How to write a conclusion

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a person writing a conclusion

Writing the perfect paper means that the entire paper must be well thought out from the beginning to the end. However, it seems as if the one part of the paper that often does not get the attention it deserves is the conclusion.

The conclusion is often the most important component of a paper, it is the last part the reader sees, and if it is compelling, it will be the part that the reader remembers the most. Building your paper with a thesis and supporting that thesis is important, but if the burden is not met and the thesis is not proven in the conclusion, then the paper was a pointless exercise, in both the reading and writing of it.

Although the idea of a conclusion does not appear to be a complicated one, for some reason finishing out a paper or presentation with the proper closing seems to stump some writers, giving them pause as to how to complete their thoughts. In some cases the problem occurs simply due to fact the thesis was not supported correctly, meaning the conclusion cannot be made. In others, it is the method of summarizing the information in the paper into one succinct paragraph that stumps the writer. If the problem is the former then the writer is going to have to re-write the paper or change their thesis, if it is the latter, then the writer needs to organize their thoughts and remember the important elements of a conclusion.

The Elements of a Conclusion

  • Repeat the thesis statement – this does not mean that the writer should write it verbatim, the thesis should be re-written expressing the same idea but in different words.
  • Summarize the paper – this is a brief summary from the paper compiled together to support the thesis of the paper.
  • Explain the conclusion – not by saying “this is the conclusion” but by using the thesis and summarization to draw a natural and expected conclusion from the results
  • Be succinct – the conclusion should be no longer than a paragraph in length

Finding the Conclusion

Hopefully, if a writer has written a researchable thesis that has a supportable base, then writing the conclusion will be a matter of organizing the information presented. Having a well-written paper with the information presented in a logical order will insure that finding a conclusion will be as simple as analyzing the data.

For example, a paper written about women’s liberation in America might start with a thesis statement like this one:

Throughout history, women have struggled to find their way in a world dominated by men. However, no other place on earth boasts the advances that have been made towards women’s liberation in America. Looking at America’s short history, it is amazing that such great strides have been made in so little time, and while there is room for improvement, there is no denying that progress has been made.

The writer will first have to determine what the thesis is here, and in this case, the paper is going to focus on how women’s liberation has advanced over the past 200 years. To write this paper logically and to insure that the conclusion will be easily drawn, the next step in writing will likely be to address when the women’s liberation movement started.

A logical progression can take place in different ways, but for the sake of this lesson let us assume that the writer chooses to take a ten to twenty year approach on the women’s movement starting from around 1816 to the year 2008. Each two to three paragraph represents a different age in the woman’s movement and leads finally to current times where recently a woman had a legitimate chance at winning a presidency. The writer could conclude their paper something like this:

Women may continue their struggles for equality for some more years to come. However, there is no denying that the woman of yesterday, that woman who was her husbands property, who could not earn money of her own, had no voting rights, or even the right to speak in public without her husbands permission, is long gone. In her place are the women of the future, strong, bright, and ready to lead America to its next great horizon.

This conclusion represented the thesis of the paper and hit on several points that were included in the paper to show progression, the ending felt final and the reader is not wondering what happened to the rest of the paper.

A reasonable way to look at the thesis versus the conclusion would be to equate the thesis to a theory or hypothesis. You explain your theory, write the paper to support your research and then use the conclusion to explain why the paper supports the theory.

Things to Avoid While Writing a Conclusion

There are some common mistakes writers make while writing their conclusion that should be avoided. To keep a paper looking professional the writer must take an unbiased look at their paper to determine if their conclusion meets all the burdens required to end the paper. However, they must also determine if they have avoided the following problems.

  • Do not conclude with “in conclusion” – the conclusion should start out like any other paragraph in the paper.
  • Avoid first person use – it is a common mistake for writers to include phrases like “I have shown here” or “I think you will agree.” First person usage should never be included in a research paper or report.
  • Do not get over involved –Brevity is important, touch on the important basics and move on.
  • Do not leave the reader wanting more – The reader should never be wondering why it ended the way it did.

Writing the conclusion to a paper is important to the finished product. Without it, the paper is not properly finished and will not garner the respect it deserves.