatown’

The making of the great 1970s classic in all its glory and darkness

Jan. 31, 2020

In addition to his movie work, Towne wrote for television in the 1960s, including “The Man from U.N.C.L.E,” “The Outer Limits,” “ The Lloyd Bridges Show” and “The Richard Boone Show.” Much later in life, he was a consulting producer on the popular television drama “Mad Men.”

Towne’s screenwriting career began its upswing when Beatty, the star and producer of “Bonnie and Clyde,” and the film’s director, Arthur Penn, needed help with a script written by David Newman and Robert Benton. For his contributions, Towne was listed in the acclaimed hit film’s credits as “creative consultant.”

As a screenwriter, Towne is described by Peter Biskind in his bestselling book on the New Hollywood era , “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls,” as being “unusually literate” in “a town full of dropouts, where few read books.”

“He had a real feel for the fine points of plot, the nuances of dialogue, had the ability to explain and contextualize film in the body of Western drama and literature,” wrote Biskind.

“He had this ability, in every page he wrote and rewrote, to leave a sense of moisture on the page, as if he just breathed on it in some way,” producer Gerald Ayres told Biskind. “There was always something that jostled your sensibilities, that made the reading of the page not just a perception of plot, but the feeling that something accidental and true to the life of a human being had happened there.”

In writing “Chinatown,” with its plot revolving around a high-level water and real estate conspiracy, Towne was inspired by elements of the controversial history of the Los Angeles Aqueduct that brought water from the Owens Valley in the eastern Sierra Nevada down to L.A. earlier in the century.

“Everything about it [‘Chinatown’] was an attempt to take an existing genre and imbue it with things from life,” Towne told The Times in 2004. “Not to do an exotic movie about Maltese falcons and jewel-encrusted birds, but to take a crime that was right in front of your face, that was as basic as water and power. And a detective who was not a tarnished knight like Philip Marlowe, but kind of a sleazy, charming, dapper guy who would only take [divorce] cases because they made him the most money.”

Before the filming of “Chinatown” began in 1973, Towne and Polanski argued constantly during the many weeks they spent condensing and revising Towne’s lengthy screenplay.

Their biggest battle was over the ending.

Towne wanted Evelyn Mulwray (Dunaway), the widow of the murdered chief engineer of the Department of Water and Power, to kill her father, the rich and ruthlessly powerful Noah Cross ( John Huston ), who had raped her as a teenager and was the father of her young daughter, whom she was determined to keep away from him.

But Polanski, whose pregnant actress-wife Sharon Tate had been murdered by members of the Manson family in 1969, had something far more chilling in mind: He wanted Evelyn to die at the end and her daughter fall into the hands of her father — evil triumphant.

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Sharon Tate’s life and death became an alluring portrait upon which to hang our what-ifs and darker fascinations.

July 25, 2019

The director had his way, and the film comes to its memorably shocking conclusion as Evelyn attempts to flee with her daughter in a car on a street in Chinatown.

A critically acclaimed box-office hit, “Chinatown” received 11 Academy Award nominations, including best picture, director, actor and actress.

And as Towne, the film’s only Oscar winner, told The Times in 1999, he had since come to agree that Polanski “was right about the end.”

In 1997, Towne received the Screen Laurel Award, the Writers Guild of America’s highest award for screenwriting, which is given in recognition of a writer’s body of work.

Towne had a daughter, Katharine, with his first wife, Julie Payne (the daughter of actors John Payne and Anne Shirley); the marriage ended in divorce. He also had a daughter, Chiara, with his second wife, Luisa Gaule.

McLellan is a former Times staff writer.

More to Read

Albert S. Ruddy, Oscar-winning producer of ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Million Dollar Baby,’ dies at 94

May 28, 2024

Opinion: How L.A.’s Chinatown helped reinvent Southern California

May 13, 2024

Justin Chang wins criticism Pulitzer for Los Angeles Times

May 6, 2024

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• Thesis & Dissertation Acknowledgements | Tips & Examples

Thesis & Dissertation Acknowledgements | Tips & Examples

Published on 4 May 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on 4 November 2022.

The acknowledgements section is your opportunity to thank those who have helped and supported you personally and professionally during your thesis or dissertation process.

Thesis or dissertation acknowledgements appear between your title page and abstract  and should be no longer than one page.

In your acknowledgements, it’s okay to use a more informal style than is usually permitted in academic writing , as well as first-person pronouns . Acknowledgements are not considered part of the academic work itself, but rather your chance to write something more personal.

To get started, download our step-by-step template in the format of your choice below. We’ve also included sample sentence starters to help you construct your acknowledgments section from scratch.

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Table of contents

Who to thank in your acknowledgements, how to write acknowledgements, acknowledgements section example, acknowledgements dos and don’ts, frequently asked questions.

Generally, there are two main categories of acknowledgements: professional and personal .

A good first step is to check your university’s guidelines, as they may have rules or preferences about the order, phrasing, or layout of acknowledgements. Some institutions prefer that you keep your acknowledgements strictly professional.

Regardless, it’s usually a good idea to place professional acknowledgements first, followed by any personal ones. You can then proceed by ranking who you’d like to thank from most formal to least.

• Chairs, supervisors, or defence committees
• Funding bodies
• Other academics (e.g., colleagues or cohort members)
• Editors or proofreaders
• Librarians, research/laboratory assistants, or study participants
• Family, friends, or pets

Typically, it’s only necessary to mention people who directly supported you during your thesis or dissertation. However, if you feel that someone like a secondary school physics teacher was a great inspiration on the path to your current research, feel free to include them as well.

Professional acknowledgements

It is crucial to avoid overlooking anyone who helped you professionally as you completed your thesis or dissertation. As a rule of thumb, anyone who directly contributed to your research should be mentioned.

A few things to keep in mind include:

• Even if you feel your chair didn’t help you very much, you should still thank them first to avoid looking like you’re snubbing them.
• Be sure to follow academic conventions, using full names with titles where appropriate.
• If several members of a group or organisation assisted you, mention the collective name only.
• Remember the ethical considerations around anonymised data. If you wish to protect someone’s privacy, use only their first name or a generic identifier (such as ‘the interviewees’).

Personal acknowledgements

There is no need to mention every member of your family or friend group. However, if someone was particularly inspiring or supportive, you may wish to mention them specifically. Many people choose to thank parents, partners, children, friends, and even pets, but you can mention anyone who offered moral support or encouragement, or helped you in a tangible or intangible way.

Some students may wish to dedicate their dissertation to a deceased influential person in their personal life. In this case, it’s okay to mention them first, before any professional acknowledgements.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

After you’ve compiled a list of who you’d like to thank, you can then sort your list into rank order. Separate everyone you listed into ‘major thanks’, ‘big thanks’, and ‘minor thanks’ categories.

• ‘Major thanks’ are given to people who your project would be impossible without. These are often predominantly professional acknowledgements, such as your advisor , chair, and committee, as well as any funders.
• ‘Big thanks’ are an in-between, for those who helped you along the way or helped you grow intellectually, such as classmates, peers, or librarians.
• ‘Minor thanks’ can be a catch-all for everyone else, especially those who offered moral support or encouragement. This can include personal acknowledgements, such as parents, partners, children, friends, or even pets.

How to phrase your acknowledgements

To avoid acknowledgements that sound repetitive or dull, consider changing up your phrasing. Here are some examples of common sentence starters you can use for each category.

Note that you do not need to write any sort of conclusion or summary at the end. You can simply end the acknowledgements with your last thank-you.

Here’s an example of how you can combine the different sentences to write your acknowledgements.

A simple construction consists of a sentence starter (in purple highlight ), followed by the person or entity mentioned (in green highlight ), followed by what you’re thanking them for (in yellow highlight .)

Acknowledgements

Words cannot express my gratitude to my professor and chair of my committee for her invaluable patience and feedback. I also could not have undertaken this journey without my defense committee, who generously provided knowledge and expertise. Additionally, this endeavor would not have been possible without the generous support from the MacArthur Foundation, who financed my research .

I am also grateful to my classmates and cohort members, especially my office mates, for their editing help, late-night feedback sessions, and moral support. Thanks should also go to the librarians, research assistants, and study participants from the university, who impacted and inspired me.

Lastly, I would be remiss in not mentioning my family, especially my parents, spouse, and children. Their belief in me has kept my spirits and motivation high during this process. I would also like to thank my cat for all the entertainment and emotional support.

• Write in first-person, professional language
• Thank your professional contacts first
• Include full names, titles, and roles of professional acknowledgements
• Include personal or intangible supporters, like friends, family, or even pets
• Mention funding bodies and what they funded
• Appropriately anonymise or group research participants or non-individual acknowledgments

Don’t:

• Use informal language or slang
• Go over one page in length
• Mention people who had only a peripheral or minor impact on your work

You may acknowledge God in your thesis or dissertation acknowledgements , but be sure to follow academic convention by also thanking the relevant members of academia, as well as family, colleagues, and friends who helped you.

Yes, it’s important to thank your supervisor(s) in the acknowledgements section of your thesis or dissertation .

Even if you feel your supervisor did not contribute greatly to the final product, you still should acknowledge them, if only for a very brief thank you. If you do not include your supervisor, it may be seen as a snub.

In the acknowledgements of your thesis or dissertation, you should first thank those who helped you academically or professionally, such as your supervisor, funders, and other academics.

Then you can include personal thanks to friends, family members, or anyone else who supported you during the process.

The acknowledgements are generally included at the very beginning of your thesis or dissertation, directly after the title page and before the abstract .

In a thesis or dissertation, the acknowledgements should usually be no longer than one page. There is no minimum length.

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A Culture War Erupted Over U.K. Stately Homes. Who Won?

A battle over the history of Britain’s prized country houses offers a window into the national mood before a pivotal election.

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By Megan Specia

Reporting from Dyrham, London and Swindon, England.

A painting in Dyrham House, a grand mansion in southwest England, offers a panoramic view of the port of Bridgetown, Barbados, with sugar plantations dotted along a hillside.

In another room are two carved figures depicting kneeling Black men, holding scallop shells overhead. They are chained at the ankles and neck.

These works belonged to William Blathwayt , who owned Dyrham in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and, as Britain’s auditor general of plantation revenues, oversaw the profits that rolled in from the colonies.

Explaining the history of a place like Dyrham can be contentious, as the National Trust, the nearly 130-year-old charity that manages many of Britain’s prized historic homes, has found out.

After the organization revamped its displays to highlight the links between dozens of its properties and the exploitation and slavery of the colonial era, it drew the wrath of some right-wing columnists and academics, who accused the trust of being “ woke ,” suggested that it was presenting an “anti-British” view of history , and began a campaign to roll back some of the changes.

The ensuing battle — which has echoes of the heated debate over Confederate monuments in the United States — has played out for three years on social media and in right-wing newspapers in Britain.

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2024 Open Submissions

CavanKerry Press accepts submissions for poetry collections, nonfiction essay collections, and memoir. Selected titles will be published by CavanKerry Press and receive national distribution.

CavanKerry Press publishes works that explore the emotional and psychological landscapes of everyday life , regardless of the author's prior publication history. We are particularly interested in receiving more work from queer, trans, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voices and are committed to publishing a diverse roster of authors each year. With our LaurelBooks: The Literature of Illness and Disability imprint, CavanKerry is also especially engaged with work from people living with physical and/or mental illness and disability. Our Florenz Eisman Memorial Collection features authors from our home state of New Jersey.

All poetry manuscripts must be a minimum of 50 pages and should not be much longer than 100 pages. Nonfiction manuscripts should not be much longer than 200 pages.

• Submit your previously unpublished manuscript with a table of contents.
• Manuscript should be formatted on a Word document or .PDF using a standard font (such as Times New Roman or Calibri) and standard margins. Prose entries should be formatted with 1 and 1/2 or double spacing,
• All manuscripts will be read anonymously. Please do not include your name on any pages of the manuscript. Manuscripts with personally identifying information may be rejected without consideration. Search (Ctrl-F) or use the Find and Replace (Ctrl-H) tool for your first name and last name individually and either delete your name or replace it with XXXXXX. 
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Individual poems or essays in a manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies, but the work as a whole should be a new, unpublished collection.

Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted. Please notify Gabriel Cleveland , Director/Managing Editor, promptly if a manuscript is accepted elsewhere. The first round of submissions will be read by a diverse pool of outside readers, with subsequent rounds being read by CavanKerry authors and our editorial staff. Final decisions will be made by CavanKerry staff based on the quality of work and its alignment with our commitment to expanding the reach of poetry to a general readership. Decisions regarding acceptance of manuscripts for publications will be made by the end of February the following year. Please do not contact us with inquiries on the status of your submission until this period of time has ended.

For extended guidelines, please refer to https://cavankerrypress.submittable.com/submit

CavanKerry Press does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, orientation, identity, national origin, political affiliation, belief, age, or disability. Upon request, accommodation will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities to utilize CavanKerry’s services.

CavanKerry Press will make a reasonable effort to remove barriers at events locations and, where possible, choose barrier-free venues. CavanKerry Press has a designated coordinator to facilitate compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as required by Section 35.107 of the US Department of Justice regulations, and to coordinate compliance with sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

It’s the Summer of Pop Girl Reconciliation

From Charli XCX and Lorde to Monica and Brandy, musicians are working it out on the remix

“Girl, So Confusing” is a song about the relationship between Charli and another musician in the industry. The lyrics describe a nameless friend whom Charli thinks is distant and, for reasons unknown, tantalizingly out of her reach. Charli can never quite work out her true feelings toward this woman, whether either of them actually likes the other, and, crucially, who is to blame for their lack of chemistry.

Fans suspected the song was about fellow singer-songwriter Lorde, and this was confirmed when the two artists dropped a surprise remix of the track. With unexpectedly vulnerable lyrics, the collaboration sets a new standard for self-exposure and self-awareness in pop, while also showing the radical power of trusting someone with your insecurities. And it’s part of a growing shift toward female pop stars resolving conflicts on their own terms, in their own way.

Brat initially comes off as a fun album packed with bops about raving in the club—and it is. But it’s also more than that: The album’s lyrics explore the loneliness of fame, the complications of friendship between women, and the challenges of managing conflicting expectations. As a result, it has garnered near-universal critical praise.

The remix of “Girl, So Confusing” is emblematic of Brat’s more vulnerable take on club pop. In Lorde’s verse, the New Zealander describes her surprise at receiving a voice note from Charli disclosing her complex feelings about their relationship. But rather than continue the feud, the pair decided to “work it out on the remix.” Lorde’s lyrics are particularly confessional in a way that is surprising for a song with this sound: “For the last couple years / I’ve been at war in my body / I tried to starve myself thinner / And then I gained all the weight back,” she sings, explaining that she often canceled their plans at the last minute over her insecurities about how she looked. “I was trapped in the hatred / And your life seemed so awesome.”

.css-1pfpin{font-family:NewParisTextBook,NewParisTextBook-roboto,NewParisTextBook-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-size:1.75rem;line-height:1.2;margin:0rem;padding-left:5rem;padding-right:5rem;}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1pfpin{padding-left:2.5rem;padding-right:2.5rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1pfpin{font-size:2.5rem;line-height:1.2;}}.css-1pfpin b,.css-1pfpin strong{font-family:inherit;font-weight:bold;}.css-1pfpin em,.css-1pfpin i{font-style:normal;font-family:NewParisTextItalic,NewParisTextItalic-roboto,NewParisTextItalic-local,Georgia,Times,Serif;} Having a nemesis has long been a standard part of being a Main Pop Girl.

There is nothing new about the music industry, and indeed society at large, pitting women against each other. From Madonna and Lady Gaga to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez—the origin story of the eternal “I don’t know her” clapback—having a nemesis has long been a standard part of being a Main Pop Girl. One of the most notorious feuds of the last decade was Taylor Swift versus Katy Perry. The two women fell out years ago in a disagreement that was reportedly about backing dancers they both employed, culminating in the 2014 release of the Swift song “Bad Blood”—which was heavily rumored to be about Perry. In 2019, the singers squashed their beef (dressed, respectively, as fries and a burger) in the video for “You Need to Calm Down,” Swift’s second single from Lover .

More recently, Brandy and Monica—singers who have been feuding for decades—also worked it out on the remix. The beef between them, pegged to their 1998 hit duet “The Boy Is Mine,” dates back over 20 years and includes rumors of a physical altercation backstage at that year’s VMAs. In 2020, they came together for a Verzuz battle on Instagram Live, but it wasn’t until last week that they officially reconciled by joining forces with Ariana Grande for the remix of her latest single (also titled “The Boy Is Mine” ). Now, Monica credits Grande with ending years of animosity. “It’s changed the trajectory of [our relationship] in its totality,” she told Entertainment Tonight . “My son was in the hospital the other day, and [Brandy] was who I was speaking to while he was there, so I think that is what Ariana has done that she may not even realize.”

The rise of female-driven pop reconciliation songs feels even more notable when contrasted with another major musical moment that began this spring and has continued into summer: the ongoing battle between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar. (Last week, Lamar performed “Not Like Us,” his searing takedown of Drake, five times in a single night .) Hip-hop, of course, has its own relationship with diss tracks, but I have to wonder whether there is something here about narrative control. When women in the industry are feuding, it tends to overshadow their artistry. Publications and stans on social media salivate over the possibility of a “catfight,” rather than the level of talent at play. For men, particularly in more male-dominated genres, this doesn’t happen in the same way—if anything, the opposite is true.

The genius of the “Girl, So Confusing” remix lies not only in its awareness of these dynamics, but also in the song’s acknowledgment of its place within them. It’s a far cry from the sickly sweet scene of Swift and Perry hugging in “You Need to Calm Down,” but it’s also much more interesting. “It's you and me on the coin / The industry loves to spend,” Lorde sings. “And when we put this to bed / The internet will go crazy.” She was right: The internet did go crazy—and there is a certain bleakness, I think, in the awareness that even a reconciliation is a part of the #content stream, where so much of what these women do and say is consumed as a product. Still, at least this way they have been able to control the story and profit from it themselves.

Swift might have recently reignited her long-running feud with Kim Kardashian on the unsubtly titled Tortured Poets Department bonus track “thanK you aIMee,” but it is Charli and Lorde’s reconciliation banger that has captivated the zeitgeist. Perhaps this is because, although their song is about two very famous women, their relationship fluctuations feel more relatable. Who among us hasn’t felt tension with a friend because of the low-level hum of jealousy, or something as simple as dinner plans canceled at the last minute? “It’s just self-defense until you’re building a weapon,” sings Lorde. “She believed my projection / And now I totally get it.” Haven’t we all put on a front for someone out of insecurity, and then regretted it?

Maybe we’re entering an era in which today’s female pop stars are no longer pitted against each other—or at least are better able to publicly resist the pressure to feud. Fans of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan might be warring over which singer owns the sound of summer 2024, but Carpenter purposefully covered Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” at the BBC Live Lounge—a small gesture that might help set the tone. And just this week, Charli called out some of her fans for chanting “Taylor Swift is dead!” at one of the Brat tour shows in Brazil.

I’m reluctant to unironically describe anything as “empowering.” (Seriously, it sticks in my throat.) But Charli and Lorde’s remix clearly has a deeper message—not just about the importance of reconciliation, but also how to reconcile well . It’s a rejection of the winner-take-all approach to conflict. If the original “Girl, So Confusing” is about the contradictions of female friendship, then the remix is about finding a way through, together—and hopefully, creating an era of pop music that’s a little less brutal.

Louis Staples is a freelance culture writer and critic based in London, UK. He writes “Cultural Staples” — a fortnightly culture essay at Bazaar.com. His work is featured in The Cut, The Guardian, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and Variety.  

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‘Stamped from the Beginning’ illustrates the ‘algorithm’ of racism in America

• kanaruhalter

About 10 years ago, as the nation was coming to grips with the high-profile killings of a number of young Black people — from Trayvon Martin to Sandra Bland — Ibram X. Kendi wrote the book, “Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.”

Roughly three years ago, as the nation was coming to grips with the high-profile killings of a number of young Black people, artist and historian Joel Christian Gill began working on a graphic adaptation of that history. 

Joel Christian Gill, artist and chair of the MFA in Visual Narrative at Boston University, joined GBH’s All Things Considered host Arun Rath to discuss his adaptation, which is out now. What follows is a lightly edited transcript.

Arun Rath: We last talked 10 years ago about another wonderful book, “Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History,” which introduced me to so many great stories.

Joel Christian Gill: I can’t believe it’s been 10 years.

Rath: Yeah. Do you think — I wanted to ask you, actually: Are you responsible for the Bass Reeves phenomenon? Because, since you wrote that, isn’t that when, you know —

Gill: I am not salty about that at all. Probably. I mean, nobody had talked about Bass before I’d written a book about him — and then suddenly, he’s on TV, he’s all these other places. Nobody optioned my book, so I can take some solace in that I put it out there into the world, and people started talking about it.

Rath: You know, in the introduction, I talked about how you and Ibram X. Kendi were coming to the work at different times, but also in times when history seemed to be repeating itself in ways. The book talks about how racism and anti-racism really work in cycles throughout American history. Could you describe that in broad strokes?

Gill: When you look at how the history of American racism — specifically, anti-Black racism — has been, it’s always been this push and pull. What we’ve been sold in the way in which we’ve taught history — because history is taught as a fanfiction of what America really is, not an actual, real history of it — people want to talk about it in glowing terms.

But in reality, the truth is actually much more interesting and much more complicated. At every point, when we’re talking about some progressive step that we take — in terms of dismantling systemic racism, or racial apartheid, or any of the things that we’ve had in America since its inception — there’s always been a backlash by people who are a combination of people who are in power, and people who cling to the idea of whiteness as the only thing that they have.

When we have emancipation, we have 100 years of Jim Crow. When we get rid of 100 years of Jim Crow, we get mass incarceration. We have this systemic racism, and — what most people don’t understand [about racism is] it’s kind of like an algorithm, right? We’re dealing with algorithms now. You don’t ever have to tweak the algorithm if you set it running. You never have to, and if you want it to continue to work, you just leave it alone.

Racism has been like that in America. It was put in place by a long string of people over the course of hundreds of years, and all people now have to do is pretend like it’s not happening and ignore it. So when you take that idea, you really get a sense that racism, really, it’s a cancer — but it’s really like this thing that you never have to tweak. No one has to go in and tweak that.

We can tweak it by actually making the changes. But that’s the thing that people fight: It’s making those changes because they’re so embedded in the system that it would take an uprooting of massive scales in order to change that.

“History is taught as a fanfiction of what America really is, not an actual, real history of it — people want to talk about it in glowing terms. But in reality, the truth is actually much more interesting and much more complicated.” Joel Christian Gill, Boston University’s chair of the MFA in Visual Narrative

Rath: You talk about the algorithm, and that’s sort of a great setup for the part of the book that I want to talk about because we have to limit it since it’s all of American history, right?

But since we’re here at GBH in Boston — very close to Harvard — the part that was so fascinating in that regard was right at the beginning: Cotton Mather and the founding of Harvard. There’s a lot that I didn’t know about how these specifically, explicitly racist ideas were part of that formula.

Gill: Yeah. What’s interesting about how racist ideas permeate — so I always think about it as the “they say” of the time, right? You ever hear somebody say, “Well, you know, they say…” Nobody really asks who “they” are. And so those things, racist ideas about Black people — how Black people were brutish, and how Black people were either natured or nurtured, or a different atom, or anything — were embedded in the foundation of a lot of our Ivy League schools because those ideas were permeating at the time. “Everybody was saying this,” and nobody’s going to be outdone.

There’s a page in the book where you see me showing the founders of all these institutions dumping garbage into the institutions at their core. Because those racist ideas get embedded, and we don’t challenge them, right? It’s the algorithm working. As long as we don’t tweak them, they just stay the same.

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Rath: What really popped out for me while reading it was, you know, it’s not like you’re beating up on the Western canon or Greek and Roman civilizations. As you point all the way through, there are plenty of people with very anti-racist ideas going back to — you know, Aristotle was OK with slavery, [but] there were a lot of Greeks who weren’t.

Gill: Yeah. I think that’s one of the things that — when we talk about exploring history and not judging people through a modern context — is that at every point in the history of humanity, there have always been people who had loud voices, just not as paid attention to. There were people challenging the ideas, these racist ideas, at their inception: from theologians saying, “God made everybody in the same place,” to people who were basically utilitarian in their ideas about how we should treat everybody a specific way.

But those voices were drowned out. And at every turn, it’s about power and money. I’m trying to think of another word [instead of money], but I mean, really — it’s about power and money.

Rath: You mentioned theologians and theology. We talked about the intellectual side of things, but on the religious side as well — going back to Cotton Mather — there’s the selectiveness in terms of finding bits of Christianity that would justify slavery.

Gill: I mean, and we’re still doing that now, right? We’re still talking about the Ten Commandments, and nobody talks about the Beatitudes, right?

That’s the thing: I think the theologians at the time — Cotton Mather was like, I would say he was the Jerry Falwell of the time. He was basically a public intellectual, so people paid attention to him. For him, it was about justifying the system that he didn’t want to break. It’s not breaking the algorithm, right? You know the algorithm is there, so how do I do this without tweaking the algorithm?

This is when people say, you know, “Don’t protest this way,” or “Don’t give money to these people,” or “Let’s get rid of all these things.” It’s those people who are invested in the algorithm [that] don’t want to break it, and Cotton Mather was no different.

You know, he wrote that essay, “The Negro Christianized,” which was to say: you can save a Black person for the afterlife; just ignore who they are now, right? They’re better off in America than they are in the wilds of Africa.

Rath: That doesn’t seem very Christian.

Gill: I mean, you know, Gandhi said that “Christians are so unlike their Christ.”

Rath: This is so deeply fascinating and [has] so much history that I thought I knew, but didn’t actually from reading this, so thank you. And I’ve got to tell people: We covered like, maybe 3% of the book.

Gill: We didn’t even talk about the jokes! Most people want to talk about the jokes that are in the book.

Rath: Oh, yeah. We were very serious, but it’s really funny — I mean, from the beginning, which starts off with a scene from a TV show. It’s sharply hilarious the whole way through.

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