How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Ingredients of the acknowledgments
How to state the acknowledgments
Preparing the text

Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ingredients of the acknowledgments

The main text of a scientific paper is usually followed by two additional sections—namely, the acknowledgments and the references.

As to the acknowledgments, two possible ingredients require consideration.

First, you should acknowledge any significant technical help you received from individuals in your research group or elsewhere. These individuals may include both fellow scientists (and scientists-in-training) and others who helped with your research and its reporting—for example, librarians, statisticians, and any editors who refined your paper before submission. (The listed individuals, however, should be only those providing professional assistance. Unlike in a thesis or book, you should not acknowledge the support of your family, friends, or pets.) You should also acknowledge the source of special equipment, cultures, or other materials.

Second, it is commonly in the acknowledgments that you should note any outside financial assistance, such as grants, contracts, or fellowships. (In this time of scarce funding, we can be especially appreciative of such support.)

An acknowledgments section might include, for example, a statement such as “We thank J. Gomez for assistance with the experiments and R. Liao for valuable discussion.” (Of course, most of us who have been around for a while recognize that this is simply a thinly veiled way of admitting that Gomez did the work and Liao explained what it meant.)

(“Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham. www.phdcomics.com)