quotes master thesis

101 Inspirational Quotes for Thesis: Finding the Words

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of inspirational quotes to help you stay motivated and inspired as you work on your thesis. From words of encouragement to motivational reminders, these quotes are perfect for inspiring you to stay focused, positive, and productive throughout the writing process. So, if you’re looking for some inspiration to help you write your thesis or know someone who is, keep reading for 101 uplifting quotes that will inspire and empower you to achieve your academic goals.

101 Inspirational Quotes for Thesis

1. “In the pursuit of knowledge, one finds the courage to redefine possibilities.”

2. “A thesis is not just a conclusion; it’s a journey of self-discovery and growth.”

3. “Through the lens of perseverance, the thesis unveils its true brilliance.”

4. “Doubt not your abilities, for within a thesis lies the power to transform minds.”

5. “In the face of challenges, a thesis becomes a testament to unwavering determination.”

6. “The thesis is the symphony of ideas, harmonizing the rhythm of academia.”

7. “To write a thesis is to sow seeds of wisdom, nurturing the fields of innovation.”

8. “Amidst the darkest doubts, the thesis illuminates the path to enlightenment.”

9. “In the pursuit of truth, a thesis unveils the beauty of intellectual honesty.”

10. “A thesis is the manifestation of dreams woven into scholarly reality.”

11. “The thesis is the mirror reflecting the researcher’s soul.”

12. “Within the labyrinth of knowledge, the thesis becomes the guiding star.”

13. “Like a phoenix rising, the thesis transforms the ashes of uncertainty into knowledge.”

14. “A thesis stands tall on the pillars of curiosity and resilience.”

15. “Through the valleys of research, the thesis climbs mountains of understanding.”

16. “A thesis whispers the language of change, echoing across generations.”

17. “The thesis is the bridge connecting the realm of questions to the land of answers.”

18. “A thesis is a garden where ideas bloom and bloom again.”

19. “In the face of ambiguity, the thesis paints clarity with words.”

20. “Within the binding of a thesis, dreams ascend to new heights.”

21. “The thesis is the constellation of ideas, mapping the universe of knowledge.”

22. “A thesis is the masterpiece of dedication and intellectual artistry.”

23. “Through the storm of doubt, a thesis emerges as a beacon of certainty.”

24. “Within the crucible of research, the thesis forges diamonds of understanding.”

25. “A thesis is the whisper of knowledge, shared through the corridors of time.”

26. “In the symphony of academia, the thesis is the crescendo of brilliance.”

27. “A thesis is not just an end, but a beginning of limitless possibilities.”

28. “Through the tapestry of research, the thesis weaves the fabric of progress.”

29. “The thesis is the elixir of wisdom, nurturing minds for generations to come.”

30. “A thesis is a road less traveled, where innovation finds its way.”

31. “In the garden of academia, the thesis blossoms like a rare and precious flower.”

32. “The thesis is the compass guiding explorers through the seas of knowledge.”

33. “A thesis is the echo of countless voices, shaping the future of understanding.”

34. “Through the dance of words, the thesis paints portraits of enlightenment.”

35. “The thesis is the flame that ignites the torch of wisdom in others.”

36. “A thesis stands firm, an everlasting monument to intellectual achievement.”

37. “In the silence of contemplation, the thesis speaks volumes of insight.”

38. “The thesis is the heartbeat of curiosity, pulsing with the rhythm of discovery.”

39. “A thesis is the symphony of thoughts, composed with the pen of wisdom.”

40. “Through the tunnel of research, the thesis emerges into the light of knowledge.”

41. “The thesis is the lighthouse that guides scholars through uncharted waters.”

42. “A thesis is the constellation of ideas, illuminating the sky of academia.”

43. “In the realm of academia, the thesis reigns as the king of enlightenment.”

44. “The thesis is the gateway to new worlds, unlocked by the key of knowledge.”

45. “A thesis is the river that flows through the valleys of understanding.”

46. “Through the crucible of challenges, the thesis emerges as a beacon of triumph.”

47. “The thesis is the chisel that sculpts the statue of academic brilliance.”

48. “A thesis is the seed that germinates into forests of innovative ideas.”

49. “In the tapestry of research, the thesis weaves the threads of brilliance.”

50. “The thesis is the orchestra, harmonizing the melody of knowledge.”

51. “A thesis is the compass, guiding explorers through the uncharted territory of knowledge.”

52. “Through the dance of ideas, the thesis orchestrates the symphony of enlightenment.”

53. “The thesis is the beacon of light, leading others out of the darkness of ignorance.”

54. “A thesis is the catalyst that sparks the wildfire of curiosity.”

55. “In the garden of academia, the thesis blooms like a rare and exquisite flower.”

56. “The thesis is the constellation of insights, mapping the vast universe of knowledge.”

57. “A thesis is not just an end, but the beginning of a journey into unexplored realms.”

58. “Through the labyrinth of research, the thesis finds the hidden treasure of wisdom.”

59. “The thesis is the heartbeat of scholarly pursuit, pulsing with the rhythm of progress.”

60. “A thesis is the mirror reflecting the soul of the researcher, forever imprinted in ink.”

61. “In the symphony of ideas, the thesis is the crescendo of brilliance.”

62. “The thesis is the bridge that connects the realm of questions to the land of answers.”

63. “A thesis is the seed that sprouts into forests of innovation and progress.”

64. “Through the storm of doubt, the thesis emerges as a beacon of certainty.”

65. “The thesis is the symphony of thoughts, composed with the pen of wisdom.”

66. “A thesis is the whisper of knowledge, shared across generations.”

67. “In the dance of words, the thesis paints portraits of enlightenment.”

68. “The thesis is the compass that guides explorers through the uncharted seas of knowledge.”

69. “A thesis is the lighthouse that shines light on the path of understanding.”

70. “Through the crucible of challenges, the thesis emerges as a beacon of triumph.”

71. “The thesis is the chisel that sculpts the statue of academic brilliance.”

72. “A thesis is the seed that germinates into forests of innovative ideas.”

73. “In the tapestry of research, the thesis weaves the threads of brilliance.”

74. “The thesis is the orchestra, harmonizing the melody of knowledge.”

75. “A thesis is the compass, guiding explorers through the uncharted territory of knowledge.”

76. “Through the dance of ideas, the thesis orchestrates the symphony of enlightenment.”

77. “The thesis is the beacon of light, leading others out of the darkness of ignorance.”

78. “A thesis is the catalyst that sparks the wildfire of curiosity.”

79. “In the garden of academia, the thesis blooms like a rare and exquisite flower.”

80. “The thesis is the constellation of insights, mapping the vast universe of knowledge.”

81. “A thesis is not just an end, but the beginning of a journey into unexplored realms.”

82. “Through the labyrinth of research, the thesis finds the hidden treasure of wisdom.”

83. “The thesis is the heartbeat of scholarly pursuit, pulsing with the rhythm of progress.”

84. “A thesis is the mirror reflecting the soul of the researcher, forever imprinted in ink.”

85. “In the symphony of ideas, the thesis is the crescendo of brilliance.”

86. “The thesis is the bridge that connects the realm of questions to the land of answers.”

87. “A thesis is the seed that sprouts into forests of innovation and progress.”

88. “Through the storm of doubt, the thesis emerges as a beacon of certainty.”

89. “The thesis is the symphony of thoughts, composed with the pen of wisdom.”

90. “A thesis is the whisper of knowledge, shared across generations.”

91. “In the dance of words, the thesis paints portraits of enlightenment.”

92. “The thesis is the compass that guides explorers through the uncharted seas of knowledge.”

93. “A thesis is the lighthouse that shines light on the path of understanding.”

94. “Through the crucible of challenges, the thesis emerges as a beacon of triumph.”

95. “The thesis is the chisel that sculpts the statue of academic brilliance.”

96. “A thesis is the seed that germinates into forests of innovative ideas.”

97. “In the tapestry of research, the thesis weaves the threads of brilliance.”

98. “The thesis is the orchestra, harmonizing the melody of knowledge.”

99. “A thesis is the compass, guiding explorers through the uncharted territory of knowledge.”

100. “Through the dance of ideas, the thesis orchestrates the symphony of enlightenment.”

101. “The thesis is the beacon of light, leading others out of the darkness of ignorance.”

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

30 Best Motivational Quotes For Research Students

30 best motivational quotes for research students – postgraduate study.

What is the 30 best motivational quotes for research students ? Sometimes, you just need additional motivation and inspiration to push you through hard times and remain focused to finish what you started. To do that, you need to have a positive mindset all the time.

Read the following 30 best motivational quotes for research students  to help you finish your postgraduate study, regardless of what they might be. Use them as motivation and inspiration to accomplish contentment as well as attainment.

1. Identify Your Research Interests

1. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs

2. “Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.” – Wernher von Braun

3. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

4. “In much of society, research means to investigate something you do not know or understand.” – Neil Armstrong

5. “Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.” – Wayne Dyer

Related:  5 Different In Text Citation Styles You Need To Know In Journal

2. Always Believe That You Can Do It

6. “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson

7. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar

8. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison

9. “All our dreams can come true… if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

10. “You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Christopher Columbus

Related:  Craft An Enthralling Introduction In Academic Writing For Non-Native English Speakers

3. Envision Greatness

11. “I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail, than to attempt nothing and succeed.” – Robert H. Schuller

12. “There is always room at the top.” – Daniel Webster

13. “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” – JK Rowling

14. “My favorite animal is the turtle. The reason is that in order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out. There are going to be times in your life when you’re going to have to stick your neck out. There will be challenges and instead of hiding in a shell, you have to go out and meet them.” – Ruth Westheimer

15. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Related:  5 Best Place To Study PhD At Emerging Economies Countries

4. Plan and Schedule To Achieve Your Research Milestones

16.“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon hill

17. “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.” – Nora Roberts

18. “Without some goal and some efforts to reach it, no man can live.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

19. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” – Dr. Seuss

20. “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Related:  Top 5 Best Academic Research Management Software

5. No Talk, Take Action

21. “One day, you’re 17 and you’re planning for someday. And then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life. – John Green

22. “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot. Make it hot by striking.” – William Butler Yeats

23. “I can’t imagine a person becoming a success who doesn’t give this game of life everything he’s got.” – Walter Cronkite

24. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” – A. Branson Alcott

25. “Without ambition, one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

6. Enjoy The Postgraduate Journey

26. “Life is short, liv26. “Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish it.” – Anonymous

27. “Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.” – Nelson Mandela

28. “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal. We never lose, somehow we win out.” – Ronald Reagan

29. “The person who makes a success of living is the one who see his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.” – Bob Dylan

30.“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

Related:  Compelling Resume: 10 Best Websites To Craft Job-Winning Resumes

Do you feel inspire and motivate after reading the 30 best motivational quotes for research students or do you have any other motivational and inspirational quotes in your mind that I missed in this list? If so, feel free to share it in the comments section below. Cheers!

We Promise Just One Thing: Get Published In Q1 Journal

Chiong Sie Jing

Sie Jing is an experienced proofreader and copyeditor with 8+ years of experience proofreading and editing for a variety of clients. He has helped many PhD students to publish their research in international journals with high impact factor. He is also a Certified Internet Marketing Practitioner (CIMP) & Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB).

Previous Post 3 Tips To Use Your Voice As A Speaking Communication Tools

Next post similarity index & plagiarism in academic research journal article writing, recommended for you.

How to Solve USB 3.0 Not Connecting with USB?

Everyone needs some extra motivation from time to time. PhD students are no exception. Here is a list of the 20 best motivational quotes for PhD students.

1. You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.

– Maya Angelo

2. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

– Aristotle

3. Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.

– Eleanor Roosevelt

4. If you work on something a little bit every day, you end up with something that is massive.

– Kenneth Goldsmith

5. Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

– William James

You may also like: The 20 best motivational quotes for academic success

6. Everything is hard before it is easy.

7. our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall..

– Confucius

8. If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.

9. i never lose. either i win or learn..

– Nelson Mandela

10. Life is a balance between holding on and letting go.

11. remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. try approving of yourself and see what happens..

– Louise L Hay

12. We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

– Joseph Campbell

13. The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.

– Albert Einstein

14. Failure after long perseverance is much grander than never to have a striving good enough to be called a failure.

– George Eliot

15. If you don’t write, nothing will change.

16. action is the foundational key to all success..

– Pablo Picasso

17. If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.

– Martin Luther King Jr.

18. Done is better than perfect.

– Sheryl Sandberg

19. Believe you can and you’re halfway there.

– Theodore Roosevelt

20. To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox!

Subscribe and receive Master Academia's quarterly newsletter.

Funding sources for PhD studies in Europe

Character traits of 'bad' phd students, related articles.

Stress levels: PhD versus non-academic full-time job

The best answers to “Why do you want to do a PhD?”

Finish a PhD (in time) by choosing the right project

The best answers to “What are your plans after graduation?”

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Dissertation
• Thesis & Dissertation Acknowledgements | Tips & Examples

Thesis & Dissertation Acknowledgements | Tips & Examples

Published on May 3, 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on July 18, 2023.

The acknowledgements section is your opportunity to thank those who have helped and supported you personally and professionally during your thesis or dissertation process.

Thesis or dissertation acknowledgements appear between your title page and abstract  and should be no longer than one page.

In your acknowledgements, it’s okay to use a more informal style than is usually permitted in academic writing , as well as first-person pronouns . Acknowledgements are not considered part of the academic work itself, but rather your chance to write something more personal.

To get started, download our step-by-step template in the format of your choice below. We’ve also included sample sentence starters to help you construct your acknowledgments section from scratch.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Who to thank in your acknowledgements, how to write acknowledgements, acknowledgements section example, acknowledgements dos and don’ts, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the acknowledgements section.

Generally, there are two main categories of acknowledgements: professional and personal .

A good first step is to check your university’s guidelines, as they may have rules or preferences about the order, phrasing, or layout of acknowledgements. Some institutions prefer that you keep your acknowledgements strictly professional.

Regardless, it’s usually a good idea to place professional acknowledgements first, followed by any personal ones. You can then proceed by ranking who you’d like to thank from most formal to least.

• Chairs, supervisors, or defense committees
• Funding bodies
• Other academics (e.g., colleagues or cohort members)
• Editors or proofreaders
• Librarians, research/laboratory assistants, or study participants
• Family, friends, or pets

Typically, it’s only necessary to mention people who directly supported you during your thesis or dissertation. However, if you feel that someone like a high school physics teacher was a great inspiration on the path to your current research, feel free to include them as well.

Professional acknowledgements

It is crucial to avoid overlooking anyone who helped you professionally as you completed your thesis or dissertation. As a rule of thumb, anyone who directly contributed to your research process, from figuring out your dissertation topic to your final proofread, should be mentioned.

A few things to keep in mind include:

• Even if you feel your chair didn’t help you very much, you should still thank them first to avoid looking like you’re snubbing them.
• Be sure to follow academic conventions, using full names with titles where appropriate.
• If several members of a group or organization assisted you, mention the collective name only.
• Remember the ethical considerations around anonymized data. If you wish to protect someone’s privacy, use only their first name or a generic identifier (such as “the interviewees”)/

Personal acknowledgements

There is no need to mention every member of your family or friend group. However, if someone was particularly inspiring or supportive, you may wish to mention them specifically. Many people choose to thank parents, partners, children, friends, and even pets, but you can mention anyone who offered moral support or encouragement, or helped you in a tangible or intangible way.

Some students may wish to dedicate their dissertation to a deceased influential person in their personal life. In this case, it’s okay to mention them first, before any professional acknowledgements.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

After you’ve compiled a list of who you’d like to thank, you can then sort your list into rank order. Separate everyone you listed into “major thanks,” “big thanks,” and “minor thanks” categories.

• “Major thanks” are given to people who your project would be impossible without. These are often predominantly professional acknowledgements, such as your advisor, chair, and committee, as well as any funders.
• “Big thanks” are an in-between, for those who helped you along the way or helped you grow intellectually, such as classmates, peers, or librarians.
• “Minor thanks” can be a catch-all for everyone else, especially those who offered moral support or encouragement. This can include personal acknowledgements, such as parents, partners, children, friends, or even pets.

How to phrase your acknowledgements

To avoid acknowledgements that sound repetitive or dull, consider changing up your phrasing. Here are some examples of common sentence starters you can use for each category.

Note that you do not need to write any sort of conclusion or summary at the end. You can simply end the acknowledgements with your last thank you.

Here’s an example of how you can combine the different sentences to write your acknowledgements.

A simple construction consists of a sentence starter (in purple highlight ), followed by the person or entity mentioned (in green highlight ), followed by what you’re thanking them for (in yellow highlight .)

Acknowledgements

Words cannot express my gratitude to my professor and chair of my committee for her invaluable patience and feedback. I also could not have undertaken this journey without my defense committee, who generously provided knowledge and expertise. Additionally, this endeavor would not have been possible without the generous support from the MacArthur Foundation, who financed my research .

I am also grateful to my classmates and cohort members, especially my office mates, for their editing help, late-night feedback sessions, and moral support. Thanks should also go to the librarians, research assistants, and study participants from the university, who impacted and inspired me.

Lastly, I would be remiss in not mentioning my family, especially my parents, spouse, and children. Their belief in me has kept my spirits and motivation high during this process. I would also like to thank my cat for all the entertainment and emotional support.

• Write in first-person, professional language
• Thank your professional contacts first
• Include full names, titles, and roles of professional acknowledgements
• Include personal or intangible supporters, like friends, family, or even pets
• Mention funding bodies and what they funded
• Appropriately anonymize or group research participants or non-individual acknowledgments

Don’t:

• Use informal language or slang
• Go over one page in length
• Mention people who had only a peripheral or minor impact on your work

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Research bias

• Anchoring bias
• Halo effect
• The Baader–Meinhof phenomenon
• The placebo effect
• Nonresponse bias
• Deep learning
• Generative AI
• Machine learning
• Reinforcement learning
• Supervised vs. unsupervised learning

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

In the acknowledgements of your thesis or dissertation, you should first thank those who helped you academically or professionally, such as your supervisor, funders, and other academics.

Then you can include personal thanks to friends, family members, or anyone else who supported you during the process.

Yes, it’s important to thank your supervisor(s) in the acknowledgements section of your thesis or dissertation .

Even if you feel your supervisor did not contribute greatly to the final product, you must acknowledge them, if only for a very brief thank you. If you do not include your supervisor, it may be seen as a snub.

The acknowledgements are generally included at the very beginning of your thesis , directly after the title page and before the abstract .

In a thesis or dissertation, the acknowledgements should usually be no longer than one page. There is no minimum length.

You may acknowledge God in your dissertation acknowledgements , but be sure to follow academic convention by also thanking the members of academia, as well as family, colleagues, and friends who helped you.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

George, T. (2023, July 18). Thesis & Dissertation Acknowledgements | Tips & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/acknowledgements/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

Other students also liked, dissertation layout and formatting, thesis & dissertation title page | free templates & examples, how to write an abstract | steps & examples, "i thought ai proofreading was useless but..".

I've been using Scribbr for years now and I know it's a service that won't disappoint. It does a good job spotting mistakes”

Market Research

17 research quotes to inspire and amuse you

Being a researcher requires dedication, hard work and more than a little inspiration. Here’s something to boost the last item on that list.

We’ve sourced some of the most interesting and thought-provoking research quotes we can find. We hope they’ll leave you feeling inspired and motivated to start – or complete – your best ever research project.

As these quotes show, research is a common thread running through all kinds of professions and pursuits, from Ancient Rome right up to the present day. If you practice research, you’re part of a long list of people throughout history, all dedicated to finding new knowledge and ideas that ultimately make the world a better place.

Looking for the most recent trends to enhance your results?

Free eBook: The new era of market research is about intelligence

1. “No research without action, no action without research”

- Kurt Lewin

Lewin (1890-1947) was a German-American social psychologist. He’s known for his theory that human behavior is a function of our psychological environment.

2. “Research is seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.”

- Albert Szent-Györgyi 

Szent-Györgyi (1893-1986)  was a Hungarian pharmacologist known for his work on vitamins and oxidation. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937.

3. "Bad news sells papers. It also sells market research."

- Byron Sharp 

Sharp is Professor of Marketing Science and Director of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, the world’s largest centre for research into marketing.

4. "In fact, the world needs more nerds."

- Ben Bernanke

Bernanke is an American economist and former chair of the board of governors at the United Stares Federal Reserve.

5. "Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing."

- Wernher von Braun

Von Braun (1912-1977) was a German-American physicist and rocket engineer whose team launched the first US satellite into space.

6. "Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose."

- Zora Neale Hurston

Hurston (1891-1960) was an American anthropologist and writer known for her research and writing on slavery, race, folklore and the African-American experience.

7. "Research is creating new knowledge."

- Neil Armstrong

Armstrong (1930-2012) was an American astronaut famed for being the first man to walk on the Moon.

8. "I believe in innovation and that the way you get innovation is you fund research and you learn the basic facts."

- Bill Gates

Gates needs little introduction – he’s an entrepreneur, philanthropist and the founder of Microsoft.

9. “The best research you can do is talk to people”

- Terry Pratchett

Pratchett is an award-winning British science fiction and fantasy author. He was knighted in 2009. He is known for The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the Discworld series.

10. “Research means that you don’t know, but are willing to find out”

- Charles F. Kettering

Kettering (1876-1958) was an American engineer, known for inventing the electric starter used in combustion engines, as well as other automobile technologies.

11. “Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.”

- Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius (121-180) was a Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher.

12. “It is a good thing for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast.“

- Konrad Lorenz

Lorenz (1903-1989) was an Austrian biologist known for his game-changing research on animal behavior. He was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973.

13. “Research is something that everyone can do, and everyone ought to do. It is simply collecting information and thinking systematically about it.”

- Raewyn Connell

Connell is an Australian sociologist. She is a former professor of at the University of Sydney and is known for her work on gender and transgender studies.

14. “As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.”

- Antoine de Saint Exupery

De Saint Exupery (1900-1944) was a French aviator, author and poet, best known for his story The Little Prince, one of the best-selling books of all time.

15. “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.”

- Arthur Conan Doyle (writing as Sherlock Holmes)

Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a British crime writer and creator of the legendary Sherlock Holmes, master of deduction.

16. “If we knew what we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”

- Albert Einstein

Maybe the most famous scientist of all time, Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German physicist who came up with the theory of relativity. However, it was his description of the photoelectric effect, the interplay between light and electrically charged atoms, that won him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.

17. “The power of statistics and the clean lines of quantitative research appealed to me, but I fell in love with the richness and depth of qualitative research.”

- Brené Brown

Brown is a researcher and storyteller studying courage, shame, empathy and vulnerability. She is a best-selling author and inspirational speaker. She is a research professor at the University of Houston.

Sarah Fisher

Related Articles

June 27, 2023

The fresh insights people: Scaling research at Woolworths Group

June 20, 2023

Bank less, delight more: How Bankwest built an engine room for customer obsession

June 16, 2023

How Qualtrics Helps Three Local Governments Drive Better Outcomes Through Data Insights

April 1, 2023

Academic Experience

Great survey questions: How to write them & avoid common mistakes

March 21, 2023

Sample size calculator

March 9, 2023

Experience Management

X4 2023: See the XM innovations unveiled for customer research, marketing, and insights teams

February 22, 2023

Achieving better insights and better product delivery through in-house research

December 6, 2022

Improved Topic Sentiment Analysis using Discourse Segmentation

Stay up to date with the latest xm thought leadership, tips and news., request demo.

Ready to learn more about Qualtrics?

The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

Thesis acknowledgements: Samples and how to write your own thesis or dissertation acknowledgements

Writing a thesis can be tricky. That’s why I’m starting a new series covering each section of the thesis, from thesis acknowledgements all the way to conclusions. I’ll be guiding you through the whole process, from what to include in your thesis to how to write it, along with examples from defended theses to help you to write your own.

We’ll begin by covering thesis acknowledgments. The acknowledgements section appears at the start of the thesis so it is often one of the first parts that everyone tries to tackle. As this will likely be your first taste of your thesis it can often feel quite intimidating to write!

Thankfully it’s also one of the easiest parts of the thesis to complete, which may help to give you a boost for the rest.

In this post we’ll cover everything to do with thesis acknowledgements: samples, what to include and how to write them. At the end I’ll also outline a 60 minute exercise which will get you preparing a first draft of your own! I’ve also got a similar post to craft your thesis title, which you can check out here .

I’m writing this post with a PhD thesis in mind but it could work just as well if you’re looking for help including acknowledgements in your Master’s or undergraduate thesis/ dissertation.

What is the purpose of the acknowledgements section in a thesis?

The acknowledgements section of your thesis is an opportunity to reflect on the people who have supported and shaped your PhD experience.

Don’t worry, although your examiners will be interested to read your acknowledgements section, you won’t really get judged on it in your PhD viva. This section is for you to share as little, or as much, as you want about everyone involved in your PhD journey.

The acknowledgements are a very personal section of your thesis and each PhD student will have different things they want to include. For example, many people wonder: How do I thank my family in a thesis? And the acknowledgements section is the answer!

Note – You can also use a thesis dedication to thank your family. This is a separate section to your thesis acknowledgements and is entirely optional. It’s usually just a single line, just like you might find at the front of some books. Most people don’t include a separate dedication section but you can if you want to go that extra step.

What to include in your thesis acknowledgements

There are usually no formal requirements dictating what to include in your acknowledgements. However, do double check for any potential rules at your specific institution.

In general the acknowledgements are the section of your thesis where you have some creative liberty and are not bound by rigid research protocols or guidelines.

Many students choose to use the acknowledgements section to thank people (or organisations) who:

• Introduced them to the topic
• Helped with their PhD application
• Funded the project
• Supervisors
• Technicians
• Partners, friends or family
• Or anyone else who made an impression along the way!

But remember, you can include whatever you want! For example in my own PhD acknowledgements, which you’ll read further down this post, I thanked the university for providing a green outdoor space for us.

Acknowledge whoever and whatever influenced your own PhD experience.

You may find it helpful to start by writing a list of everyone you wish to thank.

How do you write an acknowledgements section?

Since there are no guidelines to worry about, it is really up to you how you write your own thesis acknowledgements. You have a lot of freedom for what to include and how to write it.

However you may find the following suggested phases helpful as a starting point.

Who you want to thank…

• “First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to…”
• “I must thank…”
• “A special thanks to…”
• “I would like to highlight two truly exceptional people from…”
• “I want to thank…”
• “In addition, I would like to mention”
• “I would also like to extend my thanks to…”
• “I want to give my deepest appreciation to…”
• “Finally, but the most importantly, I would like to thank…”

…then, why you want to thank them

It can be nice to also include why you’re thanking these people, using phrases such as:

• “…for the opportunity to be a part of this project”
• “…for always being there when I needed his support, reviewing my progress constantly, and guiding me through my PhD studies”
• “….for being a great bunch of people in and out of the lab”
• …”for all the guidance, support and outstanding feedback”
• “… who took their time to help teach me…”
• “…for her unlimited support and unconditional guidance during my PhD journey”
• “…were always there for discussions about anything that I was unsure on”
• “…whom has offered invaluable advice that will benefit me throughout my life”
• “…for supporting me since my undergraduate, and for the valuable discussions we had along the road”
• “…for making the past 4 years much more enjoyable and keeping me sane throughout the whole process”

Here is a whole example from an accepted PhD thesis:

Firstly, I want to thank [supervisor’s name(s)] for giving me the opportunity to work on this project, providing valuable guidance and feedback, and challenging me to grow as a scientist.  Excerpt from Dr Wane’s thesis acknowledgements, available via this page or use this direct download link .

Some people will choose to use full names and titles for any professional acknowledgements and first names for any personal ones. Again, this is up to you.

To help illustrate the variety of thesis acknowledgement formats, we’ll shortly be coming on to some examples of acknowledgment sections from successfully defended theses.

Before then I want to cover some of the main questions relating to how to write your own thesis acknowledgements section:

How long should you spend writing your thesis acknowledgements?

My suggestion is to spend only an hour or two making a first draft. I suggest doing this well ahead of your final deadline so that you have time to come back to it. Even so, I’d certainly look to spend far less than one day’s work on it in total.

It is a “nice to have” and means a lot to a lot of people, but remember you’re really only writing this section for yourself. I probably spent about two hours writing mine in total, simply because it wasn’t a priority for me.

What order should you write your acknowledgements in?

A typical way to write your acknowledgements is to go from the most formal/academic relationships to the least.

It is normal to start with any funding bodies, then formal people like your PhD supervisors, then move through labmates, friends and family. But again, there are generally no rules!

How long should the acknowledgements section be?

You can include as much or as little as you want. My own PhD acknowledgements section was just under a page long and it consisted of 386 words or 1892 characters (without spaces).

Here is how it was formatted:

But let’s not just look at my thesis. Using Imperial’s publicly accessible database I went through 25 published PhD theses for you.

The average (mean) length of these 25 theses was 365 words and 1793 characters without spaces. Writing an acknowledgements section of length 350-450 words was the most common:

The shortest acknowledgements sections was 122 words(653 characters) long. The longest one consisted of 1022 words and 5082 characters. Hopefully this illustrates that you’re not really bound by any limits. Write as much or as little as you want for this section.

Sample thesis acknowledgements

My own phd thesis acknowledgement.

My own PhD thesis is available here *, the acknowledgements section is on page 5. Here is the complete version of my acknowledgements section:

I would like to acknowledge both EPSRC and the Class of 1964 Scholarship for their financial support. It has been an honour to be the inaugural recipient of the Class of 1964 Scholarship and I am indebted to the donors in providing me complete academic freedom in this research. An immense thank you to my PhD supervisors: Jonathan Jeffers, Ulrich Hansen and Julian Jones. Support and guidance throughout the project from you all has been invaluable. JJ in particular you’ve been a fantastic primary supervisor. Thank you to all the academics who helped me get to this stage. The late Dr Kajal Mallick and his Biomedical Materials course at the University of Warwick was a huge influence and without which I would have never followed this path. My “pre-doc” supervisors in Dr Helen Lee of University of Cambridge and in particular the remarkable Prof Judith Hall OBE of Cardiff University from whom I learned so much. Thanks to Alison Paul and Michael Lim for being so supportive when I was considering applying for PhDs. It has been an amazing experience working between two research groups across different departments, thanks to everyone from the Biomechanics and JRJ groups I’ve worked with and from whom I’ve learned so much. Thank you of course to the Hybrids team I’ve worked so closely on this project with: Fra, Gloria, Agathe, Maria, Silvia, it’s been great fun working with you all! Gloria in particular thanks for you all your help, support and friendship: your inclusivity is appreciated by many. Saman, I’ve been so pleased to have you working on DVC with me and being able to discuss ideas with you really has been invaluable. I am grateful to everyone I’ve collaborated with externally: Farah, Amin and Brett (Natural History Museum) plus Andy and Behzad (Royal Veterinary College), thank you all for your support and input. Thanks also to everyone I’ve met through the Environmental Society at Imperial in particular Chelcie: your friendship and support have added a lot to my life. Thanks to Imperial for providing space for the ESoc garden, taking a break and enjoy nature in this space has certainly improved my work. Thanks of course to my family for their support. Finally, thank you Jo for always being so supportive and helping me every step of the way. My PhD thesis, available here . Acknowledgements are on page 5.

*For me the thesis was a means to an end. I wanted my PhD and didn’t want to spend too long agonising over each page. Therefore, it is possible there are typos in there, if you read any of it: firstly well done, I haven’t looked at it much since submitting the final copy, secondly, please don’t tell me about any typos you find!

Other PhD thesis acknowledgement examples

Below are the other 24 published and openly accessible STEM PhD theses I found for this article.

For each person’s thesis, either follow the first link to be taken to the landing page or follow the second link to directly download their thesis: I gave you a choice in case you don’t want stuff to start downloading automatically from a random text link!

The list is formatted as follows:

• [Link to thesis page on repository], [which page the acknowledgements appear on], [direct link to download the thesis]
• Dr Shipman’s thesis , for the acknowledgements go to page 3. Direct download here .
• Longest acknowledgements section of the list at 1022 words.
• Dr Li’s thesis , page 11. Direct download here .
• Dr Podgurschi’s thesis , page 5. Direct download here .
• Dr Medjeral-Thomas’ thesis page 3. Direct download here .
• Dr Sztuc’s thesis , page 5. Direct download here .
• Dr Yap’s thesis , page 5. Direct download here .
• Dr Sukkar’s thesis , page 9. Direct download here .
• Dr Lo’s thesis , page 11. Direct download here .
• Dr Sullivan’s thesis , page 5. Direct download here .
• Dr Tawy’s thesis , page 3. Direct download here .
• Dr Wane’s thesis , page 2. Direct download here .
• Dr Addison’s thesis , page 4. Direct download here .
• Dr Wang’s thesis , page 5. Direct download here .
• Dr Sebest’s thesis , page 3. Direct download here .
• Dr Hopkins’ thesis , page 7. Direct download here .
• Dr Bates’s thesis , page 4. Direct download here .
• Dr Somuyiwa’s thesis , page 6. Direct download here .
• Dr Reynolds’ thesis , page 5. Direct download here .
• My labmate’s thesis, who wrote the acknowledgements in a different style to the rest by using bullet points.
• Shortest acknowledgements section of the list at 122 words.
• Dr Manca’s thesis , acknowledgements on page 5. Direct download here .
• Dr Liu’s thesis , page 5. Direct download here .
• Dr Hotinli’s thesis , page 7. Direct download here .

My top tips for writing your own thesis acknowledgements

• Don’t spend too long on them. The acknowledgements section is really not worth spending too much time on. Even worse, since they appear at the start of your thesis, it is tempting to write your acknowledgements first. This can be fine, or, it can be an opportunity for lots of unnecessary procrastination. Which I why I instead suggest that you…
• Write your acknowledgements at the end of your first draft of the thesis. There is no need to write your thesis in the order it is presented. If you write your acknowledgements at the end you’ll be less likely to spend precious time on a section which really doesn’t warrant too much brain power.
• Don’t stress about it. The acknowledgements are merely for yourself and for anyone close to you that you want to thank. There are far more important sections for you to be particular about!
• Remember: You can make changes after you submit the copy for your viva. As with everything in your thesis, you can make changes after you submit the thesis for your viva. The real “final” copy is when you submit your thesis to the university for archiving. Which is even more reason to not spend too much time writing it the first time around.

Draft your own thesis or dissertation acknowledgements in 60 minutes

Hopefully you now feel inspired to start writing your own thesis acknowledgments!

For the exercise below I’d suggest setting a stop-watch on your phone and move on to the next section when the alarm goes, even if you’ve not fully finished. The aim is to have a rough draft at the end which you can polish off at a later point in time.

• Read a few of the example thesis acknowledgements above to get a feel for the structure ( 15 mins )
• List everyone (or everything!) you wish to thank – including any personal and professional acknowledgements in addition to funding bodies if relevant ( 10 mins )
• Decide on a rough order in which to thank them ( 5 mins )
• Craft some sentences using the phrases mentioned above ( 30 mins )

Congratulations you’re now well on your way to having one section of your PhD thesis completed!

I hope this post has been useful for constructing your own thesis or dissertation acknowledgements. It is the first in a series of posts aiming to help your thesis writing by delving into each section in depth. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for other content which you would find useful.

Subscribe below to stay updated about future posts in the series:

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

Thesis Title: Examples and Suggestions from a PhD Grad

23rd February 2024 23rd February 2024

How to Stay Healthy as a Student

25th January 2024 25th January 2024

How to Master LinkedIn for Academics & PhD Students

22nd December 2023 22nd December 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Privacy Overview