An acknowledgment for a thesis is a short section within the thesis that recognizes the people who supported its author through their work. The certificate of acknowledgment (PDF) must be in the form set forth in California Civil Code section 1189.The dissertation acknowledgements are where you thank the people who helped you during your thesis and dissertation process. WITNESS my hand and official seal. Signature. (Seal). A notary public or other officer completing this certificate verifies only the identity of the individual. The acknowledgements or introductory portion of the capstone should clearly detail the role and contributions of the student in coauthored works. I'm extremely grateful to (Something—my success, the completion of my dissertation) would not have been possible without the support and nurturing of (person). You must acknowledge any previously published work, as well as any grants or funding received to conduct this research. In today's video I'm going to show you how to complete a California Acknowledgement and a California Giraffe. Ready to file your master's thesis?