The work is devoted to one of the components of a scientific work – acknowledgements. The description of this component, various means of its expression, possible addressees are given. The purpose of this article is to describe how to include this data in the search criteria of automatic search engines, as well as the analytical capabilities associated with this component. The analysis of publications in the professional literature is conducted, where expressions of аcknowledgements are given by the authors of scientific works. The technical methods of including information about gratitude into the bibliographic record are described on the example of the ABIS «Ruslan» and «Irbis». It was revealed that acknowledgments are considered mainly to assess the sources of research funding. Critical remarks are given regarding the value and objectivity of using this element in this capacity. It has been established that the expression of gratitude given in a scientific work, primarily in a scientific article, is of great research importance. A promising way to use this component to identify informal connections between scientists is proposed.