Thesis acknowledgments: a complete guide
with examples and special mentions
How to write the acknowledgments section of a thesis or dissertation — structure, special mentions, real examples, and the mistakes that show up most often. Written from a Rome print shop that has bound more than 4,000 theses a year for the last twenty years.
Published 26 May 2026
What thesis acknowledgments actually are
The acknowledgments section of a thesis or dissertation is a short, named-recognition piece that lives in the front matter of the document. It is not the abstract. It is not the preface. It is not a dedication (one line, no detail). It is the place where you name the people who helped you finish — supervisors, committee members, family, partners, peers, and sometimes institutions — and you say, briefly but specifically, what they did.
Length is one page for a master's thesis, one to two pages for a doctoral dissertation. Tone is warm but composed: this is an official document that the institution will archive and future students may read. The voice should sound like you, not like a wedding speech.
Most of what makes acknowledgments memorable happens in two places: concrete detail (saying what the person actually did, not just that they were "supportive") and the special mention — a short, weighted paragraph that singles out one person for particular gratitude. We cover both below.
The "special mention": what it is, when to use it
A special mention is a brief, emphasized acknowledgment — usually placed near the end of the section — that singles out one person (occasionally two) for particular gratitude. It is distinct from the regular list of thank-yous because it carries weight. The phrase itself signals to the reader: this one matters more than a line, less than a chapter.
It is most common in U.S. and Commonwealth academic traditions and is now standard in international degree programs. Italian students writing their thesis in English at programs like Sapienza, LUISS, John Cabot, AUR or NABA use it routinely.
When does a special mention belong?
There is no rule, but the most natural moments are:
- A late family member who shaped your path but did not live to see the work finished — a grandparent, a parent, a sibling.
- A primary supervisor whose contribution went far beyond what was institutionally required.
- A partner whose sustained presence made the entire endeavor possible.
- A mentor outside the academic structure — a former secondary-school teacher, a relative who is also a professional in your field, a community figure.
- A person who is no longer in your life (a friend you lost contact with, a teacher who has retired) whose influence remained visible through the work.
Typical opening phrases
- "A special mention goes to…"
- "I owe a special mention to…"
- "Finally, a special mention to…"
- "I would like to give a special mention to…"
- "A special mention is due to…"
Three real-world examples
Late family member
"A special mention goes to my late grandmother, who taught me to read before I started school and whose quiet confidence in me carried through the longest weeks of writing this thesis. She would have loved to be in the room today."
Supervisor
"I owe a special mention to Professor [Name], whose line-by-line feedback on Chapter 4 — twice — saved this thesis from a serious methodological flaw. The error was mine. The patience was hers."
Partner
"And finally, a special mention to [Name], who lived three years inside this thesis without ever once making me feel I owed her something for it. Every chapter carries a little of her patience in the margins."
Position and length
Special mentions almost always come at the end of the acknowledgments, after the structured thank-yous to supervisors, family and peers. They function as a kind of crescendo. Putting a special mention at the start of the section dilutes its weight.
Length: one to three sentences. A "special" mention loses its meaning if it runs for five paragraphs. Restraint is the point.
Standard order: who to thank, in what sequence
The conventional order in English-language theses moves from formal to personal: institutional first, then academic, then private. You do not have to follow it rigidly, but readers — including your supervisor and committee — will pick up immediately if the structure feels off.
- Funding bodies and institutions (if applicable) — grants, fellowships, scholarship programs, archives.
- Supervisor / advisor — always named, always first among individuals.
- Committee members and second readers — by name, with one concrete contribution each.
- Colleagues and lab/cohort members — group acknowledgment is fine here, with the most significant named individually.
- Family — parents first, then siblings, sometimes grandparents.
- Partner or spouse.
- Friends outside academia.
- Special mention (optional, but increasingly standard).
- A line to yourself (also optional, more common in recent years).
Examples by recipient type
Six recipient categories, six worked examples. Use them as scaffolding, not as templates — the more your acknowledgments sound like you, the better they read.
Your supervisor (advisor)
Always first. Tone: respectful but concrete. Cite one specific intellectual contribution rather than a generic "for her support". Faculty members read these — they prefer substance over flattery.
I would first like to thank my supervisor, Professor [Name], whose detailed feedback on the methodology of Chapter 3 reshaped this thesis at a critical point. Her willingness to push back on my first draft of the literature review made the final argument far stronger than I could have managed alone.
Committee members and second readers
For dissertations: name each committee member, with one specific contribution per person. For master's theses: a single sentence is enough.
I am also grateful to Professor [Name] and Professor [Name] of my committee, whose questions during the proposal defense forced me to think carefully about the framing of my research, and to Dr. [Name] for early feedback on the statistical model.
Family
Parents, siblings, sometimes grandparents. The temptation is to write a generic block ("thanks to my family for their love and support") — resist it. A short, personal detail makes the line memorable; a list of titles does not.
To my parents, [Name] and [Name], who never once asked me when I would finish — even when I was clearly avoiding the question myself. To my brother [Name], for being the only person who actually read my abstract before I submitted it.
Partner or spouse
If the relationship pre-dates the thesis, this comes after family. Tone: warm but composed. The acknowledgments are read by faculty and family alike — keep private detail private.
To [Name], who lived three years inside this project without ever once making me feel I owed her something for it. Every chapter of this thesis carries a little of her patience in the margins.
Friends and colleagues
Distinguish between graduate-school cohort (who shared the daily grind) and friends outside academia (who reminded you there is a world outside). Two short paragraphs work better than one long list of names.
To my colleagues in the doctoral programme — [Names] — for the conversations in the corridor that solved problems I had spent weeks stuck on. To my friends [Names], who did not understand half of what I was working on and listened anyway.
Yourself (optional, increasingly common)
A short final note to yourself has become standard in the last few years, especially in the U.S. and Commonwealth. It is not self-indulgent if it is written with restraint — two or three sentences, not a memoir.
Finally, a quiet acknowledgment to myself — for not stopping when it would have been easier to. For learning to ask for help, and for the long stretches when no one saw the work but the work happened anyway.
Six common mistakes to avoid
After twenty years of binding theses we see the same patterns. The good news: every one of these is fixable in the final draft.
Long name lists with no detail
Thirty names with the same template ("thanks to X, Y, Z, W…") reads like a group greeting card. Pick five to seven primary names and give each two or three sentences of substance. The people you leave out understand — they would have been more offended by an empty mention than by absence.
Hyperbolic flattery toward the supervisor
"The greatest mentor I will ever have the privilege of knowing" embarrasses the reader, the writer, and especially the supervisor. Stay concrete: what did you learn from her, in which moment did his intervention change the direction of the work, why are you grateful for the specific method.
Treating the acknowledgments as an autobiography
This is not the place for long anecdotes from your undergraduate years or quotations from Rilke. One page, perhaps a page and a half. Beyond that, no one reads to the end.
Excessive sentimentality
Tear-jerker openers, dramatic declarations, references to destiny and dreams — less is more. A measured acknowledgment is memorable. An over-the-top one is forgotten.
Private jokes and grudges
The thesis is an official document archived by the institution, often consulted by future students. No ironic asides about ex-partners, no veiled jabs at rival faculty, no inside jokes that only you and one friend will understand. Ten years from now you will be glad you did not.
Typos in names
A misspelled name in the acknowledgments is the kind of detail that stays in the family chat for years. Read it aloud, then ask one person outside the work to read it cold. Fresh eyes catch what yours stopped seeing months ago.
Frequently asked questions
Where do thesis acknowledgments go in the document? +
What is the difference between a dedication and acknowledgments? +
How long should the acknowledgments be? +
Should I write acknowledgments before or after the rest of the thesis? +
Is it appropriate to thank people in a sense of humor? +
Do I need to acknowledge funding sources? +
Can I thank a person who has passed away? +
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