What are the most effective ways to write an acknowledgements section for your research project?

2 Categorize and prioritize your contributors

The next step is to categorize and prioritize your contributors according to their roles and contributions. You can use different levels of headings, subheadings, or paragraphs to group and order your contributors. For example, you can start with the most important or influential contributors, such as your supervisors or funders, and then move on to the less prominent or more general contributors, such as your co-authors or participants. You can also use different levels of detail, specificity, or personalization to distinguish your contributors. For example, you can use full names, titles, affiliations, and roles for your main contributors, and use collective terms, acronyms, or initials for your secondary or tertiary contributors.

3 Express your gratitude and appreciation

The third step is to express your gratitude and appreciation to your contributors in a clear, concise, and courteous manner. You can use different types of sentences, phrases, or words to convey your thanks, such as declarative, modal, conditional, or exclamatory sentences, or adverbs, adjectives, or nouns of gratitude. For example, you can say "I am grateful to...", "I would like to thank...", "I owe a debt of gratitude to...", or "I greatly appreciate...". You can also use different tones, registers, or styles to suit your purpose, audience, and discipline. For example, you can use formal, academic, or professional language for your main contributors, and use informal, casual, or personal language for your family or friends.

4 Acknowledge any limitations or ethical issues

The final step is to acknowledge any limitations or ethical issues that may have affected your research project or its outcomes. These may include any challenges, difficulties, errors, biases, conflicts, or dilemmas that you faced or encountered during your research process or dissemination. You can use different strategies, such as justification, explanation, mitigation, or recommendation, to address these issues and show your awareness and responsibility. For example, you can say "I acknowledge that...", "I regret that...", "I apologize for...", or "I suggest that...". You can also use different markers, such as however, nevertheless, despite, or nonetheless, to contrast or connect these issues with your gratitude and appreciation.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?