📚 Acknowledgements in Biological Research | 生物研究中的致谢
In biology, the word ‘acknowledgements’ may sound like a formality, but it is a core part of scientific communication. For A-level learners following the Cambridge International AS & A Level Biology (9700) syllabus, clear acknowledgements in practical write-ups, field reports, and research tasks demonstrate academic honesty and show exactly how data were obtained. This article explains what to acknowledge, how to write acknowledgements, and why they matter in biological investigations.
在生物学中,“致谢”一词听起来像是一种形式,但它是科学交流的核心部分。对于学习剑桥国际 AS & A Level 生物(9700)大纲的 A-level 学生来说,在实验报告、野外报告和研究任务中清晰致谢能够体现学术诚信,并准确说明数据是如何获得的。本文将解释需要致谢什么、如何撰写致谢,以及为什么致谢在生物调查中很重要。
1. The Role of Acknowledgements | 致谢的作用
Acknowledgements make the division of labour visible. In a biology experiment, several people may help: a teacher may prepare reagents, a technician may calibrate a colorimeter, and a classmate may record the time while you count Daphnia heartbeats. Naming each contribution prevents you from claiming work that is not entirely yours.
致谢让分工变得清晰可见。在一个生物实验中,可能有几个人提供帮助:老师可能准备试剂,技术员可能校准比色计,同学可能在你计数水蚤心跳时记录时间。逐一说明这些贡献可以避免你声称并非完全由自己完成的工作。
They also protect the reliability of your results. If a future researcher repeats your method, they need to know who prepared the enzyme solution or how the incubator was maintained, because these factors affect biological variation.
它们也保护结果的可靠性。如果未来的研究者重复你的方法,他们需要知道谁准备了酶溶液或培养箱是如何维护的,因为这些因素会影响生物学差异。
2. Acknowledging Data Sources | 致谢数据来源
When you use secondary data, such as population counts from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) or DNA sequences from GenBank, you must state the database name, the exact accession number, and the date you accessed the record. For example: ‘Sequence data retrieved from GenBank accession NM_001301717 on 14 June 2025.’
当你使用二手数据时,例如来自全球生物多样性信息设施(GBIF)的种群计数或来自 GenBank 的 DNA 序列,必须说明数据库名称、具体的登录号以及访问该记录的日期。例如:“序列数据于 2025 年 6 月 14 日检索自 GenBank 登录号 NM_001301717。”
In A-level ecology investigations, you might use local weather data or soil maps. Acknowledge the meteorological station or geography department that supplied them, because data collected by others still carries uncertainty. This is not just about being polite; it allows a reader to check whether your conclusions rest on reliable primary records.
在 A-level 生态学调查中,你可能会使用当地的气象数据或土壤图。应致谢提供这些数据的气象站或地理系,因为他人收集的数据仍然带有不确定性。这不仅仅是出于礼貌,它让读者能够检查你的结论是否建立在可靠的一手记录之上。
3. Specimens and Fieldwork Support | 标本与野外工作支持
Live specimens require ethical handling. If your school technician bred the yeast or maintained the pond water culture, say so. If samples were collected from a nature reserve, acknowledge the landowner or warden who granted permission.
活体标本需要符合伦理的处置。如果学校的技术员培养了酵母或维护了池塘水培养物,请说明。如果样本来自自然保护区,请致谢授予许可的土地所有者或管理员。
For example: ‘Water samples were collected from the school pond with the assistance of the site manager, who also provided background data on pH and temperature.’ This kind of detail shows that your sampling was legal and traceable, which is especially important if you later identify an unusual species or a pollution signal.
例如:“水样是在场地管理员协助下从学校池塘采集的,他还提供了 pH 和温度的背景数据。”这种细节表明你的采样是合法且可追溯的,如果你后来发现异常物种或污染信号,这一点尤其重要。
4. Funders and Ethics Approval | 资助者与伦理审批
If you received a bursary, a school science award, or used consumables bought by a parent-teacher association, acknowledge the source. In formal biology, grants are always acknowledged because they create accountability and allow funding bodies to track the impact of their support.
如果你获得了助学金、学校科学奖,或使用了由家长教师协会购买的耗材,请说明来源。在正式的生物学中,资助总是被致谢,因为它们产生了问责,并让资助机构能够追踪其支持的影响。
Any work involving vertebrates, human participants, or sensitive field sites must have ethics approval. Write the committee name and reference number. Cambridge A-level candidates should follow the school’s ethical guidelines and note this in the method section, for example: ‘This project was approved by the school ethics committee, reference BIO2024-07.’
任何涉及脊椎动物、人类参与者或敏感野外地点的工作都必须获得伦理批准。写出委员会名称和参考编号。剑桥 A-level 考生应遵循学校的伦理指南,并在方法部分注明这一点,例如:“本项目经学校伦理委员会批准,编号 BIO2024-07。”
5. Acknowledgements vs References | 致谢与参考文献的区别
Many students confuse acknowledgements with references. References list published sources such as textbooks, journal articles, and official databases that provide evidence for your background research. Acknowledgements name people or bodies that gave practical, financial, or technical help.
许多学生将致谢与参考文献混淆。参考文献列出已发表的来源,如教科书、期刊文章和官方数据库,它们为你的背景研究提供证据。致谢则列出提供实际、财务或技术帮助的人或机构。
Acknowledgements are not the same as citations. In a Cambridge Biology practical write-up, your reference list shows the textbook pages you used to justify your method; your acknowledgement sentence shows that a technician prepared the 1.0 mol dm⁻³ sucrose solution. A good rule is: if you read it, cite it; if someone did it for you, thank them.
致谢与引用不同。在剑桥生物实验报告中,参考文献列表显示你用来证明方法的教科书页面;致谢句子则显示技术员准备了 1.0 mol dm⁻³ 蔗糖溶液。一个好的规则是:如果你阅读了它,就引用它;如果别人为你做了某事,就感谢他们。
6. How to Write an Acknowledgement in a Lab Report | 如何在实验报告中写致谢
Write acknowledgements as concise, factual sentences. Include three elements: who helped, what they did, and why it mattered. For example: ‘I thank Ms. Chen, the laboratory technician, for preparing the 0.1% methylene blue solution and for calibrating the light microscope before the cell count.’
将致谢写成简洁、事实性的句子。包含三个要素:谁提供了帮助、他们做了什么、以及为什么重要。例如:“我感谢实验室技术员陈老师配制了 0.1% 亚甲蓝溶液,并在细胞计数前校准了光学显微镜。”
Place the acknowledgement in the method section or as a short paragraph after the introduction. Avoid emotional language such as ‘I am deeply grateful to…’ in a scientific report; the register should remain neutral and informative. This makes your report easier to follow and less likely to be marked down for informal tone.
将致谢放在方法部分或引言后的简短段落中。在科学报告中避免“我非常感激……”这类情绪化语言;语体应保持中性且信息充分。这会使你的报告更容易理解,也不容易因语气不正式而被扣分。
7. Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them | 常见错误及避免方法
A frequent mistake is over-thanking. For example, writing ‘I thank my teacher for helping me with everything’ is vague and does not tell the reader which parts of the design were not yours. Instead, specify: ‘The teacher demonstrated the use of the potometer but did not collect data.’
一个常见错误是过度感谢。例如,写“我感谢老师帮助我完成一切”是模糊的,并没有告诉读者设计中哪些部分不是你的。相反,应具体说明:“老师演示了蒸腾计的使用,但未收集数据。”
Another error is burying acknowledgements in a conclusion or forgetting them altogether. Keep a checklist from the start: equipment loans, specimens, data, ethics, funding. If a piece of equipment was borrowed from another school, note that too, because calibration and handling history can affect biological measurements.
另一个错误是将致谢埋在结论中或完全忘记。从一开始就保留一份清单:设备借用、标本、数据、伦理、资助。如果设备是从另一所学校借来的,也应注明,因为校准和使用历史会影响生物测量。
8. Ethical Implications of Missing Acknowledgements | 遗漏致谢的伦理影响
Omitting a helper can become plagiarism if that person contributed to data collection, analysis, or the design of the investigation. Academic integrity policies treat unacknowledged collaboration as misconduct, and Cambridge schools are expected to uphold these standards.
如果某人对数据收集、分析或调查设计做出了贡献,遗漏致谢可能构成抄袭。学术诚信政策将未声明的合作视为不当行为,剑桥学校
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