Kolomiitseva Alexandra, TF

Acknowledgments and references

Acknowledgments. In this section you should give credit to people who have helped you with
the research or with writing the paper. If your work has been supported by a grant, you would also
give credit for that in this section.
The dissertation acknowledgements section is where you thank those who have helped and
supported you during the research and writing process. This includes both professional and
personal acknowledgements.
The dissertation acknowledgements appear directly after the title page and before the abstract, and
should usually be no longer than one page. The writing style for dissertation acknowledgements
can be more informal, as this is not part of the academic work itself — it is your chance to write
something more personal. For that reason, may use personal pronouns in this section.
Generally, there are two categories of acknowledgements: professional and personal.
It is wise to place the professional acknowledgements first, as there is a certain political aspect to
keep in mind when writing. Though there is no set rule, the standard order is to move from most
formal to least:
funders → supervisors → other academics → colleagues → family and friends
For some acknowledgements, you may wish to keep it simple and say only “thank you.” For others,
you might like to outline exactly how they helped you, as this is more meaningful.
Professional acknowledgements
It is important not to overlook anybody, particularly those in the professional sphere, who may
have helped along the way.
You must mention the members of academia and funders who contributed to research. This might
include:
 funding bodies
 supervisors
 professors
 laboratory assistants
 librarians
 colleagues
 editors/proofreaders (a requirement at some universities)
 classmates
 research participants (e.g. people who completed a survey to help you gather data)
Be sure to use full names, with titles. If several members of a group or organization assisted you,
mention the collective name only.
If an authoritative person in our field of study discussed your research with you or gave feedback
in any form, mentioning their contribution, however limited it may have been, will help strengthen
the authority of your our research.
We can use these as sample acknowledgment for your thesis or report.
 1. “I would like to pay my regards to…”
2. “I would like to show my gratitude to…”
3. “I wish to present my special thanks to…”
4. “It is whole-heartedly expressed that your advices for my research proved to be a
landmark effort towards the success of my project.”
5. “I would like to thank all those whose assistance proved to be a milestone in the
accomplishment of my end goal.”
6. “Just wishing to recognize the valuable help of all provided during my research.”

References.When we paraphrase or quote information from another source in a research paper,

essay, or other written work, cite the original source of the information. Otherwise, our readers
believe we are trying to pass this information off as our original thought. Proper citation adds
credibility to our work and provides evidence to support any arguments we make. Your citations
also give our readers the opportunity to further explore the topic of our work on their own.
Reasons for citing:
 Academic credibility: show that you have researched your subject
 Readers can find the original information and check its accuracy and context
 Avoid plagiarism: acknowledge other people’s ideas
Standard styles make it easier for readers to find the details they need. The most commonly used
styles are author-date and numerical
To cite a quotation:

In-text. Reproduce the text word for word and place quotation marks at the beginning
and end of the quotation. The author, date and page number must be included.

"Australia is a settler society" (Hudson and Bolton 1997, p. 9).

To cite a paraphrase or a short summary of an author's words or ideas:

Restate the original words/ideas in your own words. The author, date, and page
number(s) must be included.

Wartime textile rationing was imposed through a coupon system, which meant
garments now had two costs: their value in monetary units and in coupons
(McKernan 1995, p. 152)

To cite more than one author:

In-text.Include both names in the order in which they appear on the title page:
(Gerster & Basset 1987) or: Gerster and Basset (1987) assert that...

List of references.

Gerster, R & Basset, J 1991, Seizures of youth: the sixties and Australia, Hyland
House, Melbourne.