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I am writing the Acknowledgements of my thesis and I would like to know if it's necessary to use the official academic titles. For instance "Thanks Dr.X for his invaluable help in ....", but it could happen that actually Dr.X is a Professor, or he prefers the D.Phil or PhD. Should I make a little research to be sure that no one will feel "offended"? Or is there some consensus about this matter?

Thanks in advance.

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  • I'd have expected that you know who the people are who helped you!?
    – cbeleites
    Commented Mar 20, 2019 at 18:36
  • Actually I've received help from some authors that I don't actually know personally. I've been in contact with them and they sent me data,R codes, and bibliography.
    – Chaos
    Commented Mar 20, 2019 at 18:49
  • At least in the US, "Professor" > "Dr." I doubt anyone would be offended if you used "Dr." only, but "Professor" (and their correct title, Assistant/Associate if necessary) would be more correct. It would strike me as odd to use post-nominals instead of titles in this case.
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Mar 20, 2019 at 19:49

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Yes, it is probably best to be a bit formal in acknowledgements. The difference would be two or more true peers, in which case they may collectively decide to be informal. But if you are a student, then it is wise to err on the formal side.

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