Thesis Acknowledgements Example: How to Write Yours 2026
The acknowledgements section of a thesis is the one place in your entire dissertation where you are allowed — even expected — to write like a human being rather than an academic. It is often the first page readers turn to after the abstract, and for many students it is the most emotionally significant page they will ever write. And yet it is also the section students leave until the very last moment and then rush in 20 minutes.
This guide gives you everything you need to write a thesis acknowledgements section that is genuine, professional, and appropriately warm. We provide real thesis acknowledgements examples from undergraduate, master’s, and PhD theses, annotated with commentary on tone, structure, and who to include. We also give you ready-to-adapt templates for different situations.
What to Include in Thesis Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements serve two purposes: they express genuine gratitude to the people and organisations that supported your research, and they formally acknowledge any funding or institutional support received.
You should typically include:
| Category | Examples | Mandatory? |
|---|---|---|
| Supervisor(s) | Primary and second supervisor; thesis advisor | Yes — always |
| Funding bodies | ESRC, AHRC, Wellcome Trust, scholarship funders | Yes — if funded |
| Research participants | Interview respondents, survey participants | Yes — for human participant research |
| Academic mentors and committee | Thesis committee, module tutors who influenced your thinking | Recommended |
| Library and technical staff | Librarians, lab technicians, IT support | If they provided substantial support |
| Peers and colleagues | Fellow students who provided feedback or support | Optional |
| Family and friends | Partner, parents, close friends who supported you | Optional but common |
Tone and Length
The appropriate tone is warm, genuine, and professional. You are not writing a speech at an awards ceremony, and you are not writing another methodology section. You are writing as yourself — gratefully, but with appropriate academic dignity.
Target length: 100–300 words for an undergraduate dissertation; 150–400 words for a master’s thesis; 250–600 words for a PhD thesis. Very long acknowledgements (over 600 words) are unusual and generally unnecessary unless you have a genuinely large number of people to thank with specific detail.
Tone to avoid:
- Excessive hyperbole: “Without whom none of this would have been possible, the world’s best supervisor…” — sounds inauthentic.
- Overly casual or jokey language: the acknowledgements will be read by examiners and future researchers — keep it professional.
- Grudging or backhanded thanks: “Despite limited support from the department, I managed to…” — never appropriate in a thesis.
Who to Thank and in What Order
The generally accepted order at UK and US universities is:
- Primary supervisor (most important person to acknowledge)
- Co-supervisors or secondary supervisors
- Thesis committee or advisory panel (for PhD)
- Funding body (if applicable — sometimes moved to a footnote or separate funding declaration)
- Research participants (if human participants were involved)
- Institutional support (librarians, technical staff, administrative support)
- Academic colleagues and peers who read drafts or discussed ideas
- Family, partner, close friends
Undergraduate Dissertation Acknowledgements Example
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my dissertation supervisor, Dr Claire Hutchinson, for her patient guidance and insightful feedback throughout this project. Her advice during our supervision meetings consistently helped me to think more rigorously about my arguments.
I am grateful to the twelve participants who gave their time to complete the questionnaire and, in some cases, to discuss their experiences with me. Their willingness to engage with this research made the study possible.
Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their encouragement during a demanding final year. A particular thank you to my flatmates, who tolerated far too many conversations about social media and loneliness.
Annotation: This 130-word example covers the three essentials: supervisor, participants, and personal support. The final sentence adds a human, slightly warm touch without being overly sentimental. The tone is professional but genuine.
Master’s Thesis Acknowledgements Example
Acknowledgements
This dissertation would not have taken the shape it has without the guidance of my supervisor, Professor David Okafor, whose combination of intellectual rigour and genuine care for students represents the best of academic mentorship. His challenge to “think about what your research is really trying to say” pushed me to develop a clearer argument than I would otherwise have produced.
I am grateful to Dr Sarah Imrie for her detailed comments on an earlier draft of Chapter 3, and to the research participants at [Organisation Name] who gave generously of their time during a busy period for the organisation.
This research was supported by the University of Manchester Postgraduate Research Award, for which I am grateful.
My deepest thanks go to my partner, James, and to my parents, whose support — practical, emotional, and occasionally caffeinated — made the hardest periods manageable.
Annotation: This 190-word example adds a specific detail about the supervisor’s influence (“think about what your research is really trying to say”) — which is more meaningful than a generic “invaluable guidance.” The funding acknowledgement is brief and appropriately placed. The final sentence is warm without being maudlin.
PhD Thesis Acknowledgements Example
Acknowledgements
I am profoundly grateful to my supervisors, Professor Anna Szymanska and Dr Marcus Reid, for their intellectual generosity and their ability to ask exactly the right questions at exactly the right moments across three years of research. Their complementary perspectives — Anna’s theoretical rigour and Marcus’s methodological pragmatism — shaped this thesis in ways that are difficult to fully articulate.
I thank the members of my thesis advisory panel — Professor Brendan Walsh, Dr Yuki Tanaka, and Professor Louise Drummond — for their challenging and constructive engagement at each annual review. Their questions made this a better piece of research.
This research was generously funded by the Economic and Social Research Council [grant number ES/T0000000/1], to whom I am grateful for enabling three years of full-time study.
The 28 participants who gave their time for interviews are the heart of this research. Their willingness to speak candidly about [topic] is what makes the findings meaningful.
My warmest thanks to the postgraduate community at the University of Edinburgh — particularly the regular writing group — for the collegial environment that made the solitary work of a PhD feel less solitary. And to my family: Mum, Dad, and my sister Priya, thank you for making space for the person I was becoming while I was doing this.
Annotation: At 270 words, this PhD acknowledgements section covers all necessary categories with appropriate specificity. The most distinctive element is the characterisation of the two supervisors’ different strengths (“Anna’s theoretical rigour and Marcus’s methodological pragmatism”) — specific and authentic. The ESRC funding acknowledgement includes the grant number, which funders often require. The final sentence is personal without being excessive.
Ready-to-Use Templates
Undergraduate Template
I would like to thank my dissertation supervisor, [Name], for [specific aspect of their guidance]. I am grateful to [number] research participants who gave their time to [method]. Finally, I would like to thank [personal support — family/friends] for their support throughout this project.
Master’s Template
This [dissertation/thesis] benefited greatly from the supervision of [Name], whose [specific quality] [specific impact on the research]. I thank [Name 2] for [specific contribution]. [If funded: This research was supported by [funding body name and grant number].] My sincere thanks also go to the [number] participants who contributed their time to this research. [Personal acknowledgement].
PhD Template
I am grateful to my supervisors, [Name 1] and [Name 2], for [specific descriptions of each supervisor’s contribution]. I also thank the members of my thesis advisory panel — [Names] — for their [characterisation of their feedback]. [Funding acknowledgement with grant number.] To the [number] participants who took part in this research: [brief expression of what their participation meant to the research]. [Peer and colleague acknowledgements.] [Personal acknowledgements].
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting the funding body: Most funding bodies require explicit acknowledgement by name and grant number. Missing this can cause problems with your funder.
- Writing it in five minutes: The acknowledgements will be read — by examiners, by future researchers, and by the people you thank. Give it the care it deserves.
- Listing every person you have ever met: This is a thesis, not an Academy Award speech. Thank those who genuinely contributed to the research.
- Thanking your supervisor last: Supervisors should always come first. It is expected and it is appropriate.
- Using identical phrasing for everyone: “I would like to thank X for their invaluable support” eight times reads as if you could not be bothered to differentiate. Add specific details where you can.
For the full context of where acknowledgements fit in the thesis, see our thesis structure guide. For guidance on writing every chapter, see our complete thesis writing guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it compulsory to include acknowledgements in a thesis?
In most universities, acknowledgements are not compulsory — you will not fail your thesis for omitting them. However, they are strongly expected at master’s and doctoral level, and omitting them would be considered unusual and potentially discourteous to your supervisor. If your research was externally funded (ESRC, AHRC, Wellcome, etc.), acknowledging the funder is often a condition of the funding agreement, making it effectively mandatory. Check your university’s thesis submission requirements and your funding agreement carefully.
Where do acknowledgements go in a thesis?
Acknowledgements are part of the front matter — they appear after the abstract and before the table of contents. The standard order is: Title Page → Abstract → Acknowledgements → Table of Contents → List of Figures → List of Tables → Chapter 1. Some universities specify that acknowledgements should come after the table of contents rather than before it — check your institution’s thesis formatting guidelines for the exact required order.
Should I use first person in thesis acknowledgements?
Yes. The acknowledgements section is one of the few places in an academic thesis where first-person voice is not just acceptable but expected. Write naturally using “I would like to thank…” rather than the passive voice constructions (“Thanks are due to…”) that characterise formal academic writing. The acknowledgements should sound like you — warm, specific, and genuine — not like another section of the thesis body.
Should I include a dedication in addition to acknowledgements?
A dedication is optional and separate from acknowledgements. If included, it typically appears on its own page before the abstract, centred on the page, and is typically a very short, personal statement (“For my grandmother, who never got to go to university” or simply “For Mum”). Not all theses include a dedication page — it is a personal choice, not an academic requirement. If you choose to include one, it should be brief (one to three lines) and separate from the longer acknowledgements section.
Can I acknowledge someone who has passed away in my thesis?
Yes, absolutely. It is entirely appropriate and common to acknowledge a person who was significant to your research or your academic journey and who passed away before your thesis was completed. This might be a family member, a mentor, a colleague, or a participant in your research. Write with the same warmth and specificity you would for a living person, and it is acceptable to note their passing: “To the memory of Professor John Smith, whose early encouragement shaped the direction of this research.”
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