Writing an Academic Paper Conclusion

Writing a conclusion in an academic paper involves so many considerations. After all, it is your final opportunity to sway the opinions of your readers and make an impression on them as a writer and thinker. Additionally, the impression you leave with your readers after they have completed reading your research paper will be shaped by the impression you leave in your conclusion.

Therefore, the concluding paragraph of a research paper should express a sense of completion and closure as well as a sense of the topic’s remaining potential for future research, its broader significance on what the research contributes, and its implications.

The conclusion of a research paper should summarize the content, briefly provide an answer to the research problem, and restate research objectives without appearing unnatural or boring. Every basic conclusion should have several key elements, but there are also many tactics you can use to craft a more effective conclusion, and many you should avoid so as not to undermine the research paper conclusion. In this article, we’ll give you key points to keep in mind when writing conclusions.

What is an essay/research paper conclusion

Let’s take a moment to define the conclusion itself before continuing. The traditional definition of a conclusion states that it is essentially the final stage, the outcome, or the concluding point of something. But this phrase is a bit vague and shallow.

A concluding statement in academic writing is an opinion, judgment, recommendation, or stance reached through deductive reasoning (through the arguments provided in the body of the text). If you’re asking, “What does a a well written conclusion sentence look like?”, Our experts at Essaywrites.com have provided this comprehensive guide for writing a compelling conclusion.

What a strong academic paper conclusion means

It’s difficult to write a strong research paper conclusion. But we’ll take you step by step through this procedure. There are some fundamental ideas that everyone should remember, even if there are typically no strict guidelines on how to formulate one. We will discuss some fundamental principles for writing a solid conclusion in this section, and we will also give you more applicable guidance and research paper conclusion examples further on in the essay.

How to compose a Strong Academic Paper Conclusion

Restate the topic. 

You should briefly restate the topic, and you should also explain its importance.  However, don’t spend too much time or space when you restate the topic. A good research paper will make the importance of the topic apparent, so that in the conclusion you don’t have to write an elaborate justification for your topic. Usually all you need to restate your topic is a sentence. For example, if you are writing a report on the epidemiology of an infectious disease, you might say”. HIV/AIDS is a highly infectious disease that affects millions of people worldwide each year.”

Restate your thesis. 

In addition to the topic, you should also restate or paraphrase your thesis statement. A thesis is a focused and more specific view of the topic at hand. This statement should be paraphrased from the thesis you included in the introduction. It should not be identical or very close to the sentence you originally used in the introduction. Try to paraphrase the thesis statement in a way that complements the summary of your report’s topic in the first sentence of the conclusion.

An example of a good thesis statement would be “HIV/AIDS is a widespread disease that affects millions of people worldwide each year. Due to the alarming rate of the spread of tuberculosis, particularly in poor countries, health professionals are implementing new strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and containment of this disease”.

Briefly summarize the main points.

 Basically, you have to remind the reader what you said in the body of the report. A good way to do this is to reread the topic sentence of each of the major paragraphs or sections in the body of the report. Find a way to briefly restate all the points made in each of the main sentences of your summarizing conclusion. Do not repeat any secondary information used in the body paragraphs. In most circumstances, avoid writing new information in the conclusion. This is often the case, especially if the information is vital to the argument or investigation presented in your report.

For example, in an article on tuberculosis, you could summarize the information. Tuberculosis is a widespread disease that affects millions of people around the world. Due to the alarming rate of the spread of tuberculosis, particularly in poor countries, health professionals are implementing new strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and containment of this disease. In developing countries, such as those in Africa and Southeast Asia, the rate of tuberculosis infections is very high. Overcrowded conditions, poor hygiene and lack of access to medical care are factors that cause the spread of the disease. Health experts, such as those at the World Health Organization, they are launching campaigns to reach out to communities in developing countries and provide diagnostic testing and treatment. However, the treatments for tuberculosis are very harsh and have many side effects. This causes the patient to not comply with the treatment and spreads variants of the disease that are immune to multiple drugs.

Explain the points coherently. 

If your research paper will proceed inductively and you have not yet explained the importance of your points, you should do so in your concluding paragraphs. Please note that this is not required for all research papers. If you have already fully explained the meaning of the key points in your report or why they are important, you do not have to explain them in detail in your conclusion section. It is enough to restate the thesis or the importance of the topic.

Best practice is always to address important issues and fully explain your points in the body of the report. The goal of a research paper’s conclusion is to offer a clear summary your argument for the reader, and perhaps get them to contribute to the research, if needed.

Indicate the Need for Further Research

Whenever necessary, you can indicate to your readers that more future research is needed for the topic of your report. Please note that this request for contribution is not essential to all conclusions. For example, unlike a report on the effect of television on young children, a research report on literary criticism is less likely to require a contribution.

A report that might requires reader input is one that addresses a public or scientific need. Let’s go back to the example of tuberculosis. This is a very serious disease that is spreading rapidly and with variants that are immune to antibiotics. A request for contribution in this research report could be a subsequent statement similar to “Despite new efforts to diagnose and contain the disease, more research is needed to develop new antibiotics that treat the more immune and reduce the side effects of current treatments.”

Answer the question about importance. 

The conclusion of a report will give you the opportunity to explain the larger context of the research problem you have mentioned. This will also help readers understand why the topic of the book is important. You will want to use the conclusion to answer the question about the importance of the topic, as it may not be obvious to your readers. For example, if you are writing a history report, you could mention how important the historical topic covered is today. If you are writing about another country, you could use the conclusion to mention how the shared information can help other readers understand your country

What to Avoid in your Conclusion Paragraph

Avoid using “in conclusion” or similar phrases. like “in summary” or “finally”. When these phrases are used in writing, they often sound forced, unnatural, or trivial. Also, using a phrase like “in conclusion” to begin the conclusion is too direct and often leads to a weak conclusion. A strong conclusion can stand on its own without labeling it with such elements.

Do not wait to reach the conclusion to show your thesis. While it can be tempting to save the thesis for a dramatic ending to the report, this will make the report look less cohesive and more disorganized. Always state the main argument or thesis in the introduction. A research report for example, is an analytical discussion of an academic topic, not a mystery novel. A good and effective research report will allow the reader to follow the main argument from start to finish, indicating a proper research process. That is why the best practice is to start the research paper with an introduction that sets out the main argument and end it with a conclusion that restates the thesis to reiterate it.

Do not add new points. Ensure that you do not introduce new ideas, issue or evidence in the conclusion. All important information should be mentioned in the body of the report. Supporting evidence expands the topic of your report by making it appear more detailed. A conclusion should reduce the topic to a more general point. An effective research paper conclusion should only summarize what you have already stated in the body, the main findings of your report. You may suggest or request further investigation, but you should not mention new evidence or facts in your conclusion.

Do not change the tone of the paper. The tone of the research paper should be consistent from beginning to end. A change of tone usually occurs when a research report with an academic tone contains an emotional or sentimental conclusion. Even if the topic of the report is of personal importance to you or relates to own life experiences like personal reflection, you should not indicate it in the report. If you want to take a more human approach to your report, you can start and end it with a story or anecdote that gives the topic more personal meaning to the reader. However, this tone must be consistent throughout the entire paper.

Don’t justify yourself. Don’t make statements that downplay your authority or your key findings. Statements of justification include phrases such as “I may not be an expert” or “This is just my opinion.” Statements like these can usually be avoided if you don’t write in the first person. Avoid using statements in the first person. Speaking in the first person is often considered very informal and does not fit the formal tone of an academic research papers.

Get help in writing an effective conclusion for a research paper

The conclusion of a research paper is just as important as the introduction. It’s the last chance to make a good impression on your reader and leave them with a lasting impression of your work.

If you’re struggling to write a conclusion that really hits home, our expert writers can help. We know how to craft an effective conclusion that will really make your research paper stand out. Our writing center comprises of both a college writing center and university college writing centre. Additionally, we extend our services to client’s pursuing doctorates as well as those seeking to publish their journal articles. Therefore, our conclusion writing services extend beyond academic center levels to editorial conclusion levels.

So if you need help writing a conclusion for a research paper, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today. We’ll be happy to help you craft an effective conclusion that will leave a lasting impression on your reader.