What is acknowledgement in research paper ?

In the majority of research papers acknowledgement relates to the part of research project where author shows gratitude to the people who contributed to the research project. An acknowledgement in research paper is actually a section that lists everyone who supported the project.

In academic writing it is usual practice to acknowledge the contributions of donors, departments and individuals who have been of help during the research. The contribution may be financial, but also in a form of feedback on the manuscript during its drafting and revision.

Acknowledgements gives you the opportunity to thank all those who have helped in carrying out the research. Careful thought needs to be given concerning those whose help should be acknowledged and in what order. It is expected that appreciation is given in a concise manner without strong emotive language.

In some cultures, authors also show their gratitude to the God, however in western and secular societies this is not an academic practice.

How long should Acknowledgements be in research paper?

In general, it is acceptable to have one-page long acknowledgements. In journal articles, there may be a short note indicating gratitude to those who have been of help, while acknowledgements page in in books or dissertations will sometimes be considerably longer. Most publishers have guidelines and standards in place governing acknowledgements. Some donors also provide guidelines on how their contribution should be credited.

Where to put acknowledgements in research paper?

A page of acknowledgements is usually included at the beginning of the Project, immediately after the Table of Contents. However, we noted that in journal articles authors tend to place acknowledgements on the end of paper, just before bibliography.

If there is a formal requirement from the publisher regarding place of the acknowledgement, he would most like inform you what is the standard of the Journal.

Can you use the first person in the acknowledgement in research?

The answer is YES. Even though the first person is not used in academic research papers, you can use it in the acknowledgement section. This is probably the only part where you can express in the first person, while in the rest of paper you would address yourself in a third person.