Your scientific work is on the home stretch and you just have to write your conclusion? In this article, I’ll give you a guide on how to write a conclusion for your research paper, bachelor thesis, or master thesis that will tip the scales in favor of an outstanding grade.
Writing a conclusion is not an art. Rather, it is a technique that you can learn in just a few steps.
The Conclusion of a Research Paper
Before I present you with an exact guide to writing a conclusion, let’s clarify one more thing: What is a conclusion good for anyway?
Sometimes, instead of ‘conclusion’, the terms résumé or outlook appear in the academic vocabulary. To cut to the chase, a conclusion is meant to be an evaluative summary of your work. It is one of the main pillars of an academic paper and requires a lot of attention. In the conclusion, you are required to present the results of your work and demonstrate to your reader why your work was sensationally good.
Remember, the conclusion of your paper is usually read last. Accordingly, it is the part of the work that will be remembered. Here, you need to be extra careful when writing your conclusion and make use of some tricks on how to write a conclusion for a research paper.
The Outline for a Conclusion
In my opinion, this is best possible outline for your conclusion:
- A summary of your findings
- The answer(s) to the research question(s)
- Added value for science/seminar
- Added value for practice (if applicable)
- Limitations
- Further research
Now let’s dive into an exact guide on how to address each point.
7 Basic Rules for Writing a Conclusion
A conclusion, just like other parts of a scientific paper, needs a clear structure. Before we go through this structure in detail, you need some background information to prepare you for writing your conclusion.
Identify the Audience of your Work #1
First of all, you should be aware of whom you address (this also applies to the rest of your text). If you are not preparing a research paper for an international conference or journal, the only reader (with the exception of your mum) is your lecturer or professor!
When writing your conclusion, imagine how you will sell your research results to your professor. Accordingly, you should not tell her anything that she already knows and that would bore her. Rather, you can make it your task to convince her of a real added value of your work for her field of research.
If your paper relates to a specific seminar or course, reflect on the results in light of the topics covered during the semester and place them in a meaningful overall context.
Write your Conclusion on a Meta Level #2
Just like the introduction, the conclusion should be approached a bit differently than the main body. Instead of moving on with your content, you should zoom out and “write about writing” in these parts of the paper.
This means that you do not add any new sources or insights in your conclusion except for limitations and recommendations for future research. A conclusion only refers to the findings you have already written down in the main body of your paper, such as in the results and discussion sections.
Summarize your Results #3
Now we come to the actual content of your conclusion. Start with some introductory words and explain what you are going to do in the following. Also explain why you are doing it. For example, you will summarize the main points of the results discussed above, in order to make them explicit with regard to the research question. Also, when writing a conclusion, this step is helpful in placing your findings in the context of the research gap you identified at the beginning.
Do not proceed chronologically in your “summary” so that the reader does not get too bored. Try to restate your findings along the lines of your argument and the idea of your paper.
Close all open Loops #4
One of the most important steps on how to write a conclusion for a research paper is to concisely repeat the answer to the research question you posed at the beginning of your paper. In doing so, you must abstract your results to such an extent that they point purposefully to the problem of your work in just a few sentences. Explain your results in an understandable way and explain how they build on existing literature.
Sell the Added Value of your Results #5
The idea behind research papers always implies creating added value for the scientific community. In a thesis or term paper, this principle can be practiced. Therefore, you should try to carve out a unique contribution, even if it is “just” a paper that only your lecturer will ever read.
The closer you get to the principle and requirements of scientific work, the better your grade will be in the end.
How do you convince a reader of your contributions?
Argue how your work and its results could be useful. For theory, the general state of knowledge, individuals, organizations, or society. It is common to distinguish between added value (=contribution) for theory and knowledge and added value for practice. Practical implications also depend on the field of study. Work in technical fields or business administration often has a higher relevance for practice. In contrast, humanities scholars often work within the boundaries of a scientific debate. If your work can do both, all the better.
Explain Limitations #6
Again, we are at the meta-level, reflecting on our own work. When writing your conclusion, point out any hurdles that stood in the way of your work. For example, did you not have access to certain data? Was your sample small, but justifiable for the scope of a thesis? Did you only look at one set of facts (case study) and lack a means of comparison?
Be honest, but don’t completely pick apart your work, after all, you want to sell it as outstanding. In addition, you should not invent any limitations, but at best have made notes on them during your work. The limitations should be plausible, but not caused by your own fault. A good way to deal with limitations is to refer to further research opportunities.
Make Recommendations for Further Research #7
Finally, you can give a preview of what other areas you would like to explore in further research (even if you never work on this topic again). Suggest which studies, methods, and open questions could be addressed in the future. This not only shows interest, but also demonstrates foresight and competence.
Bonus: Miscellaneous Questions
What length should you aim for when writing the conclusion? As always, the length of the conclusion should be based on the length of the entire paper. About 10 percent of the entire text.
If possible, the above steps should be worked through in the suggested order. Subheadings are rather unusual, but quite possible in a thesis with a very long conclusion.
Now you are left with one very last sentence that you can use to stick in your reader’s mind. Choose a strong statement that will leave a lasting impression.