dedication and acknowledgement for research paper

Dedication Page for Academic Papers [11 Examples]

The dedication section is where the writer expresses gratitude or others, normally those who have inspired or assisted them in their research and writing. It is usually the shortest page of an academic paper.

The most important thing to remember is that there is NO exact formula for writing a perfect dedication. Dedication is one of the most personal parts of your writing, and you are free to write it however you like.

In this post, we will include examples of dedication for theses, dissertations, research papers and college projects.

Who to include in the dedication section?

Dedication examples for thesis or dissertation.

Most of the dedications in the thesis or dissertation are dedicated to family and friends.

You can express your feelings on why you want to dedicate your writings to these people specifically in this section.

Here are some of the examples which you can use as an example for writing your dedication for your thesis or dissertation.

Dedication for Dissertation/Thesis: Example #1

Dedication for dissertation/thesis: example #2, dedication for dissertation/thesis: example #3, dedication for dissertation/thesis: example #4, dedication for dissertation/thesis: example #5, dedication for dissertation: example #6, dedication examples for research paper.

Here are some examples of dedication written for research papers.

Dedication for Research Paper: Example #1

Dedication for research paper: example #2, dedication for research paper: example #3.

DEDICATION This research is dedicated to all the members of group 5 class 21/2012 for their sacrifice and cooperation in researching this paper. Our appreciation goes to MRS KANGETHE and MR KARIUKI for their guidance in the preparation of the final document and to our colleagues in the SMC 21/2012 for their support.

Dedication for College Projects

Here are two examples of dedication for college projects:

Dedication for College Project: Example #1

Dedication for college projects: example #2, other popular acknowledgement examples.

For work or business Acknowledgement Receipt of Payment [4 Examples] Acknowledging Receipt of Documents: A Quick Guide with Examples Acknowledgement for Presentation [9 Examples] Acknowledgement for Job Offer [3 Examples] Acknowledgement for Business Plan [4 Examples] Acknowledgement for Work Immersion [5 Examples] Acknowledgement of Receipt of Appraisal [3 Examples] Acknowledegment of Debt [5 Examples] Resignation Acknowledgement for Employers [5 Examples]

Academic Acknowledgement for Research Paper [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Internship Report [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Thesis and Dissertation [15 Examples] Acknowledgement for Portfolio [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for Case Study [4 Examples] Acknowledgement for Academic Research Paper [5 Examples] Acknowledgement for College/School Assignment [5 Examples] Acknowledgemet to God in Reports [5 Examples]

Others Acknowledgement to Funeral Attendees [5 Examples] Funeral Acknowledgement Templates (for Newspapers and Websites) Common Website Disclaimers to Protect Your Online Business Notary Acknowledgement [5 Examples]

How-to Guides on Academic Writing and Others

Introduction to academic writing.

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• 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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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The Acknowledgements Section

How to write the acknowledgements for your thesis or dissertation

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewers: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | January 2024

Writing the acknowledgements section of your thesis might seem straightforward, but it’s more than just a list of names . In this post, we’ll unpack everything you need to know to write up a rock-solid acknowledgements section for your dissertation or thesis.

Overview: The Acknowledgements

• What (exactly) is the acknowledgements section?

Who should you acknowledge?

• How to write the section
• Practical example
• Free acknowledgements template
• Key takeaways

What is the acknowledgements section?

The acknowledgements section of your thesis or dissertation is where you give thanks to the people who contributed to your project’s success. Generally speaking, this is a relatively brief, less formal section.  

With the acknowledgements section, you have the opportunity to show appreciation for the guidance, support, and resources provided by others during your research journey. We’ll unpack the exact contents, order and structure of this section in this post.

Need a helping hand?

Although this is a less “academic” section, acknowledging the right people in the correct order is still important. Typically, you’ll start with the most formal (academic) support received, before moving on to other types of support.

Here’s a suggested order that you can follow when writing up your acknowledgements:

Level 1: Supervisors and academic staff

Start with those who have provided you with academic guidance, including your supervisor, advisors, and other faculty members.

Level 2: Funding bodies or sponsors

If your research was funded, acknowledging these organisations is essential. You don’t need to get into the specifics of the funding, but you should recognise the important role that this made in bringing your project to life.

Level 3: Colleagues and peers

Next you’ll want to mention those who contributed intellectually to your work, including your fellow cohort members and researchers.

Level 4: Family, friends and pets

Last but certainly not least, you should acknowledge your personal (non-academic) support system – those who have provided emotional and moral support. If Fido kept you company during those long nights hunched over the keyboard, you can also thank him here 🙂

As you can see, the order of the acknowledgements goes from the most academic to the least . Importantly, your thesis or dissertation supervisor (sometimes also called an advisor) generally comes first . This is because they are typically the person most involved in shaping your project (or at least, they should be). Plus, they’re oftentimes involved in marking your final work and so a kind word never hurts…

All that said, remember that your acknowledgements section is personal . So, feel free to adjust this order, but do pay close attention to any guidelines or rules provided by your university. If they specify a certain order or set of contents, follow their instructions to the letter.

How to write the acknowledgements section

In terms of style, try to strike a balance between conveying a formal tone and a personal touch . In practical terms, this means that you should use plain, straightforward language (this isn’t the time for heavy academic jargon), but avoid using any slang, nicknames, etc.

As a guide, you’ll typically use some of the following phrases in the acknowledgements section:

I would like to express my appreciation to… for their help with… I’m particularly grateful to… as they provided… I could not have completed this project without… as this allowed me to… Special thanks to… who did… I had the pleasure of working with… who helped me… I’d also like to recognise… who assisted me with…

In terms of positioning, the acknowledgements section is typically in the preliminary matter , most commonly after the abstract and before the table of contents. In terms of length, this section usually spans one to three paragraphs , but there’s no strict word limit (unless your university’s brief states otherwise, of course).

If you’re unsure where to place your acknowledgements or what length to make this section, it’s a good idea to have a look at past dissertations and theses from your university and/or department to get a clearer view of what the norms are.

Practical Example

Alright, let’s look at an example to give you a better idea of what this section looks like in practice.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Smith, whose expertise and knowledge were invaluable during this research. My sincere thanks also go to the University Research Fund for their financial support.   I am deeply thankful to my colleagues, John and Jane, for their insightful discussions and moral support. Lastly, I must acknowledge my family for their unwavering love and encouragement. Without your support, this project would not have been possible.

As you can see in this example, the section is short and to the point , working from formal support through to personal support. If you’re interested, you can explore a few more examples here .

To simplify the process, we’ve created a free template for the acknowledgements section. If you’re interested, you can download a copy here .

FAQs: Acknowledgements

Can i include some humour in my acknowledgements.

A touch of light humour is okay, but keep it appropriate and professional. Remember that this is still part of an academic document.

Can I acknowledge someone who provided informal or emotional support?

Yes, you can thank anyone who offered emotional support, motivation, or even informal advice that helped you during your studies. This can include friends, family members, or a mentor/coach who provided guidance outside of an academic setting.

Should I mention any challenges or difficulties I faced during my research?

While the acknowledgements section is primarily for expressing gratitude, briefly mentioning significant challenges you overcame can highlight the importance of the support you received. That said, you’ll want to keep the focus on the gratitude aspect and avoid delving too deeply into the challenges themselves.

Can I acknowledge the contribution of participants in my research?

Absolutely. If your research involved participants, especially in fields like social sciences or human studies, acknowledging their contribution is not only courteous but also an ethical practice. It shows respect for their participation and contribution to your research.

How do I acknowledge posthumous gratitude, for someone who passed away during my study period?

Acknowledging a deceased individual who played a significant role in your academic journey can be done respectfully. Mention them in the same way you would a living contributor, perhaps adding a note of remembrance.

For example, “I would like to posthumously acknowledge John McAnders for their invaluable advice and support in the early stages of this research.”.

Is there a limit to the number of people I can acknowledge?

How do i acknowledge a group or organisation.

When thanking a group or organization, mention the entity by name and, if applicable, include specific individuals within the organization who were particularly helpful.

For example, “I extend my thanks to The Speakers Foundation for their support, particularly Mr Joe Wilkins, for their guidance.”

Recap: Key Takeaways

Writing the acknowledgements section of your thesis or dissertation is an opportunity to express gratitude to everyone who helped you along the way.

Remember to:

• Acknowledge those people who significantly contributed to your research journey
• Order your thanks from formal support to personal support
• Maintain a balance between formal and personal tones
• Keep it concise

In a nutshell, use this section to reflect your appreciation in a genuinely and professionally way.

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• Mardigian Library
• Subject Guides

Formatting Your Thesis or Dissertation with Microsoft Word

• Dedication, Acknowledgements, & Preface
• Introduction
• Copyright Page
• Headings and Subheadings
• Citations and Bibliography
• Page Numbers
• Tables and Figures
• Rotated (Landscape) Pages
• Table of Contents
• Lists of Tables and Figures
• List of Abbreviations
• Some Things to Watch For
• PDF with Embedded Fonts

Dedication, acknowledgements, & preface

Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Preface sections are all optional pages. But, what is the difference between these three?

Dedication — A personal tribute to someone or a group of people. Example: "To my parents."

Acknowledgements — A professional tribute to a person or people who helped you with the thesis. Example: "I wish to thank my thesis advisor for the hours of help in the lab making sure the experiments were set up properly and guiding me through the thesis process."

Preface ( sometimes confused with Foreward or Prologue ) — A very rarely included section that details why you are qualified to write about your topic of your thesis or why you became interested in the topic (for example, an anecdote about a childhood incident that led you to become interested in the topic). Do not confuse this with the literature review; this is more of a personal story.

The video below gives more examples of what can be included in these sections. Note: If your dedication is short (like "To my parents"), you may choose not to include the "Dedication" heading at the top of the page. A demonstration of how to format the dedication page this way is shown below.

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How to Write Acknowledgement in Research Paper

Table of Contents

Writing an acknowledgement in a research paper is an integral part of the process. It is a formal way of expressing gratitude to the individuals and institutions that contributed to the completion of your research.

This section, though not mandatory, holds significant value as it acknowledges the efforts of those who assisted you in the successful completion of your project. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the intricacies of writing an effective acknowledgement for your research paper.

Introduction

Acknowledgements serve a crucial role in research papers . They not only express gratitude but also provide a sense of credibility to your work. Acknowledging the contributions of others shows that your research is a collective effort, which can enhance the perceived validity of your findings.

Moreover, acknowledgements can also serve as a platform for you to demonstrate your professional courtesy and respect for the individuals and institutions that have supported your research. This can help in fostering positive relationships, which can be beneficial for your future research endeavors.

Who to acknowledge in your research paper ?

Deciding who to acknowledge in your research paper can be a challenging task. It is important to ensure that you do not overlook anyone who has contributed to your research. Here are some categories of individuals and institutions that you might consider acknowledging:

Academic advisors and supervisors:

Your academic advisors and supervisors are likely to be your first point of contact for guidance and support during your research. They provide valuable insights, feedback, and direction, which can significantly influence the outcome of your research.

Therefore, acknowledging them in your research paper is a way of expressing your gratitude for their assistance and guidance. It also shows your respect for their expertise and dedication to your research.

Research participants and collaborators

Research participants and collaborators play a crucial role in the success of your research. They provide the data or information necessary for your research, making their contribution invaluable.

Acknowledging them in your research paper is a way of showing your appreciation for their time and effort. It also symbolizes your respect for their contribution to your research.

Funding bodies and institutions:

Funding bodies and institutions provide the financial support necessary for conducting your research. Without their support, it might be challenging to carry out your research effectively.

Therefore, acknowledging them in your research paper is a way of expressing your gratitude for their financial support. It also shows your appreciation for their trust in your research capabilities.

How to write acknowledgements for your research paper?

Writing acknowledgements for your research paper involves more than simply listing names. It requires a thoughtful and sincere expression of gratitude. Here are some steps to guide you in writing effective acknowledgements:

Start with the most significant contributions:

Begin your acknowledgements by expressing gratitude to those who have made the most significant contributions to your research. This could be your academic advisors, supervisors, or funding bodies. Starting with the most significant contributions helps to set the tone for the rest of your acknowledgements.

Ensure that you express your gratitude sincerely and professionally. Avoid using overly emotional or informal language as this can undermine the professionalism of your acknowledgements.

Acknowledge other contributors:

After acknowledging the most significant contributors, proceed to acknowledge other individuals and institutions that have supported your research. This could include research participants, collaborators, and other supportive individuals or institutions.

When acknowledging these contributors, be sure to express your gratitude sincerely and professionally. Also, ensure that you acknowledge each contributor individually to show your appreciation for their unique contribution.

Use appropriate language and tone:

The language and tone you use in your acknowledgements can significantly influence how they are perceived. Therefore, it is important to use appropriate language and maintain a professional tone throughout your acknowledgements.

Use formal language and avoid using jargon or colloquial expressions. Also, maintain a consistent tone throughout your acknowledgements to ensure that they are coherent and easy to read.

Examples of acknowledgements in research papers

Here are a few examples that demonstrate how to acknowledge different contributors effectively:

"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Professor ABC, for his invaluable guidance and support throughout this research. His expertise and dedication have been a source of inspiration and motivation."

Research participants and collaborators:

"I am deeply grateful to all the participants who generously shared their time and experiences for this research. Their contributions have been instrumental in the success of this study."

"This research was made possible by the generous funding from ABC Foundation. I am profoundly grateful for their support and trust in my research capabilities."

Writing acknowledgements in a research paper is a thoughtful process that requires careful consideration of who to acknowledge and how to express gratitude. By following the guidelines and examples provided in this article, you can write effective acknowledgements that reflect your appreciation and respect for the contributions of others to your research.

Remember, acknowledgements are more than just a formality. They are an opportunity to express your gratitude and respect for the individuals and institutions that have supported your research journey. So, take the time to write acknowledgements that are sincere, professional, and reflective of your gratitude.

Frequently Asked Questions

In a research paper, the acknowledgment section is where the author shows appreciation to those who helped with the research. It's usually found at the start of the paper, before the main text begins. However, the exact location varies depending on the university guidelines.

Citations are formal ways to acknowledge the sources you used, while acknowledgments are more personal and can serve as a confidential way to thank someone for their help or contribution.

The purpose of including acknowledgement is to express gratitude to everyone who assisted with the research but didn't meet the criteria for being listed as an author.

There is no minimum length for writing an acknowledgement in a research paper but it should not be more than one page.

If you conducted the research entirely by yourself and received no assistance or support from others, it's not necessary to include acknowledgements. However, if you received any form of support or assistance, even if minimal, it's appropriate to acknowledge it.

Yes, it's appropriate to acknowledge funding sources in your research.

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Dissertation acknowledgments [with examples]

What are dissertation acknowledgements?

What to consider when writing your dissertation acknowledgments, who to thank in your dissertation acknowledgments, what (and what not) to write in your dissertation acknowledgments, good examples of dissertation acknowledgments, a final word on writing dissertation acknowledgments: have fun, frequently asked questions about dissertation acknowledgments, related articles.

While you may be the sole author of your dissertation, there are lots of people who help you through the process—from your formal dissertation advisors to the friends who may have cooked meals so that you could finish your last chapter . Dissertation acknowledgments are a chance to thank everyone who had a hand in the completion of your project.

Dissertation acknowledgments are a brief statement of your gratitude to advisors, professors, peers, family, and friends for their help and expertise.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• the most important things to consider when you’re writing your dissertation acknowledgments
• who to thank in your dissertation acknowledgments
• what (and what not) to write in your dissertation acknowledgments
• short examples of dissertation acknowledgments

Once you’re at the stage where you’re writing your dissertation acknowledgments, you may be tempted to kick back and relax. After all, the hard part of writing the dissertation itself is over and a list of thanks should be simple to churn out.

However, the acknowledgments are an important part of your overall work and are something that most people who read your dissertation, including prospective employers, will look at.

Tip: The best dissertation acknowledgements are concise, sincere, and memorable.

Approach this part of the process, brief as it may be compared to the long haul of writing the dissertation, with the same high level of care and attention to detail. It’s an explicit and permanent statement of who made a real impact on your work and contributed to your academic success.

Plus, the people you thank are often deeply moved by being included—some even go so far as to frame the acknowledgments. Aim to make yours sincere, memorable and something that people will be touched by.

First things first: who should you include in your dissertation acknowledgments? If you’re not sure who to thank, try the brainstorming technique to generate some ideas. Consider these two approaches:

• Make a list of everyone, both professional and personal, who was involved at any point during your work on your dissertation, and then thin down the list from there.
• Make a list of the pivotal aspects of your process and think about who was involved and how they helped.

As you select the people and groups to include in your dissertation acknowledgments, keep in mind that it’s essential to acknowledge your supervisor and anyone else with a visible connection to your work.

It’s an unfortunate reality that not every supervisor goes above and beyond to provide feedback and guidance to the students they are supposed to supervise. However, leaving them out, even if you personally felt disappointed by their involvement or lack thereof, could be seen as a snub.

You should end up with a fairly short list of people to thank. While being mindful of professional etiquette and personal feelings, be choosy about who makes the final cut since your acknowledgments should be limited to no more than a page.

Now that you have your list of people and groups to thank, it’s time to start writing. Before your first pen or keystroke, however, check your university’s guidelines as your institution may have specific rules around what can and cannot be included.

The standard practice is to begin with the formal and then progress to the informal, so the first people to mention would be:

• supervisors
• committee members
• other professional contacts

Use their full names and titles and go into brief detail about how they contributed to your work.

Once those are done, you can move on to the personal thanks, which can include friends, family, even pets. If you are so inclined, it is also considered appropriate to thank God or make mention of spiritual support.

You may also choose to inject a little humor at this point, but don’t get carried away and definitely don’t include sarcasm or critical comments of any kind, including self-critical ones. Remember that the acknowledgments precede your dissertation, so you want to be taken seriously.

A couple more basics that are essential when creating your acknowledgments:

• Position: Acknowledgments should be placed after the title page and before the abstract.
• Perspective: Write from the first-person perspective and speak in your own voice.

A really good way to get a sense of how to write your own dissertation acknowledgments is to read ones written by others. Notice which ones you respond particularly well to and use them as a model upon which to base your own.

Here are some good examples to help you get started:

I couldn’t have reached this goal without the help of many people in my life. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support.

First, my sincere thanks to my dissertation committee. The value of their guidance cannot be overstated. Dr. Elaine Gooding and Dr. Matthew Hunter provided much wisdom that helped me chart my course. I couldn’t have asked for a better supervisor than Dr. Fiona Moore, whose knowledge and experience guided me every step of the way.

Next, I’d like to thank my partner, Elliott. Your votes of confidence kept me going when my spirits dipped. I couldn’t have done this without you.

Last but not least, I’d like to acknowledge the emotional support provided by my family and friends. We made it to the top of the mountain! I look forward to celebrating with all of you.

This example is shorter, but still contains the key components:

Several people played a decisive role in my success and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them.

My chair, Dr. Ronald Saulk, provided invaluable support and infinite patience and I am truly grateful for all of his wisdom and guidance. I also owe the entire staff of the Wilhelm Library a debt of gratitude. From tracking down books and arranging for interlibrary loans to keeping the coffee maker in the lobby well-stocked and in good working order, they offered the practical help and kind gestures that made all the difference.

I’d also like to thank my family and God, for always being there for me.

One final piece of advice: enjoy this process. Writing a dissertation doesn’t happen every day, and the opportunity to acknowledge the important people in your life in a published format is as rare as it is wonderful.

What’s more, this part of your dissertation is unlike any other. It’s unbounded by the conventions that apply to the formal work. It’s a chance to really flex some creative muscle and let your personality shine through. So make the most of it and have fun!

In your dissertation acknowledgments, you thank everyone who has contributed to your work or supported you along the way. Who you want to thank is a very personal choice, but you should include your supervisors and anyone else with a visible connection to your work. You may also thank friends, family, and partners.

First, you need to come up with a list of people you want to thank in your dissertation acknowledgments. As a next step, begin with the formal and then progress to the informal, so the first people to mention would be supervisors, mentors, committees, and other professional contacts. Then, you can move on to the personal thanks, which can include friends, family, even pets.

Who you acknowledge in your dissertation is ultimately up to you. You should, however, thank your supervisor and anyone else with a visible connection to your work. Leaving them out, even if you personally felt disappointed by their involvement or lack thereof, could be seen as a snub. In addition, you can thank friends, partners or family.

There are many ways so you can acknowledge your dissertation supervisor. Some examples can be found in this article above. If you need more examples, you can find them here .

While acknowledgments are usually more present in academic theses, they can also be a part of research papers. In academic theses, acknowledgments are usually found at the beginning, somewhere between abstract and introduction. In research papers, acknowledgments are usually found at the end of the paper.

How to write a unique thesis acknowledgement (+ FAQs)

Crafting a thesis acknowledgement is typically one of the final steps in completing a thesis. This post aims to assist you in gaining insights and guidance by addressing common questions related to thesis acknowledgements. By doing so, it enables you to create a distinct and meaningful acknowledgment section that reflects your gratitude and appreciation.

What is a thesis acknowledgement?

Do i need a thesis acknowledgement.

While a thesis acknowledgement is typically not a mandatory requirement, omitting it might not be seen positively. Writing a thesis almost always involves some form of assistance or support, whether from a supervisor, family, or friends.

Who should I thank in my thesis acknowledgment?

The thesis acknowledgement offers flexibility, but thanking your thesis supervisor/s is an absolute must—non-negotiable. It would be highly unusual to omit their appreciation.

Apart from these essentials, you have the freedom to thank anyone you desire. Common mentions include parents, partners, friends, peers, and colleagues. Some may even extend gratitude to pets or coffee! Injecting humor is acceptable, but maintaining a certain level of formality is advised, as explained in the subsequent section.

How to deal with a thesis supervisor with whom I had a challenging relationship in my thesis acknowledgement?

How can i make my thesis acknowledgement uniquely personal.

Once you have decided whom to thank in your thesis acknowledgement, consider going beyond generic expressions of gratitude. Making your acknowledgements more personal and specific can make them truly special. Instead of simply thanking someone for their guidance and support, include examples that highlight the unique contributions of those individuals.

By providing concrete examples, your acknowledgements become more heartfelt and memorable, showing the genuine impact of each person you thank.

How formal should a thesis acknowledgement be?

Remember that your thesis is an academic work, and the acknowledgement should not detract from its academic merit. Focus on expressing gratitude to those who contributed to your academic journey in a professional and appropriate manner.

To what extent should I express personal sentiments in my thesis acknowledgement?

And of course make sure that the information you reveal about the people you thank, they are also comfortable with it. You should not, for instance, describe your messy breakup with a person and even worse naming the person by name. Instead, you can write something more neutral in a way that people who know you well still know what you mean. For instance, you could thank your friends for always being there for you during challenging times, which you are grateful for.

How should I structure my thesis acknowledgement?

The second approach involves structuring the acknowledgement based on the nature of relationships, ranging from formal to personal. Here, you begin by expressing thanks to your formal supervisors and professors who played a significant role in shaping your research, then move on to more informal yet professional mentors. Subsequently, you extend your gratitude to friends, family, and, if applicable, your partner or spouse.

How long should a thesis acknowledgement be?

For bachelor or master theses, the average length typically ranges from 100 to 250 words, equivalent to about half a page.

PhD thesis acknowledgements, on the other hand, tend to be longer, given the extended duration of PhD research. The average length for a PhD thesis acknowledgement ranges from 250 to 1000 words, or approximately half a page to 2 pages.

Where is the thesis acknowledgement located?

When formatting your document, it’s advisable to insert blank pages to maintain a proper layout in the printed version, especially when double-paged printing is used. To achieve this layout, page 1 is reserved for the title page, page 2 is often left empty, and page 3 contains the thesis acknowledgement. Additionally, page four is frequently left blank as well. This arrangement enhances the reading experience of the printed version and provides a more polished appearance to the document.

Where can I find examples of thesis acknowledgements?

Master academia, get new content delivered directly to your inbox, how to thrive in academia as an extrovert, how to end a professional email in a university setting, related articles, phd thesis types: monograph and collection of articles, 3 inspiring master’s thesis acknowledgement examples, better thesis writing with the pomodoro® technique, the importance of sleep for efficient thesis writing.

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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:

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• Acknowledgements for PhD Thesis and Dissertations – Explained
• Doing a PhD

The Purpose of Acknowledgements

The acknowledgement section of a thesis or dissertation is where you recognise and thank those who supported you during your PhD. This can be but is not limited to individuals, institutions or organisations.

Although your acknowledgements will not be used to evaluate your work, it is still an important section of your thesis. This is because it can have a positive (or negative for that matter) influence the perception of your reader before they even reach the main body of your work.

Who Should I Acknowledge?

Acknowledgements for a PhD thesis will typically fall into one of two categories – professional or personal.

Within these categories, who you thank will ultimately be your decision. However, it’s imperative that you pay special attention to the ‘professional’ group. This is because not thanking someone who has played an important role in your studies, whether it be intentional or accidental, will more often than not be seen as a dismissal of their efforts. Not only would this be unfair if they genuinely helped you, but from a certain political aspect, it could also jeopardise any opportunities for future collaborations .

Professional Acknowledgements

This may include, but is not limited to:

• Funding bodies/sponsorship providers
• Supervisors
• Research group and lab assistants
• Research participants
• Proofreaders

Personal Acknowledgements

• Key family members and friends
• Individuals who inspired you or directly influenced your academic journey
• Anyone else who has provided personal support that you would like to mention

It should be noted that certain universities have policies which state only those who have directly supported your work, such as supervisors and professors, should be included in your acknowledgements. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you read your university guidelines before writing this section of your thesis.

How to Write Acknowledgements for PhD Thesis

When producing this section, your writing style can be more informal compared to the rest of your thesis. This includes writing in first person and using more emotive language. Although in most cases you will have complete freedom in how you write this section of your thesis, it is still highly advisable to keep it professional. As mentioned earlier, this is largely because it will be one of the first things your assessors will read, and so it will help set the tone for the rest of your work.

In terms of its structure, acknowledgements are expected to be ordered in a manner that first recognises the most formal support before moving onto the less formal support. In most cases, this follows the same order that we have outlined in the ‘Who Should I Thank’ section.

When thanking professionals, always write out their full name and provide their title. This is because although you may be on a first-name basis with them, those who read your thesis will not. By providing full names and titles, not only do you help ensure clarity, but it could also indirectly contribute to the credibility of your thesis should the individual you’re thanking be well known within your field.

If you intend to include a list of people from one institution or organisation, it is best to list their names in alphabetical order. The exception to this is when a particular individual has been of significant assistance; here, it would be advisable to list them.

How Long Should My Acknowledgements Be?

Acknowledgements vary considerably in length. Some are a single paragraph whilst some continue for up to three pages. The length of your acknowledgement page will mostly depend on the number of individuals you want to recognise.

As a general rule, try to keep your acknowledgements section to a single page. Although there are no word limits, creating a lengthy acknowledgements section dilutes the gratitude you’re trying to express, especially to those who have supported you the most.

Where Should My Acknowledgements Go?

In the vast majority of cases, your acknowledgements should appear directly after your abstract and before your table of contents.

However, we highly advise you to check your university guidelines as a few universities set out their own specific order which they will expect you to follow.

Phrases to Help You Get Started

We appreciate how difficult it can be to truly show how grateful you are to those who have supported you over the years, especially in words.

To help you get started, we’ve provided you with a few examples of sentences that you can complete or draw ideas from.

• I am deeply grateful to XXX…
• I would like to express my sincere gratitude to XXX…
• I would like to offer my special thanks to XXX…
• I would like to extend my sincere thanks to XXX…
• …for their assistance at every stage of the research project.
• …for their insightful comments and suggestions.
• …for their contribution to XXX.
• …for their unwavering support and belief in me.

Thesis Acknowledgement Examples

Below are three PhD thesis acknowledgment samples from which you can draw inspiration. It should be noted that the following have been extracted from theses which are freely available in the public domain. Irrespective of this, references to any individual, department or university have been removed for the sake of privacy.

First and foremost I am extremely grateful to my supervisors, Prof. XXX and Dr. XXX for their invaluable advice, continuous support, and patience during my PhD study. Their immense knowledge and plentiful experience have encouraged me in all the time of my academic research and daily life. I would also like to thank Dr. XXX and Dr. XXX for their technical support on my study. I would like to thank all the members in the XXX. It is their kind help and support that have made my study and life in the UK a wonderful time. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my parents, my wife and my children. Without their tremendous understanding and encouragement in the past few years, it would be impossible for me to complete my study.

I would like to thank my supervisors Dr. XXX and Dr. XXX for all their help and advice with this PhD. I would also like to thank my sisters, whom without this would have not been possible. I also appreciate all the support I received from the rest of my family. Lastly, I would like to thank the XXX for the studentship that allowed me to conduct this thesis.

I would like to thank my esteemed supervisor – Dr. XXX for his invaluable supervision, support and tutelage during the course of my PhD degree. My gratitude extends to the Faculty of XXX for the funding opportunity to undertake my studies at the Department of XXX, University of XXX. Additionally, I would like to express gratitude to Dr. XXX for her treasured support which was really influential in shaping my experiment methods and critiquing my results. I also thank Dr. XXX, Dr. XXX, Dr. XXX for their mentorship. I would like to thank my friends, lab mates, colleagues and research team – XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX for a cherished time spent together in the lab, and in social settings. My appreciation also goes out to my family and friends for their encouragement and support all through my studies.

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Writing Your Dedication and Acknowledgements

When it comes to writing a thesis, the chapters get most of our attention – and so they should! They are the bulk of the thesis, and they contain the actual research. But there are other sections to think about as well, and two of them can be particularly fun to write.

The dedication and acknowledgements pages are where you can show your love and gratitude to the people who have helped you to achieve your goals. They tend to be less prescribed than other sections, so you have a little freedom to get creative in the way you express yourself!

While they might seem similar, there is a difference between the dedications and the acknowledgements. The dedication, as the name suggests, allows you to dedicate your thesis to someone (or multiple people). This is quite a personal matter, and dedications are often made to family members, spouses, friends, or community groups.

The acknowledgements page, by contrast, allows you to express thanks for specific contributions, and often features people that the author knows professionally as well as personally. If a person or group helped you by giving advice, funding, mentorship, editorial assistance, or practical support, it’s a good idea to give them a shout-out in the acknowledgements. This is more than just a courtesy – it’s an important part of maintaining your relationships by formally recognising the people and organisations who have made a contribution to your work.

As an example – I dedicated my PhD thesis to several members of my family, and wrote short personal notes about their contributions. In my acknowledgements section, I thanked my supervisor, a mentor, a friend who provided technical advice during my research, and my scholarship provider.

My dedication and acknowledgements sections were fairly conventional, but that doesn’t mean yours have to be! I’ve heard of writers dedicating their thesis to their pets, their computers, and even their local barista. There have even been rumours of one acknowledgements page which included a coupon for a free beer for anyone whose name was listed!

Other scholars have been known to thank:

• Public transport providers “for making the task of writing in buses and trains such an enjoyable exercise” ( source )
• The “spell-check function of Microsoft Word, without whom ‘institution’ would be misspelled differently 197 times” ( source )
• “The U.S. Immigration Service under the Bush administration, whose visa background security check forced [the author] to spend two months (following an international conference) in a third country, free of routine obligations” ( source )

One enterprising paleontologist even proposed to his girlfriend via the acknowledgements section of his journal article. (She said yes, apparently.)

So if you haven’t already, have a go at drafting your dedication and acknowledgements pages. After all, it’s not often you can gush about your favourite people while still technically being productive!

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Thesis and Dissertation Guide

• « Thesis & Dissertation Resources
• The Graduate School Home

• Introduction

Copyright Page

Dedication, acknowledgements, preface (optional), table of contents.

• List of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

List of Abbreviations

List of symbols.

• Non-Traditional Formats
• Font Type and Size
• Spacing and Indentation
• Tables, Figures, and Illustrations
• Formatting Previously Published Work
• Internet Distribution
• Open Access
• Registering Copyright
• Using Copyrighted Materials
• Use of Your Own Previously Published Materials
• Submission Steps
• Submission Checklist
• Sample Pages

I. Order and Components

Please see the sample thesis or dissertation pages throughout and at the end of this document for illustrations. The following order is required for components of your thesis or dissertation:

• Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Preface (each optional)
• Table of Contents, with page numbers
• List of Tables, List of Figures, or List of Illustrations, with titles and page numbers (if applicable)
• List of Abbreviations (if applicable)
• List of Symbols (if applicable)
• Introduction, if any
• Main body, with consistent subheadings as appropriate
• Appendices (if applicable)
• Endnotes (if applicable)
• References (see section on References for options)

Many of the components following the title and copyright pages have required headings and formatting guidelines, which are described in the following sections.

Please consult the Sample Pages to compare your document to the requirements. A Checklist is provided to assist you in ensuring your thesis or dissertation meets all formatting guidelines.

The title page of a thesis or dissertation must include the following information:

• The title of the thesis or dissertation in all capital letters and centered 2″ below the top of the page.
• Your name, centered 1″ below the title. Do not include titles, degrees, or identifiers. The name you use here does not need to exactly match the name on your university records, but we recommend considering how you will want your name to appear in professional publications in the future.

Notes on this statement:

• When indicating your degree in the second bracketed space, use the full degree name (i.e., Doctor of Philosophy, not Ph.D. or PHD; Master of Public Health, not M.P.H. or MPH; Master of Social Work, not M.S.W. or MSW).
• List your department, school, or curriculum rather than your subject area or specialty discipline in the third bracketed space. You may include your subject area or specialty discipline in parentheses (i.e., Department of Romance Languages (French); School of Pharmacy (Molecular Pharmaceutics); School of Education (School Psychology); or similar official area).
• If you wish to include both your department and school names, list the school at the end of the statement (i.e., Department of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine).
• A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Public Policy.
• A thesis submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the School of Dentistry (Endodontics).
• A thesis submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Nutrition in the Gillings School of Global Public Health.
• A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Education (Cultural Studies and Literacies).
• The words “Chapel Hill” must be centered 1″ below the statement.
• One single-spaced line below that, center the year in which your committee approves the completed thesis or dissertation. This need not be the year you graduate.
• Approximately 2/3 of the way across the page on the right-hand side of the page, 1″ below the year, include the phrase “Approved by:” (with colon) followed by each faculty member's name on subsequent double-spaced lines. Do not include titles such as Professor, Doctor, Dr., PhD, or any identifiers such as “chair” or “advisor” before or after any names. Line up the first letter of each name on the left under the “A” in the “Approved by:” line. If a name is too long to fit on one line, move this entire section of text slightly to the left so that formatting can be maintained.
• No signatures, signature lines, or page numbers should be included on the title page.

Include a copyright page with the following information single-spaced and centered 2″ above the bottom of the page:

© Year Author's Full Name (as it appears on the title page) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This page immediately follows the title page. It should be numbered with the lower case Roman numeral ii centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Inclusion of this page offers you, as the author, additional protection against copyright infringement as it eliminates any question of authorship and copyright ownership. You do not need to file for copyright in order to include this statement in your thesis or dissertation. However, filing for copyright can offer other protections.

See Section IV for more information on copyrighting your thesis or dissertation.

Include an abstract page following these guidelines:

• Include the heading “ABSTRACT” in all capital letters, and center it 2″ below the top of the page.
• One double-spaced line below “ABSTRACT”, center your name, followed by a colon and the title of the thesis or dissertation. Use as many lines as necessary. Be sure that your name and the title exactly match the name and title used on the Title page.
• One single-spaced line below the title, center the phrase “(Under the direction of [advisor's name])”. Include the phrase in parentheses. Include the first and last name(s) of your advisor or formal co-advisors. Do not include the name of other committee members. Use the advisor's name only; do not include any professional titles such as PhD, Professor, or Dr. or any identifiers such as “chair” or “advisor”.
• Skip one double-spaced line and begin the abstract. The text of your abstract must be double-spaced and aligned with the document's left margin with the exception of indenting new paragraphs. Do not center or right-justify the abstract.
• Abstracts cannot exceed 150 words for a thesis or 350 words for a dissertation.
• Number the abstract page with the lower case Roman numeral iii (and iv, if more than one page) centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Please write and proofread your abstract carefully. When possible, avoid including symbols or foreign words in your abstract, as they cannot be indexed or searched. Avoid mathematical formulas, diagrams, and other illustrative materials in the abstract. Offer a brief description of your thesis or dissertation and a concise summary of its conclusions. Be sure to describe the subject and focus of your work with clear details and avoid including lengthy explanations or opinions.

Your title and abstract will be used by search engines to help potential audiences locate your work, so clarity will help to draw the attention of your targeted readers.

You have an option to include a dedication, acknowledgements, or preface. If you choose to include any or all of these elements, give each its own page(s).

A dedication is a message from the author prefixed to a work in tribute to a person, group, or cause. Most dedications are short statements of tribute beginning with “To…” such as “To my family”.

Acknowledgements are the author's statement of gratitude to and recognition of the people and institutions that helped the author's research and writing.

A preface is a statement of the author's reasons for undertaking the work and other personal comments that are not directly germane to the materials presented in other sections of the thesis or dissertation. These reasons tend to be of a personal nature.

Any of the pages must be prepared following these guidelines:

• Do not place a heading on the dedication page.
• The text of short dedications must be centered and begin 2″ from the top of the page.
• Headings are required for the “ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS” and “PREFACE” pages. Headings must be in all capital letters and centered 2″ below the top of the page.
• The text of the acknowledgements and preface pages must begin one double-spaced line below the heading, be double-spaced, and be aligned with the document's left margin with the exception of indenting new paragraphs.
• Subsequent pages of text return to the 1″ top margin.
• The page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals (starting with the page number after the abstract) centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Include a table of contents following these guidelines:

• Include the heading “TABLE OF CONTENTS” in all capital letters, and center it 2″ below the top of the page.
• Include one double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry.
• The table of contents should not contain listings for the pages that precede it, but it must list all parts of the thesis or dissertation that follow it.
• If relevant, be sure to list all appendices and a references section in your table of contents. Include page numbers for these items but do not assign separate chapter numbers.
• Entries must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
• Major subheadings within chapters must be included in the table of contents. The subheading(s) should be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
• If an entry takes up more than one line, break up the entry about three-fourths of the way across the page and place the rest of the text on a second line, single-spacing the two lines.
• Include one double-spaced line between each entry.
• Page numbers listed in the table of contents must be located just inside the right page margin with leaders (lines of periods) filling out the space between the end of the entry and the page number. The last digit of each number must line up on the right margin.
• Information included in the table of contents must match the headings, major subheadings, and numbering used in the body of the thesis or dissertation.
• The Table of Contents page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Lists of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

If applicable, include a list of tables, list of figures, and/or list of illustrations following these guidelines:

• Include the heading(s) in all capital letters, centered 1″ below the top of the page.
• Each entry must include a number, title, and page number.
• Assign each table, figure, or illustration in your thesis or dissertation an Arabic numeral. You may number consecutively throughout the entire work (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.), or you may assign a two-part Arabic numeral with the first number designating the chapter in which it appears, separated by a period, followed by a second number to indicate its consecutive placement in the chapter (e.g., Table 3.2 is the second table in Chapter Three).
• Numerals and titles must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
• Page numbers must be located just inside the right page margin with leaders (lines of periods) filling out the space between the end of the entry and the page number. The last digit of each number must line up on the right margin.
• Numbers, titles, and page numbers must each match the corresponding numbers, titles, and page numbers appearing in the thesis or dissertation.
• All Lists of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

If you use abbreviations extensively in your thesis or dissertation, you must include a list of abbreviations and their corresponding definitions following these guidelines:

• Include the heading “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” in all capital letters, and center it 1″ below the top of the page.
• Arrange your abbreviations alphabetically.
• Abbreviations must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
• If an entry takes up more than one line, single-space between the two lines.
• The List of Abbreviations page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

If you use symbols in your thesis or dissertation, you may combine them with your abbreviations, titling the section “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS”, or you may set up a separate list of symbols and their definitions by following the formatting instructions above for abbreviations. The heading you choose must be in all capital letters and centered 1″ below the top of the page.

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Sample dedication and acknowledgement for thesis writing

Just Like You Are Acknowledging Receiving Your Academy Awardn.

Uncover Some Tips For Acknowledge Graciously And Superbly To Folks Whose Support Made Your Thesis Possible

What’s Thesis Acknowledgement?

Thesis acknowledgment provides you with an chance to exhibit your gratitude for anyone who was with you inside your thesis writing task. In thesis Acknowledgement, you thank everyone who provided their help you healthy of recommendation, suggestions, and then any other.

Writing Thesis Acknowledgements

Writing thesis acknowledgements is itself an elated feeling which makes you think the conclusion of the thesis so ultimately you are feeling great and prefer to say good words. There are several ideas to help you out for writing thesis acknowledgement.

• Laboratory assistants
• Now you have to narrow lower their email list to individuals names who performed a significant role inside your assistance and finalize them to incorporate in thesis acknowledgement.
• Compose a brief essay and employ phrases that describe “How by way of thanking?”
• Attempt to limit thesis acknowledgement within on-page.

Writing Thesis Acknowledgements Phrases It is crucial to make use of proper and appropriate theses acknowledgement phrases as it is the time to show how deeply your debt to folks who supported inside your thesis. You might initiate writing your thesis acknowledgement using the following phrases:

• This thesis will not have been possible unless…..
• I’m grateful……
• It’s a pleasure by way of thanking individuals who chose to make this thesis possible….
• I owe my greatest gratitude to……….
• It’s an recognition for me personally to….
• He’s provided his support in many ways…
• I must thank……
• I’m in financial trouble to my a lot of my colleagues to aid me…….
• I must show my gratitude to………

Thesis Acknowledgement Page

You are meant to present your Thesis Acknowledgement Page within the following format:

• Thesis Acknowledgement is positioned following the and dedication pages.
• Leave suitably equal margins on every side.
• Place heading “Acknowledgements” in core page.
• Leave 4-ine space below “Acknowledgements” heading.
• Place page number in needed style.

Note: Presentation type of Thesis Acknowledgement Page can vary as it is sometimes an optional task.

Thesis Acknowledgement Sample

I’m heartily grateful to my supervisor, Jane Morrison, whose encouragement, guidance and support in the initial towards the final level enabled me to build up an awareness from the subject.

Lastly, I offer my regards and benefits to any or all of individuals who supported me whatsoever throughout the completing the work.

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This thesis examines various tries to construe theism being an explanatory hypothesis and also to defend it with arguments much like individuals used in the confirmation of scientific ideas. It’s the purpose of the work to exhibit that this type of construal does not confirm theism as well as in actuality results in its disconfirmation.

The very first chapter argues that theism is inevitably reduced to pseudoscience if it’s put into direct competition with scientific theories. This really is highlighted through the illustration of the “scientific” creationists, who make an effort to support theism by putting it towards transformative theory. It’s contended, resistant to the claims of some recent philosophers of science, that the obvious distinction could be attracted between science and pseudoscience. Demarcation criteria are developed and used to show why theism can’t be a strictly scientific hypothesis.

The 2nd and third chapters check out the attempts of George Schlesinger and Richard Swinburne to create inductive reformulations of traditional theistic arguments. Their tries to apply confirmation theory for the theistic hypothesis are presented and belittled. It’s figured the concepts of confirmation theory are extremely unlikely to land much support towards the theistic hypothesis.

The rest of the thesis asks whether arguments for that disconfirmation of theism could be provided. The 4th chapter examines numerous arguments from the miraculous. It’s contended that, though it’s very unlikely that miracles could receive confirmation sufficient to convince skeptics, no cogent anti-theistic argument could be with different critique from the miraculous. The ultimate chapter develops an hypothesis-disconfirming form of the issue of evil. It’s proven how evil works as a counterexample towards the theistic hypothesis and just how two recent tries to produce sufficient theodicies fail. The thesis concludes with a few glare around the effects of theism and naturalism.

This thesis is devoted to my dad, who trained me the perfect understanding to possess is the fact that that is learned because of its own sake. It’s also focused on my mother, who trained me that the largest task can be achieved if it’s done a stride at any given time.

Dr. Carlos G. Prado continues to be the perfect thesis supervisor. His sage advice, insightful criticisms, and patient encouragement aided the writing of the thesis in countless ways. I’d like by way of thanking Dr. J.E. Bickenbach whose steadfast support of the project was greatly needed and deeply appreciated.

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Writing a thesis acknowledgement: should I address the person as "you" or use 3rd person?

I'm writing an acknowledgment for my thesis. I looked at several written acknowledgments and realized that the people who are acknowledged are addressed by "you" rather than "He/She". For example,

"I'm thankful to Dr. Marry. You have been the weekly contact ...."

But I personally prefer to address them in a 3rd person format saying "She has been the weekly contact".

I'm wondering if my preference is wrong and not common.

• writing-style
• acknowledgement

• I strongly suggest using 3rd person in this case, for the reasons nicely outlined below in the Daniel Wessel's answer (+1). –  Aleksandr Blekh Commented Feb 11, 2016 at 19:49

5 Answers 5

I'd go (and did go) with the 3rd person format, for a simple reason: It's not a letter to that one person, nor a (handwritten) dedication/signed copy of a thesis. Instead it is something that is printed and which is (hopefully) read by more than this one person.

So you talk to a broad audience about that person , hence 3rd person . Only if it were a handwritten, personal message in one particular copy, I would ever go with "you".

(Another exception could be a dedication. In contrast to the acknowledgements the dedication is more specific and -- usually -- to one person or specific group of people, like family. In this case 'you' might also make sense, because here you address them personally.)

In my thesis I made an acknowledgement infographics. The logic was simply that nobody wants to read a dry acknowledgement page, so the best way to thank them is to make people want to read the page. In fact my thesis was often taken out of the shelf in my PhD department solely to look at it.

EDIT: here it is .

• 4 What a great idea! –  Aru Ray Commented Feb 12, 2016 at 7:20
• it's a good idea however i cannot put weight on the factors that contributed and helped me with the thesis. –  Ehsan Commented Feb 13, 2016 at 19:00
• I assume that you refer to the fact that the values are set without mathematical calculations. I did give some thought to guestimate the values, but the contributions follow a power law and some of the people acknowledged did not do much (bar for being important). I did get jovially asked what the units were and what the boundary conditions were, but nobody doubted that I was bad at maths simply because I had unitless arbitrary values in my infographic acknowledgement page. –  Matteo Ferla Commented Feb 13, 2016 at 19:25

I will offer a contrary opinion: thesis acknowledgements are generally yours with which to do whatever you wish, within reason. If you prefer second person, this is the one piece of scientific writing where you can definitely get away with it. If you want to write it in a sonnet, that's OK too.

I advocate for a mixed approach. In my thesis acknowledgements, each individual was initially introduced in the third person, essentially for the reasons Daniel Wessel has mentioned above. The goal is for the Acknowledgements section to be read by more people than just the ones you are acknowledging.

However, for a proper subset of the acknowledged individuals, namely those I wanted to highlight, I included short personal messages in the second person. The goal was to highlight these individuals, break the monotony of just listing names, and inject something personal and heartfelt into the text.

Here is an example:

I am deeply indebted to Professor Dumbledore for his constant and genuine support of all his students. I would not be where I am today without him. Albus, I miss you every day.

The actual acknowledgements I wrote can be found on my website (within my thesis) if you're interested.

• 2 Great idea, essentially the best of both approaches. :-) –  Daniel Wessel Commented Feb 12, 2016 at 9:08

Over the last couple of months, I have "read" plenty of PhD theses, and almost all exclusively used a 3rd person format, e.g. you might say

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Best Acknowledgement for Dissertation (10 Samples and Guide)

January 15, 2024

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By Mohsin Khurshid

Embark on a journey through the art of crafting heartfelt acknowledgments for your dissertation. Explore examples and a comprehensive guide on acknowledging those who made your project possible. Uncover the best practices in expressing gratitude, from family to mentors.

Table of Contents

• 1.1 Acknowledgement for Dissertation
• 1.2 Dissertation Acknowledgement Sample
• 1.3 Acknowledgement for Dissertation Paper
• 1.4 Acknowledgement Sample for Dissertation
• 1.5 Acknowledgement in Dissertation to Family
• 1.6 Acknowledgement for Masters Dissertation
• 1.7 Undergraduate Dissertation Acknowledgements
• 1.8 Dissertation Acknowledgements Funny
• 1.9 Example of Dissertation Acknowledgement to God
• 1.10 Sample Acknowledgement for Dissertation File
• 2 How to Write Acknowledgement for Dissertation:
• 3 Conclusion

Ten Best Samples of Acknowledgement for Dissertation Project

Discover diverse examples showcasing gratitude in dissertation acknowledgments. Explore samples ranging from traditional expressions to unique acknowledgments for family, masters, and even humorous takes. Find inspiration for your own heartfelt acknowledgment.

Acknowledgement for Dissertation

I express my deep appreciation to my advisor for their unwavering guidance in shaping this dissertation. Their expertise and encouragement were vital throughout the research journey. Gratitude extends to my family, whose unwavering support made this academic endeavor possible.

I also acknowledge the contributions of colleagues and friends, creating a collaborative atmosphere that enriched my work. This acknowledgment is a heartfelt tribute to those who played a pivotal role in the success of this dissertation.

Dissertation Acknowledgement Sample

My sincere gratitude goes to all who contributed to this dissertation. Special thanks to my advisor, whose mentorship was invaluable. The support from family, friends, and colleagues created an uplifting environment. This acknowledgment is a token of appreciation to those who stood by me.

Each contributor, whether big or small, has left an indelible mark on this academic journey, and for that, I am truly thankful.

Acknowledgement for Dissertation Paper

In expressing gratitude for this dissertation, my heartfelt thanks go to my advisor for their continuous support and guidance. The collaborative efforts of colleagues and friends added depth to the research. Special acknowledgment is due to family, whose unwavering support sustained me.

This dissertation acknowledgment is a tribute to the combined efforts that made this academic endeavor possible.

Acknowledgement Sample for Dissertation

This acknowledgment is a sincere expression of gratitude to my advisor, mentors, and peers who contributed significantly to the completion of this dissertation. Their unwavering support, valuable insights, and encouragement have been pivotal in shaping the project.

I extend special thanks to [Advisor’s Name] for their guidance and patience, which made this journey a rewarding experience. This acknowledgment is a token of appreciation for the collaborative effort that made this dissertation possible.

Acknowledgement in Dissertation to Family

In the completion of this dissertation, my family has been a pillar of support and encouragement. Their unwavering belief in my capabilities and understanding during challenging times were instrumental. This acknowledgment extends heartfelt thanks to [Family Members’ Names] for their constant encouragement and unwavering support. Their role in this academic endeavor goes beyond words, and I am deeply grateful for their presence throughout this journey.

Acknowledgement for Masters Dissertation

Completing this master’s dissertation wouldn’t have been possible without the support and guidance of [Advisor’s Name]. Their mentorship and expertise played a crucial role in shaping this academic work.

I also extend my thanks to [Mention Other Contributors] for their contributions. This acknowledgment is a reflection of the collaborative effort that went into the successful completion of this master’s dissertation.

Undergraduate Dissertation Acknowledgements

Completing my undergraduate dissertation was a journey marked by invaluable support from various corners. I express my deep gratitude to my advisor for their guidance and patience throughout the process. Thanks are also due to [Mention Other Contributors], whose insights enriched my research.

The support from friends and family played a crucial role in navigating the challenges. This acknowledgment is a tribute to the collective effort that made my undergraduate dissertation a reality.

Dissertation Acknowledgements Funny

Embarking on the serious task of dissertation writing, a touch of humor lightens the load. Special thanks to my caffeine companion, coffee, for being a constant ally during those late-night writing sessions. Gratitude to my computer for not crashing during critical moments.

Humorous acknowledgment goes to [Include Something Funny], who brought laughter to the stressful times. This funny dissertation acknowledgment is a lighthearted nod to the quirks and challenges that made the academic journey memorable.

Example of Dissertation Acknowledgement to God

In completing this dissertation, I humbly acknowledge the divine guidance of God. My gratitude extends to the Almighty for providing strength, wisdom, and inspiration throughout this academic journey.

The acknowledgment to God is a heartfelt expression of faith, recognizing the unseen hand that guided me in moments of doubt and challenge. This dissertation stands as a testament to the divine support that made the impossible possible.

Sample Acknowledgement for Dissertation File

As I present this dissertation file, I express my sincere appreciation to all who contributed to its creation. Special thanks to my advisor and mentors for their guidance. This acknowledgment extends to family, friends, and colleagues whose support shaped this document. The acknowledgment for the dissertation file is a recognition of the collaborative effort that turned ideas into written words.

It’s a token of gratitude to those who played a role, big or small, in bringing this document to completion.

How to Write Acknowledgement for Dissertation:

Crafting an effective dissertation acknowledgment involves thoughtful consideration of those who contributed to your academic journey. Begin with a genuine expression of gratitude to those who played significant roles:

1. Primary Advisor:

Start with your primary advisor. Acknowledge their guidance, support, and mentorship.

2. Thesis Committee:

Extend gratitude to other committee members . Recognize their valuable insights and contributions.

3. Academic Mentors:

Acknowledge mentors, professors, or colleagues who provided guidance and support.

4. Fellow Students:

Include fellow students for their camaraderie and shared academic experiences.

5. Family and Friends:

Express appreciation for the unwavering support of family and friends. Acknowledge their understanding and encouragement.

6. Institutions or Funding Sources:

If applicable, acknowledge any institutions, organizations, or funding sources that supported your research.

7. Colleagues or Collaborators:

Recognize any collaborators or colleagues who contributed to the project.

8. Professional Contacts:

If relevant, include professionals in the field who provided assistance or insights.

When structuring your acknowledgment, consider starting with the most influential contributors, such as your primary advisor and committee members. Progress to those who played supporting roles, ensuring that each acknowledgment is sincere and specific. Use warm and appreciative language, keeping the acknowledgment concise and focused on those directly related to the dissertation.

In crafting your dissertation acknowledgments, draw inspiration from these examples. Express gratitude thoughtfully to create a meaningful acknowledgment section that reflects the collaborative spirit of your academic journey.

Acknowledgement for PhD Thesis (5 Samples and Guide)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT N' DEDICATION

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This dissertation would not have been completed without the contribution of the following special people to whom my sincere appreciation and thanks are due: My supervisor, Prof. Elias R. Mathipa, for his expert guidance, sound advice, inspiration and patience; My editor, Silvia Nyambura, for proofreading the manuscript, as well as for her motivation and friendly encouragement; Dr CDM Tlale for editing the final manuscript; Mom and Dad, for their support, positive expectations, patience and love; My son Leslie, for always being there, watching with interest and enduring with patience; My sisters, brother and nephews, for their unselfish support and unfailing encouragement; My friend Elizabeth, who served as my role model unknowingly, for her undying support, time and tolerance; and All lecturers and students, who participated in this study for their cooperation, and unselfish sharing of information,

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A cc ep te d A rt ic le This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi:

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Optimizing placebo and minimizing nocebo effects through communication: e-learning and virtual reality training development

• Janine Westendorp 1 , 2 ,
• Liesbeth M. van Vliet 1 , 2 ,
• Stefanie H. Meeuwis 1 , 2 ,
• Tim C. olde Hartman 3 ,
• Ariëtte R. J. Sanders 4 ,
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• Andrea W. M. Evers 1 , 2  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  707 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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The effects of many treatments in healthcare are determined by factors other than the treatment itself. Patients’ expectations and the relationship with their healthcare provider can significantly affect treatment outcomes and thereby play a major role in eliciting placebo and nocebo effects. We aim to develop and evaluate an innovative communication training, consisting of an e-learning and virtual reality (VR) training, for healthcare providers across all disciplines, to optimize placebo and minimize nocebo effects through healthcare provider-patient communication. The current paper describes the development, mid-term evaluation, optimization, and final evaluation of the communication training, conducted in The Netherlands.

The development of both the e-learning and the VR training consisted of four phases: 1) content and technical development, 2) mid-term evaluation by healthcare providers and placebo/communication researchers, 3) optimization of the training, and 4) final evaluation by healthcare providers. To ensure the success, applicability, authenticity, and user-friendliness of the communication training, there was ongoing structural collaboration with healthcare providers as future end users, experts in the field of placebo/communication research, and educational experts in all phases.

Placebo/communication researchers and healthcare providers evaluated the e-learning positively (overall 7.9 on 0–10 scale) and the content was perceived as useful, accessible, and interesting. The VR training was assessed with an overall 6.9 (0–10 scale) and was evaluated as user-friendly and a safe method for practicing communication skills. Although there were some concerns regarding the authenticity of the VR training (i.e. to what extent the virtual patient reacts like a real patient), placebo and communication researchers, as well as healthcare providers, recognized the significant potential of the VR training for the future.

Conclusions

We have developed an innovative and user-friendly communication training, consisting of an e-learning and VR training (2D and 3D), that can be used to teach healthcare providers how to optimize placebo effects and minimize nocebo effects through healthcare provider-patient communication. Future studies can work on improved authenticity, translate the training into other languages and cultures, expand with additional VR cases, and measure the expected effects on providers communication skills and subsequently patient outcomes.

Peer Review reports

The effects of many regular clinical treatments in healthcare are partially determined by factors other than the treatment itself [ 1 , 2 ]. Patients’ expectations and the relationship with their healthcare provider can significantly affect treatment outcomes and thereby play a major role in placebo and nocebo effects [ 3 ]. We define placebo and nocebo effects as the changes in patient outcomes that can be explained by the expectations someone has about the treatment[ 4 ]. The underlying biopsychosocial processes involved in placebo and nocebo effects have been extensively studied. These processes include learning mechanisms (e.g. patients’ previous experiences or clinicians’ suggestions) and the healthcare provider-patient relationship (e.g. emphatic behavior) that can influence patient expectations and trust [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. As the healthcare provider-patient interaction plays such an important role in eliciting placebo and nocebo effects [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], training healthcare providers’ communication with their patients is pivotal for optimizing healthcare.

Experts in placebo research consented that there are several strategies to optimize placebo effects and minimize nocebo effects through communication in clinical practice [ 4 , 13 ]. For example, healthcare providers could enhance treatment effects if they outline the expected benefits from treatment [ 14 ], prevent side effects by fine-tuning the information they give to patients [ 15 , 16 , 17 ], and increase trust and satisfaction through an empathetic attitude [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. However, experts also agree that these communication strategies are currently underutilized, and that healthcare providers should preferably be trained to address placebo and nocebo effects via their communication [ 13 ].

Our goal was to develop and evaluate an innovative communication training for healthcare providers to optimize placebo and minimize nocebo effects through healthcare provider-patient communication. We aimed for the training to be suitable for healthcare providers across disciplines at every level, whether they are actively practicing or still in training, thus ensuring its broad applicability. The communication training will exist of two advanced eHealth components: an e-learning and virtual reality (VR) training. Using these eHealth techniques has the potential for great outreach as it can be easily offered online. Other advantages over hiring teachers or actors are: costs-efficiency, standardized teaching and practicing, safe learning environment, and opportunities for extensive repetitive practice [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Additionally, the use of virtual patients yields comparable learning effects compared to role-playing actors [ 26 , 27 ]. The aim of the communication training was threefold: 1) to familiarize healthcare providers with state-of-the art knowledge on placebo and nocebo effects, 2) to raise awareness about the role of placebo and nocebo effects in everyday clinical practice, and 3) to teach communication techniques that can optimize placebo effects and minimize nocebo effects in clinical practice. The current paper describes the development, mid-term evaluation, optimization, and final evaluation of the communication training.

The content of the communication training was based on the most recent scientific insights and expert consensus on placebo and nocebo effects, which has been investigated systematically during the first [ 4 ] and second [ 13 ] official Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS) conferences in 2017 and 2019. The training consists of two parts. First, the background theory, empirical evidence and communication skills are taught in an e-learning. Second, hands-on practice is offered in a VR training. Both the e-learning and the VR tool were developed in Dutch.

The e-learning was developed first and its content was the starting point for the VR training. The development of both the e-learning and the VR training took place between May 2021 and October 2022 and was divided into four phases: 1) content and technical development, 2) mid-term evaluation by healthcare providers and placebo/communication researchers, 3) optimization of the training, and 4) final evaluation by healthcare providers. To ensure the success, applicability, authenticity, and user-friendliness of the training, in all phases there was ongoing structural collaboration with a group of experts. This group consisted of all authors and the experts mentioned in the acknowledgements, in total including two general practitioners, two anesthesia practitioners (one physician and one physician assistant), one VR expert (and his team members) who developed the VR application, one educational expert (and her team members) who developed the e-learning, and fifteen national and international researchers (most with backgrounds in biomedical and health sciences, some of whom are also working in clinical practice). The authors together set up the content and design of the training. Throughout the phases, updates were consistently shared with the other experts for feedback and approval. The studies were conducted in The Netherlands and approved by the Ethical Committee of Psychology Research of Leiden University (2022–03-01-A.W.M. Evers-V2-3783 and 2022–06-10-A.W.M. Evers-V2-4051).

E-Learning development and evaluation

Content determination.

For the development of the e-learning we collaborated with a non-profit medical education provider, the Dutch Institute for Rational Use of Medicine (IVM). To determine the specific design and content topics of the e-learning, a brainstorm session was organized with an expert group of national and international clinicians and placebo/communication researchers (i.e. all authors and experts mentioned in acknowledgements). Subsequently, a content framework was created in collaboration with an education developer from IVM, which was sent to the expert group for approval. All involved experts agreed on the topics to be included (Fig. 1 ).

Overview of the e-learning’s main structure and contents

E-learning structure

The e-learning structure is based on leading didactic theories [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. To activate and motivate, the e-learning starts with a welcome video, followed by an audio message from a general practitioner (AS) who already makes extensive use of the communication techniques. Second, healthcare providers are challenged to think about their own knowledge and skills, and what they want to improve. Third, an introduction about placebo and nocebo effects in clinical practice is given. This introduction is followed by five substantive modules (Fig. 1 ). Each module contains a video, which focuses on background knowledge, and textual information, which focuses on practical skills. Subsequently, an assignment is given (‘step-by-step case’) in which the healthcare provider can practice the learned techniques on an own (imaginary) patient. During this assignment, several questions are asked on how to act in a certain situation, followed by specific automated feedback. In a final take home assignment, the healthcare provider is encouraged to plan a moment to apply the learned knowledge in clinical practice. The e-learning ends with an optional test (15 multiple choice questions; pass after ≥ 10 correct answers) after which accreditation points could be obtained (Dutch accreditation available for: ABC 1, Kwaliteitsregister V&V and Verpleegkundig Specialisten Register). Thirty five test questions were developed to provide variety when a test had to be retaken.

E-learning optimization and evaluation

The e-learning was evaluated twice: mid-term evaluation and final evaluation. The mid-term evaluation took place directly after finishing the development of the first version of the e-learning and the collected feedback was used for optimization of the e-learning. In the final evaluation, the e-learning was re-evaluated by a new group of participants to measure if the adjustments led to improvement and to determine if the training was ready to be used in practice.

Participants

In both evaluations, we asked healthcare providers (future users) to evaluate the e-learning. During the mid-term evaluation we additionally included placebo/communication researchers to assess the e-learning for accuracy and quality of the content. In both evaluations, participants were recruited from the professional network of the research group members, for example researchers and healthcare professionals from Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and Radboud University Medical Center (RadboudUMC). In the final evaluation, participants were also recruited via (social) media (e.g. on LinkedIn and in the newsletter of IVM). Healthcare providers could follow the e-learning for free and they indicated whether they agreed to use their data for research before they started. In the mid-term evaluation, placebo/communication researchers ( N  = 4) and healthcare providers (nurse N  = 3; unknown N  = 2) assessed the quality of the e-learning (whether the content is correct) and tested the user experience and realism of the e-learning. In the final evaluation, the e-learning was evaluated by healthcare providers (physician N  = 5; nurse N  = 4, other [unspecified] N  = 9).

Procedure & materials

In both evaluations, participants went through the e-learning by themselves, at a self-chosen moment, from their own computers. No researcher was present during this process. To evaluate the e-learning two questionnaires were designed: 1) General questionnaire and 2) Specific questionnaire. The General questionnaire, offered through the e-learning environment, included 14 questions: Five questions about the participants’ background (e.g. ‘What is your job function?’), five multiple choice questions (e.g. ‘Do you think that the e-learning is user-friendly? yes/ reasonable/not really/no’), three open ended questions (e.g. ‘How can we improve the e-learning?’), and one rating (‘What grade do you give this e-learning? scale 1–10’). Table 1 (first column) shows the multiple choice questions. The Specific questionnaire, sent by e-mail, included 14 rating questions (scale 1–10) to evaluate each separate part of the e-learning (see the first column of Table 2 ; e.g. ‘How would you rate the quality of the information in Module 1? 1 = very poor quality 10 = very good quality’), and one open question (‘Do you have any additional feedback?’). During the mid-term evaluation, participants completed both questionnaires. During the final evaluation, participants completed only the General questionnaire.

VR training development and evaluation

In the VR training, healthcare providers interact with simulated patients in two different scenarios while using VR headsets. The VR training focused on training those techniques that have been agreed upon by the expert group in determining the content of the e-learning, as described above. To optimize placebo effects, the provider is taught to explain why the chosen treatment is offered, to emphasize what its short- and long-term benefits are, and to display a warm and empathic attitude (e.g. by maintaining eye contact with the virtual patient). To minimize nocebo effects, the provider learns techniques such as how to identify patients at risk by recognizing negative expectancy patterns, and how to carefully introduce potential side effects of a treatment. For development of the VR training, we collaborated with The Simulation Crew (TSC). TSC is a Dutch company that specializes in developing interactive VR communication training courses using Artificial Intelligence (AI) based speech technology and simulation techniques for training and feedback. In order to ensure that the VR training fits well with conversations in clinical practice, there was structural collaboration with two clinicians (ToH and AS). During the creation of the patient cases, roleplay sessions with three nurses were conducted. Throughout the development process, intensive consultations took place between the researchers, VR developers, and involved clinicians. The researchers took into account the empirical evidence, the VR developers the developmental feasibility, and the clinicians the comparison with clinical practice. Two patient cases were designed (Fig. 2 ). The names within the described cases have been contrived for development of the training and do not pertain to actual individuals under any circumstances. In selecting the features of the patients, we endeavored to be as diverse as possible, by incorporating variations in gender and age.

Brief description of the patient cases in the VR training

VR training structure

The two patient cases were integrated into an app, which can be utilized in 2D on mobile devices and in 3D with the Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets. Only the 3D version was tested in this study since the 2D version was developed later. Healthcare providers can talk aloud in the VR environment and the patient talks back. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, such as speech recognition and natural language processing/understanding , ensured that providers can freely interact with the patients in the VR environment and that they can explore the impact of different communication strategies on the patient. During the mid-term evaluation, the patient had a computer voice. To ensure natural responses from the virtual patients, between the mid-term and final evaluation TSC recorded all possible reactions with motion capture (gestures), facial capture (facial expression), and human voice. Moreover, the AI tracked and detected gaze direction which was used for feedback on keeping eye contact with the patient. After completing the consultation with the virtual patient, healthcare providers received personalized feedback on how they communicated with the patient, and what they could do to improve their skills.

VR training optimization and evaluation

The VR training (3D version) was evaluated twice: during a mid-term evaluation and a final evaluation. During the mid-term evaluation, both patient cases were assessed separately because case 2 was developed after the first evaluation of case 1. During the final evaluation, both cases were re-evaluated to measure if the adjustments led to improvement and to determine if the training was ready to be used in practice.

In both evaluations, we asked healthcare providers (future users) to evaluate the VR training. During the mid-term evaluation we additionally included placebo/communication researchers to assess the training for accuracy and quality of the content. In both evaluations, participants were recruited from the professional network of the research group members, for example researchers and healthcare professionals from Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and Radboud University Medical Center (RadboudUMC). During the mid-term evaluation, placebo/communication researchers ( N  = 7) and healthcare providers (physician N  = 7, nurse N  = 2) assessed the VR training on quality, user experience, and authenticity (i.e. to what extent the virtual conversation corresponds with a real conversation). During the final evaluation, the VR training was evaluated by healthcare providers (nurse N  = 10; physician N  = 8; psychologist N  = 2; unknown N  = 2; researcher N  = 1). Five participants were part of both evaluations.

Both evaluations were in person and several test days were organized in collaboration with TSC. In addition, some individual test appointments were scheduled. The procedure and materials were the same for both evaluations. Participants put on the VR headsets and went through one or both VR cases, having a conversation with the virtual patient multiple times. Participants’ interim feedback was noted by the researcher/TSC and the first impression was discussed and noted after the test. At the end of the appointment, all participants were asked to complete an evaluative questionnaire. The questionnaire contained five questions about the participants’ background (e.g. ‘What is your job function?’), multiple choice questions (e.g. ‘do you think the structure of the case is logical? Yes/Reasonable/Not really/No’), ratings (e.g. ‘how user-friendly do you find the VR training? scale 1–10’), and room for comments. See the first column of Table 3 for the multiple choice questions and ratings.

Participant characteristics

The background characteristics of all participants are summarized in Table 4 .

Mid-term evaluation

During the mid-term evaluation, all components of the e-learning were rated positively (range M  = 7.5 – M  = 8.4) except the take-home assignment ( M  = 5.9, SD  = 1.64) (Table 2 ). The alternation between the different types of information (e.g. text, video, assignment) was experienced as positive, as well as the structure, user-friendliness, and level of the e-learning (Table 1 ). The e-learning as a whole was assessed with a 7.9 ( N  = 7 , SD  = 0.90). Figure 3 shows some qualitative comments of participants per study.

Qualitative quotes evaluation studies

Optimization

Based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the mid-term evaluation, the following adjustments were made to optimize the e-learning:

- The take home assignment was offered as an optional, instead of a required part of the training.

- We added a clear overview screen at the beginning of the e-learning with the aim, the structure, the welcome video and an overview of the chapters.

- More example phrases, that healthcare providers can use in daily practice, were added (e.g. how to explore expectations).

- Detailed feedback on grammar and the general layout of the e-learning was processed when possible.

Final evaluation

The e-learning improved in terms of user-friendliness (‘yes’ from 43 to 72%) and applicability in practice (‘yes’ from 29 to 72%), see Table 1 . The overall assessment was equal in both evaluation moments ( N  = 7 , M  = 7.9, SD  = 0.90 vs. N  = 18, M  = 7.9, SD  = 0.76). Quotes of participants confirmed that the added practical examples were helpful: e.g. “Design, amount of information and usefulness of the information was good. Even though I am not a doctor, I will certainly use the knowledge and tips I have gained in my nursing role” . Enhancing the quality of the videos or including healthcare provider-patient interaction videos are potential suggestions for improvement (see quotes in Fig. 3 ).

During the mid-term evaluation, case 1 was rated less positively than case 2 ( M  = 5.9; SD = 2.13 vs.

M  = 7.4; SD  = 0.48). More than half of the participants scored case 1 as difficult , however all participants perceived case 2 as either doable or easy . In both cases, participants indicated that the interaction with the simulated patient was difficult because the tool does not always understand everything they said (due to speech recognition limitations). This resulted in a stiff and sometimes unnatural conversation flow. The user-friendliness, on the other hand, was immediately assessed as sufficient in both cases ( M  = 7.1; SD  = 2.09 and M  = 7.4; SD  = 1.55, respectively), see Table 3 and Fig. 3 .

The first step towards VR training improvement was that all possible reactions/movements of the virtual patient were recorded by an actor in a motion-sensitive suit. This improvement gave the simulated patient a more human appearance. The following adjustments were also made to optimize the VR training:

- The recognition and vocabulary of the simulated patient was expanded, allowing the system to better understand what the participant is saying and improve the responses.

- After the participant welcomed the patient, the patient starts talking directly instead of waiting for a question from the trainee, which makes the start of the conversation smoother.

- More instructions were added to guide the participant through the conversation.

- The visuals were optimized (e.g. enhanced legibility of the computer screen in the virtual environment).

The final evaluation showed that case 1 improved in terms of structure, level and overall rating (see Table 3 ). Case 2 was assessed almost equal as in the mid-term evaluation. In both cases about half of the participants perceived the acquired knowledge as directly applicable in clinical practice (44% and 50%, respectively), almost the other half perceived it as reasonably applicable (39% and 44%, respectively). The comments also indicated that the VR training was perceived as valuable: e.g. “I think very valuable to use in education” . For additional quotes, see Fig. 3 . The VR training as a whole was assessed with a 6.9 ( N  =  22, SD  = 1.19). Instances where the avatar does not understand the participant or gives inappropriate responses remain a focus point for improvement in the future.

We developed and evaluated an innovative communication training, consisting of an e-learning and VR training, for healthcare providers to optimize placebo and minimize nocebo effects through healthcare provider-patient communication. Results of the evaluation studies show that both healthcare providers and communication/placebo researchers were mostly positive about the communication training. The e-learning was experienced as user-friendly and the content was perceived as accessible, interesting, and easily applicable in clinical practice. Enhancing the quality of the videos or including healthcare provider-patient interaction videos are potential suggestions for improvement. The VR training was experienced as user-friendly as well, and as offering a safe learning environment. Instances where the VR avatar does not understand the participant or gives inappropriate responses remain a focus point for improvement in the future.

The growing acknowledgement of the power of communication in healthcare is a positive development that results in an increase in communication training programs for healthcare providers. Existing communication training courses often focus on shared decision making [ 32 ], person centered care [ 33 ], or serious illness communication [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Fewer training courses focus on how to utilize placebo effects in clinical practice [ 37 , 38 , 39 ]. What our training adds to the existing training courses is that we focus on both optimizing placebo effects, and also minimizing nocebo effects. In addition to educating healthcare providers about the potential impact of expectations and empathy, we also train them in effectively informing patients about placebo and nocebo effects. We utilize various learning methods, including text, video, assignments, and virtual reality, and aim to be accessible to healthcare providers in all disciplines.

Setting up this e-learning and VR training presented some limitations and taught us some lessons that may also be helpful for others. First an issue, common in interdisciplinary collaborations [ 40 ], that arose at the initial stage of the development was that the researchers and educational experts (IVM and TSC) experienced lack of expertise in each other’s field. Learning each other's language was time-consuming, but frequent consultation at the beginning of the project has been helpful. The growth of knowledge of each other's field is reflected in the finding that VR case 2, which was developed after a first version of case 1 was evaluated, was immediately assessed better than case 1. Second, a well-known problem of VR is that it remains difficult to be authentic (i.e. to what extent the virtual patient reacts like a real patient) due to technical challenges [ 23 , 40 , 41 ]. In our VR training, we decided to use the technique natural language processing , instead of the more conventional choice-based dialogue . The use of natural language processing enables a real conversation with the virtual patient, however it is also more challenging and time-consuming to ensure a smooth conversation flow. Our results reveal that the authenticity did improve as we progressed in the development. More use of the VR training will improve speech recognition, due to the self-learning abilities of the applied AI. Third, during the final evaluation of the e-learning, we were not able to ascertain the specific medical roles of the participants involved, as the response option 'other' could not be elaborated upon. Fourth, the initial plan was to develop and evaluate the e-learning and the VR training simultaneously as one product. However, due to practical considerations (e.g. time constraints and the distribution of required expertise among multiple partners) separate developmental and evaluation phases were needed. Consequently, this separation led to relatively small sample sizes for all evaluations, which are a limitation of this study. Nonetheless, the separate development has also resulted in an additional benefit: the e-learning and VR training are two self-contained, full-fledged and complementary training tools. These tools can be offered independently or combined as a full training. Combining both training tools, starting with the e-learning followed by the VR training, may enhance the effectiveness of the training [ 35 ].

Development of this first-of-its-kind communication training offers opportunities for future directions. In a follow-up study the effect of this training on healthcare providers’ communication should be studied. To assess the improvement of healthcare providers' theoretical knowledge, the e-learning test can serve as a measurement instrument for both pre- and post-training evaluations. In the VR training, healthcare providers' communication is already being assessed through a scoring system, which is currently used to determine the personalized feedback. The score could potentially serve as a pre- and post-measurement, or it can be studied whether there is an enhancement in the scores when healthcare providers go through the case studies multiple times. Next, it can be investigated whether the acquired communication skills impact patient outcomes on both short- and long-term levels. Some potentially expected outcomes may include increased treatment effectiveness, higher levels of satisfaction and trust, as well as reduced anxiety and perceived side effects [ 18 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Another direction for the future is translation of the training. The current training has been developed from a Dutch (East European) perspective and is only available in Dutch. Translating the training to other languages and cultures is an important next step, where cultural differences and preferences must be taken into account [ 45 , 46 ]. A last valuable direction is expanding the VR training with more specific cases to connect even better with healthcare providers from all (para)medical disciplines (e.g. physiotherapists and psychologists). When developing new cases in the future, it is important to strive for diversity in patient features, such as gender, age, and culture. In future AI developments, it's essential to stay informed about ongoing advancements, potential biases, and ethical discussions.

Availability

The e-learning and VR training (2D and 3D) are already offered in The Netherlands and available via the websites of IVM and TSC. After completing the e-learning, Dutch accreditation is available for: ABC 1, Kwaliteitsregister V&V and Verpleegkundig Specialisten Register.

Training introduction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N6r_Syk2SA

IVM: https://www.medicijngebruik.nl/scholing/e-learning/4942/behandeleffecten-verbeteren-via-communicatie

TSC: https://thesimulationcrew.com/producten/placebo/

To conclude, we have developed an innovative and user-friendly communication training that can be used to teach healthcare providers how to optimize placebo effects and minimize nocebo effects through healthcare provider-patient communication. The training consists of an e-learning and VR training (2D and 3D) which can be followed separately or together. Placebo/communication researchers and healthcare providers have provided a favorable evaluation of the training. However, the training’s potential effect on the communication of healthcare providers has not yet been studied. Future studies can focus on translating the training into other languages and cultures, improving the authenticity of the VR training, expanding with additional VR cases, and measuring the expected effects on healthcare provider communication skills, and subsequently, on patient outcomes.

Availability of data and materials

The data generated and/or analyzed during the current study will be made available upon request (corresponding author: [email protected]) after publication via the DataverseNL research data repository.

Abbreviations

• Virtual reality

Dutch Institute for Rational Use of Medicine (Instituut Verantwoord Medicijngebruik)

The simulation crew

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Acknowledgements

We thank the expert group of national and international clinicians and placebo/communication researchers for their involvement in the development of this communication training: Adam Hirsh, Jeremy Howick, Luana Colloca, Fabian Wolters, Judy Veldhuijzen, Antoinette van Laarhoven, Henriët van Middendorp, Aleksandrina Skvortsova, Hans van Lennep, Simone Meijer, Marc Godfried, Bram Thiel. We thank nurses Liz Tenhagen, Suzanne Kok en Kim Nijboer-Vliegen for their contribution to the role plays. We would like to thank the employees of the Dutch Institute for Rational Use of Medicine (IVM) and The Simulation crew (TSC) for their contribution to the development of the training. We would like to thank research assistants Marrit Veenstra and Eva Rümke for their support in data collection and analysis. Last, we would like to express our gratitude to all healthcare providers and placebo/communication researchers who participated in the evaluation studies of the training.

This project was funded by a European Research Council grant awarded to prof. dr. A.W.M. Evers (ERC proof of concept grant; 966785-COMMUNICATE-HEAL-TH).

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Study conceptualization: AE,SM, KP and LvV; Training development: JW, LvV, KP, SM, ToH, AS, EJ, MD, and AE. Data collection and analyzation: JW. JW drafted the full manuscript and all authors contributed to the revision of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Ethical permission was obtained from the Ethical Committee of Psychology Research of Leiden University (2022–03-01-A.W.M. Evers-V2-3783 and 2022–06-10-A.W.M. Evers-V2-4051). Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

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Author Eric Jutten is CEO of The Simulation Crew. The Simulation Crew sells the VR training. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Westendorp, J., van Vliet, L.M., Meeuwis, S.H. et al. Optimizing placebo and minimizing nocebo effects through communication: e-learning and virtual reality training development. BMC Med Educ 24 , 707 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05671-0

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Seminal Papers in Urology: Darolutamide and survival in metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer

• Claris Oh 1 &
• Michael O’Callaghan 1 , 2 , 3  

BMC Urology volume  24 , Article number:  135 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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The ARASENS trial recruited 1306 men with metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer. It investigated the effect of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and systemic therapy docetaxel in combination with a third novel drug – daralutamide, compared with placebo on overall survival. Triple therapy with ADT, docetaxel and darolutamide resulted in improved overall survival rates as compared with ADT, docetaxel and placebo (HR 0.68; 95% CI, 0.57–0.80; p  < 0.001). The side effect profile for both treatments was similar. This randomised, double blinded, placebo controlled study, was assessed to have a low risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool.

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The clinical problem

Prostate cancer is a common diagnosis, and its prevalence is expected to increase as the population ages. The disease is also the sixth leading cause of death amongst men [ 1 ]. This is despite having significant advances in treatment of prostate cancer in the recent years, with development of new therapies and drugs approved for treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. Current guidelines by European Association of Urology (EAU) [ 2 ] and American Urological Association (AUA) [ 3 ] recommend offering all patients with metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) a combination of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) plus systemic therapy docetaxel. There have also been previous trials supporting the addition of an androgen-receptor pathway inhibitor like abiraterone [ 4 ], enzalutamide [ 5 ] or apalutamide [ 6 ] to ADT. Triple therapy with ADT, docetaxel and the above-mentioned androgen-receptor pathway inhibitors had also been investigated, with varying results [ 7 , 8 ].

Darolutamide is a novel drug which has been shown to have significant benefits to survival rates in non-metastatic, castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Combinations with ADT were improved survival rates in comparison to ADT alone [ 9 ]. Through a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Smith et al. compared the survival rates of standard therapy of ADT plus docetaxel, with the addition of androgen-receptor pathway inhibitor darolutamide to the two drugs. The results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine in March 2022 [ 10 ].

Adult patients above the age of 18, with confirmed prostate cancer through histology or cytology and radiologically proven metastasis were eligible to enter the trial. Other inclusion criteria included having an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status of 0 to 1.

The primary outcome measure of overall survival was defined as the duration from time of randomisation to time of death, regardless of cause. Secondary outcome measures included time to progression of disease to being castrate resistant or initiation of systemic chemotherapy, as well as less subjective outcomes such as worsening symptoms measured through pain scores.

All patients recruited in the study underwent ADT or orchidectomy within 12 weeks before randomisation, and also had received six cycles of docetaxel. Patients also received doses of oral steroids to prevent hypersensitivity reactions and fluid retention according to clinician discretion.

Randomisation to receiving either darolutamide or placebo was in a 1:1 ratio, and was adjusted for metastasis stage according to the TNM system and serum levels of ALP. This was conducted by separate personnel, through a computer-generated randomisation list. The study aimed for 90% power to detect a 25% decrease in risk of death in the darolutamide group versus placebo group, and achieved this by recruiting total of 1306 patients across multiple sites in multiple countries. Patients were assessed based on the treatment they received.

There was equal distribution of the baseline characteristics between the two study groups which suggests that randomisation was implemented well. Only one and three patients were excluded from full analysis and safety analysis set respectively.

Summary of findings

There was a 32.5% reduction in risk of death for patients who received darolutamide as compared to those who received placebo, representing a significant improvement in overall survival (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57 to 0.80; P  < 0.001). Overall survival rate at four years was 62.7% in the darolutamide group and 50.4% in placebo group. The patients who were allocated to receive darolutamide with ADT and docetaxel also performed better in secondary outcomes than those in the placebo group.

Adverse event rate was similar in the two groups, with the most commonly reported being alopecia, followed by neutropenia, fatigue and anaemiaIn the darolutamide group 13.5% of patients with adverse event led to their discontinuation of the drug and only 10.5% in placebo group.

Assessment of evidence

The ARASENS phase 3 trial discussed in this paper is a large, multicentre, international study involving 23 countries and spanning five continents. There is good representation of not only race and cultures but also a wide range of healthcare systems.

There was a low risk of bias with appropriate steps taken to ensure adequate blinding of the patients, investigators and sponsors. Patients were analysed under their Intention to Treat groups and there were minimal missing data to affect the study results significantly. According to the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment [ 11 ], the study has a low risk of bias in all domains. Although it should be acknowledged that the study was sponsored by Bayer and Orion Pharm, which might represent a potential risk for bias. The sponsors were involved in data analysis, interpretation, authorship and manuscript writing.

Future research

Future efforts could be directed to comparing the overall survival rates between having double therapy darolutamide and ADT versus ADT and docetaxel. Given that most of the adverse effects reported in this study are well known side effects from docetaxel, patients could potentially benefit from a reduction in the number of chemotherapy drugs they receive.

The trial could also be expanded to include patients of poor ECOG scores. This additional data is likely to become available in real world evidence studies (noting the non-randomised nature of this study type) and will be useful in assessing the generalisability of the study results. In addition, comparing adverse effects with alternative second generation androgen receptor inhibitors will be important, particularly in the context of similar efficacy [ 12 ].

ADT treatment of prostate cancer patients is becoming increasingly complex. This study demonstrates that darolutamide is beneficial in the setting of metastatic disease, and adds to data showing a benefit to men with non-metastatic castrate resistant disease [ 13 ]. These two patient settings are common targets for second generation androgen deprivation medications. To date, ADT monotherapy treatment of low risk and intermediate disease has not been demonstrated beneficial, and has limited application in high risk settings. Increasing focus on accurate diagnostic staging, stratification and medication combinations particularly minimising adverse events will likely characterise this field in the near term.

Data availability

This paper uses no primary data.

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No funding was allocated to support this work.

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Claris Oh & Michael O’Callaghan

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Michael O’Callaghan

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C.O. drafted the manuscript, MO’C concieved the manuscript, all authours reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Michael O’Callaghan .

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This paper uses no primary data and therefore does not require ethics approval or patient consent.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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The ARASENS trial: Smith MR, Hussain M, Saad F, et al. Darolutamide and Survival in Metastatic, Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine. 2022;386(12):1132-1142.

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Oh, C., O’Callaghan, M. Seminal Papers in Urology: Darolutamide and survival in metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. BMC Urol 24 , 135 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12894-024-01507-7

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Received : 01 March 2023

Accepted : 04 June 2024

Published : 01 July 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12894-024-01507-7

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