Why the acknowledgements are important

This recent slate.com article discusses the increasing prevalance of the acknowledgements section in books.

It got me thinking about acknowledgements in scientific papers. Some authors use them, others don’t. Some authors thank the reviewers; others don’t. Some authors even thank the Editor; others don’t.

Every once in a while you’ll find authors using weather graphics from an online archive or web-based application without proper acknowledgement.

I would like to think that authors would recognize the others who helped them (even if indirectly and unknowingly) contributed to their paper. Perhaps the help provided is years earlier and the assistance was forgotten.

How would you feel if something you created went unacknowledged? That is what I try to think of.

Image from abovethelaw.com