Decide whom to thank. For a research paper, it is not important to thank friends, family members or colleagues who did not directly contribute to the development of your paper or help you in some other way when writing the paper. For example, it is acceptable to thank a friend or loved one who gave you moral support while writing your paper. You can also thank people from whom you sought advice, expert tips and help while writing your essay.
Keep the same tone in your acknowledgement as you have in your paper. If your paper is formal, keep a formal tone when you write your acknowledgment. If the paper has a more casual, conversational tone, you may choose to also write your acknowledgment in a casual tone.
Thank each person briefly. You can mention one or two things that each person did to help you while writing your paper. Don't allow your acknowledgement to get long-winded or expansive. It should be concise, yet still express gratitude for the help. Depending on how many people you need to thank, the acknowledgement can be as short as one paragraph or as long as two pages.
Place the acknowledgement before any prefaces, introductions or tables at the beginning of your paper, or at the very end of the paper. This can be on the first page before the contents or on the last page after cited references.