When it comes to writing acknowledgements for your dissertation, you may be daunted by all those convoluted psychological theories that stress the importance of interpersonal relationships and altruism as motivations. However, we write acknowledgement pages simply because we want to thank people who helped us complete our research and writing process.
It's a common misconception that only tenured professors, who have spent decades on their work, should be included in the acknowledgements section of a dissertation. Dissertations are long and often stressful projects for all involved, not just the student. When writing your thesis acknowledgement page, you may want to include friends and family members who supported you throughout the process or anyone who helped you somehow. He or she might have proofread for spelling errors, taken you to the doctor when you were sick, cooked for you when you couldn't eat another take-out meal, or simply listened to you complain about your struggles. However small the support may be in your eyes, it was invaluable to you and should be acknowledged.
A dissertation can take years to complete and will likely be the most challenging project you undertake in graduate school. Dissertation writing can test your limits, ruin your health, and place a significant strain on relationships. It's not an exaggeration to say that finishing your dissertation is one of the most demanding things you'll be asked to do in academia. Dissertation acknowledgements are a great way to show thanks to the people who have helped you along the way. If it weren't for them, your dissertation wouldn't be half of what it is.
There are no hard-and-fast rules on how to write dissertation acknowledgements, but some general guidelines are given below:
· Dissertation acknowledgement templates are generally written in the same order, so start with your adviser or thesis committee members. After that, move on to anyone who helped you with your research.
· Dissertation acknowledgements usually stress one's gratitude, so write about how important it is for you to thank your dissertation advisers and colleagues. Don't forget graduate students who have worked with you on your project.
· Dissertation acknowledgements are always written in the third person, so don't use 'I'.
· Dissertation acknowledgement templates are also generally very formal, so begin each sentence or paragraph with 'Dr.' or 'Professor'.
· Dissertation acknowledgements usually include a sentence or two of gratitude, so express your appreciation for all the hard work and support you received.
· Dissertation acknowledgements should be personalized and unique to their recipients, so don't copy and paste from a dissertation acknowledgement template. Just because one adviser gave you significant financial support doesn't mean that everyone will. Dissertation acknowledgement templates are good guidelines for writing dissertation acknowledgements, but they should not be followed too closely. Dissertation acknowledgement templates are merely there to give you an idea of what your paper should look like.
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