A dissertation or thesis preface should avoid duplicating the acknowledgements section, choosing to write either a preface or acknowledgements rather than both, and should not omit thanks to the professional and personal contacts who supported the research.
A preface usually explains the personal motivation behind the research topic and any context readers need before the main text, while acknowledgements are reserved specifically for thanking supervisors, funders, and family.
Avoid an overly informal tone, lengthy anecdotes unrelated to the research, or previewing findings that belong in the results chapter; keep the preface concise and focused on context rather than conclusions.
Not every UK dissertation requires a preface at all, so check the department’s specific formatting guidance first; our dissertation guide explains where a preface fits among the front-matter pages.
If structuring the front matter feels tricky, our PhD thesis help service offers guidance on preface, acknowledgements and other preliminary pages so the sequence reads professionally from the first page.


