Writing a Dissertation Dedication: a Few Important Rules

When you have completed your paper, you may want to express your gratefulness to someone special who was beside you offering support during a long period of your research work. You can do this on a separate page at the beginning of your dissertation. Since there are no clear-cut requirements for the dedication page, consider the following guidelines to write it properly.

• Format.

As including a dedication into you dissertation is optional, there are no strict requirements for its formatting and style. You should follow the instructions of your advisor. Generally, it should come after the approval page. It shouldn’t be numbered and included in the page count as well as in the table of contents. Write it in a concise way and make sure it isn’t longer than one page. Although the absence of any requirements to this page gives you much room for expressing yourself, write it professionally and in conformity with the rest of your paper.

• Look for the sample.

If you don’t want to spend much time on figuring out all the subtleties of the dedication page, get a sample and analyze it. Many people consider it easier to write something when they have a template or example at hand. You can find the best samples on the Internet and then give them a closer look noticing some essential elements.

• Choose the person.

The first thing to do is to think about someone special who supported you throughout the whole research and writing process. It can be your parent, friend, spouse, or even a pet or inanimate object. There are no wrong choices because it’s your personal decision. It should be someone who supported you morally; you’ll have a chance to list people who helped you with your academic research on the acknowledgment page.

• Reason your choice.

It’s up to you whether to explain your choice or just write: “To my wife”, and that’s it. If you decide to explain, you may choose a traditional format or come up with something original such as a poem or story concerning you two. Everything depends on the formality of your relationship with that person.

• Address your dedication.

You can write it using such patterns as “This is dedicated to …” or “I dedicate this dissertation to …”. It’s also possible to omit those formal phrases and get down to writing your words of gratitude. However, you should write it in such a way that your audience understand what part of dissertation they are reading.

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