How to Write Acknowledgments in a Report

Completing a project often requires the support of others. Many people may contribute to your success. Acknowledgments provide a way to thank those who supported or encouraged you in your research, writing and other parts of developing your report, paper or other project.

Develop a list of those who helped you to develop your report or who gave you the time and encouragement that you needed to complete the project.

Review the list of names and determine if you want to include the person on the acknowledgments page. Focus on those who really supported, encouraged or helped you. Avoid including all of your friends or relatives, and focus on those who made a significant impact on your report. You may want to limit the list to five to 10 people for the acknowledgments page.

Consider how each person contributed to your project. You can keep the contributions concise with a brief description of how each offered time and energy to your project.

Create an acknowledgments page with the title “Acknowledgments” at the top. Press enter several times and begin typing the acknowledgments that you brainstormed earlier. For instance, you can write “Thanks to Regis for supporting me and giving me the time I needed each day to write” or “Thanks to Kelly for editing this manuscript.”

Conclude by thanking everyone and stating, “Without their effort, the completion of the project would not have been possible.”