An acknowledgment (also spelled acknowledgement) is a statement from an author thanking those who made an impactful difference to them as writers or helped publish the work at all – this may include inspiration, support, or other forms of assistance; publishers also sometimes issue acknowledgments thanking anyone involved with publishing writing in some capacity.
An acknowledgment may be either an official statement or a listing of names.
Acknowledging someone can include more personal words of thanks; alternatively, acknowledgement can be recognizing those responsible for publishing the work in question or who were instrumental in its production.
Acknowledging all who assisted with marketing or researching may occur through a statement from both the author and recipient.
An acknowledgement may also include those whose inspiration for this work was essential.