In the course of writing any piece of research, whether or not it is published, attention must be given to making proper acknowledgements - at all times. Acknowledgements should not just be an afterthought - they should be made at various times in the research and writing process. People who have been acknowledged in person during the research and during the writing, should also be suitably acknowledged in the published work. When a manuscript is first submitted to a publisher, the acknowledgements should be attached even if they cannot be fully published because of space restrictions or for stylistic reasons. At a minimum, the reviewers and the publisher should see the full acknowledgements, even if readers can only see an abbreviated form. Err on the side of inclusion and generosity and let others judge whether you have gone too far. Even if a paper or report is not intended for publication, acknowledgements should be included - at sometime in the near or distant future, your work may be seen by people who are not familiar with your present circumstances and the origins of your work. Even if you have paid someone to help revise or translate your writing, this should be acknowledged, even if only briefly. When a writer is negotiating with an editor, translator or illustrator, how to acknowledge the help requested should be discussed at an early stage. This is especially important where there is a possibility that the person offering help will contribute to the intellectual content of your work - with new ideas, new information or advice on information sources, and improved structure or logic. The more willing you are to discuss these matters, the more likely it is that friends and colleagues will help you for little or no financial cost. If there has been a substantial or crucial improvement to your content, consider recognising your editor, translator or illustrator as a coauthor - with their consent.

Maybe, but we ask them not to try. We cannot monitor and control why people use this this site. If you are writing something that will be assessed as entirely your own effort, please do not use this site to seek help from others. If you are writing for any kind of formal thesis or publication, then it is usually legitimate to ask peers and others to help check what you have written - BUT ONLY if proper acknowledgements are given. Acknowledgements should always be given to make it clear to any reader the nature and extent of help that has been received, and who from. See next question on how to make proper acknowledgements. See also our links to sites concerned with ethical issues in research (under Links & Sponsors in the main menu).