Acknowledgement

The Acknowledgement section gives authors an opportunity to thank contributors whose support was significant but does not meet our authorship criteria, and to disclose relevant funding.

We especially encourage authors to carefully assess contribution and authorship in multi-region collaborations, particularly involving local or under-resourced research partners, to promote equity and fair credit across all contributors.

What to Include and What Not to Include

  • Appropriate uses of the Acknowledgement section
  • Recognizing individuals who provided technical assistance, language editing, administrative help, or other support that does not merit full authorship.
  • Acknowledging funding sources or grants, where those grants directly supported the research or publication costs.
  • Citing institutional or material support (e.g. access to facilities, datasets, instrumentation) when relevant.
  • What the Acknowledgement section should not be used for
  • Listing contributors who meet our authorship criteria (those should be authors)
  • Declaring competing interests, conflicts of interest, or financial relationships, these belong in a separate Competing Interest / Conflict of Interest statement
  • Acknowledging grants or support that did not directly contribute to the specific work or fall outside the scope of associated funding

Guidance on Acknowledging Funding

  • When you include funding in the Acknowledgement, follow these best practices
  • Only acknowledge funders if the credited grant or funding directly supported the work presented in the paper
  • Use full names of funding agencies and include grant or project numbers, if applicable
  • If the funding source had no role in design, analysis, manuscript preparation, or submission decisions, state that explicitly
  • Avoid acknowledging grants that supported tangential or unrelated research, not directly tied to the present study
  • Be aware of any specific acknowledgement requirements set by your funders
  • A helpful guideline is to ask
  • Only acknowledge funders if the credited grant or funding directly supported the work presented in the paper
  • Use full names of funding agencies and include grant or project numbers, if applicable
  • If the funding source had no role in design, analysis, manuscript preparation, or submission decisions, state that explicitly
  • Avoid acknowledging grants that supported tangential or unrelated research, not directly tied to the present study
  • Be aware of any specific acknowledgement requirements set by your funders
  • If “yes” to either, acknowledging the funding is appropriate. Otherwise, omit it.
Placement & Format
  • The Acknowledgement section should follow the main text (typically after the Discussion or Conclusion) and appear just before the References.
  • Use a heading titled “Acknowledgement(s)” (or “Acknowledgments”) as per journal style.
  • Present names, institutions, and roles clearly, without ambiguity.
  • If funding is mentioned, list the funding agencies in full, along with grant or project numbers and specify which authors were supported (if applicable).
Acknowledging Entities or Groups
  • If a large group or consortium contributed, you may mention the collective name and optionally list individual contributors, following journal conventions. Ensure you have permission to publicize names when necessary.
Permissions & Disclosure
  • Authors should seek consent from individuals being acknowledged before listing them.
  • Acknowledging someone does not imply endorsement of the work.
  • Acknowledgments should not include any statements that may create conflicts of interest or misrepresent contributions.
  • If third-party content or assistance is acknowledged (e.g. use of data, software), ensure appropriate permission or citation is in place.