How to Write the Right Conclusion for a Research Paper
FOR STUDENTS
The conclusion is viewed as the final thought of your research paper. It is the last paragraph, which contains a short indication of the whole work and mentioning of future perspectives.
To write the final thought of your paper, you need to summarize its content and express some thoughts for the future. Even if you don’t know how to do it, don’t worry. Here, you will learn how to develop an efficient conclusion.
Meet the Requirements
The major feature of the last paragraph is in mentioning details that are already known. It doesn’t mean, however, you should go round in a circle in your research paper. Instead, you just need to remind the reader of the major points. To organize your conclusion as a limited reflection of the whole paper, you should address these requirements:
- Shortly restate the goal of your paper by demonstrating how it stands for or against other research studies in the given sphere.
- Put together the core arguments by showing their relevance to the mission of your research paper.
- Analyze future perspectives by considering further exploration of the subject matter. Also, you can indicate the areas for improvement to highlight your interest in the particular subject matter.
Follow Step-by-Step Guidance for Finishing Your Research Paper
Similar to any part of the research paper, the last part requires a certain structure to look concise. By following this guide, you will succeed in organizing your paper. By the way, the steps can be put in a different order unless you take them properly.
Restate Your Subject Matter
To make your last sentences sound lively, an entrance sentence should sound catchy. This way, the reader will become interested and continue reading your paper. Here is why:
- Mention your idea once again. After reading lots of information, it would be reasonable to state what the paper is all about. Thus, you can stick to a one-point trick to minimize the effects of overwhelming information.
- Highlight a recurring phrase associated with your subject matter. If your paper relies on a single sentence, you’d better start your final paragraph with it.
Restate Thesis
Once you have restated your subject matter, it is time to remind the reader of your major argument, namely your thesis. Here is how:
- Mention your argument once again by explaining it through the prism of the final outcome of your research.
- Quote yourself if you feel like it but don’t try just to state your thesis with different words.
Sum Up Major Points
The last but not the least thing to do is to summarize all the major points of your research paper. Here is a checklist on what needs to be done:
- Collect all the core sentences of all the paragraphs.
- Have a look at these points without mentioning them aloud.
- Stick to only before-mentioned facts.
- Avoid the use of supporting elements and works cited.
Make a Conclusion Look Rhetorically Structured
One of the most important things you should remember is that efficient conclusions are based on synthesis rather than a summary. Thus, you just make a short indication of the core points and combine them into coherent content. There are several technical hints on how to reach this result:
- Formulate a question in the first sentences and give an answer to it the last ones.
- Start telling a story at the beginning and finish it in the final paragraph.
- Focus on particular images at the beginning of the paper and reflect on then in the last paragraph in order to encourage general coherence.
Making a Conclusion Look Logically Structured
To create a clear and focused final paragraph, you should start with clearly-stated pieces of information. Not to make your paper sound dry, you can use some tricks to make the reader more attentive. Here are some smart approaches:
- Provide the reader with a general understanding of the possible consequences.
- Suggest a solution to the stated problem.
- Use the ideas of a relevant philosopher or writer.
- Demonstrate relevant statistic details that refer to the facts.
- Mention your personal experience to set the connection between you and your reader.
- Give the readers food for thought.
Avoid the Major Pitfalls
Once you have learned how to do things right while writing a final word for your paper, it wouldn’t hurt to find out the things you should avoid.
- Failure to be clear and concise in presenting the information.
- Failure to address the subject matter from your field of study.
- Failure to focus on serious issues by simply indicating well-known facts and the details form existing studies.
- Failure to mention a summary at all by finishing your paper in the last chapter.
Now when you know everything, it is up to you which of these methods you use for your own research paper. With all the tricks in your head, be creative and consequential!