How to Write an Effective Conclusion for a Research Paper?


How to Write an Effective Conclusion for a Research Paper?

The role of conclusion for the research paper can’t be overestimated. A well-written conclusion is not just a summary of everything you have just said to your reader. The main aim of the conclusion is to make it clear what the overall message means and what the arguments that you want the readers to take away are. A good research paper conclusion must end in such way which should be thought-provoking, and which at the same time looks to the future. It means that the final paragraph should close the whole discussion on the topic without actually closing it off.

To be honest, it’s not so easy to write an effective conclusion so if you get involved in this, and you do not have experience, look at the examples of professional papers here and read the tips in this article.

A Basic Research Paper Conclusion

Writing a conclusion, you should restate the topic of the research paper and explain to the reader why this topic is important and worth discussing.

Some important tips:

  • Don’t devote much time and space when you restate the topic. It means that one sentence will be enough to restate the topic of the research paper;
  • Be as clear as possible. Use all your writing skills;
  • Write a good research paper, and it will show the great importance of the topic without any additional words. In this case, you won’t need to defend the importance of your topic in your conclusion.

Restate the Thesis of the Paper

The main idea and the main thoughts of your paper are reflected in its thesis. So it will be necessary to restate or sometimes rephrase the thesis statement of your research paper in conclusion. You can read more about the thesis statement here.

  • Rephrase the statement to make it different from the form of the thesis, which you have included in the introduction. Check it. It shouldn’t be similar or even identical to the statement which you have used before;
  • Rephrase the thesis in such a way which will complement the short summary of your topic which you give in the first sentence when writing a conclusion;
  • The thesis statement you give at the conclusion should be narrowed and must look like a focused overview of the subject.

Summarize the Main Points Briefly

 In this part of a conclusion, you can remind a reader the main things you talked about in a body part of a research paper.

  • Don’t just reiterate the results of your writing or the discussion of the results. Provide here a special synthesis of arguments that are presented in the paper to show how they influence the main research problem and the objectives of your whole study;
  • Re-read the first sentence of all paragraphs or sections before writing this part of a conclusion;
  • Name the main points that are mentioned in the topic sentences briefly,   but don’t just repeat them word by word. Don’t name any supporting details; they will be clearly superfluous here;
  • Don’t give the new information to the reader here.

Make a Call to Action if It Is Appropriate

 For example, you can do it to state the readers that there is a strong need for the further research work on the topic of your paper. Do it only if it is appropriate, it is clear that the call to action is not quite essential to the conclusion. A paper which concerns a scientific or public need will be obviously more likely to call its readers to action. If you have no writing experience, it’s hard to decide should you include a call to action or not. In this case, you can ask for the professional help.

How To Make Your Conclusion Effective?


Synthesize the information

First of all, you should follow the basic synthesis of the information on your topic.  Don’t just summarize the information, but also try to synthesize it as deep as you can. Don’t just repeat the thought and ideas that you have already told about in the research, rephrase the thesis statement and the supporting points which you want to give at the conclusion in such way which will be able to tie them together. It makes your research paper look like a single and complete idea rather than a set of different and not related thoughts.

Bring parts of the paper full circle

To make your conclusion persuasive and effective, you should tie the parts of your research paper together. It is easy to do thanks to the linking the introduction to the conclusion. It is one of the most important tips that professionals in the field of writing services give to the beginners.

Close logically

Sometimes your paper can include several different sides of the same issue. Then you should use this part to show the integrated and logical opinion that is formed using the evidence. Indicate here the answer to the question that was asked in the thesis statement if you don’t give it in the body of the research paper. It should be as clear-cut as possible.

Raise a question

You can use this technique to ask your readers to come to their own conclusions. You can use this tip if your research concerns some social or political issues.

Suggest something

If you think that the call to action is appropriate, you can provide the reader with tips or recommendations on how to make the further investigation or research. You can do it even without a call to action.

What Pitfalls Should You Avoid?

  • Don’t use many introductory phrases;
  • State the thesis of the research paper earlier;
  • Don’t give any new information here;
  • Don’t change the tone of the research significantly;
  • Do not apologize; it may downplay the authority of the author’s thoughts or research.

When you write an assignment, you should remember that the conclusion has to summarize the most important ideas, statements and the purpose of the research and at the same time it shouldn’t be too dry. The task is not easy, right? That’s why this is normal if it seems too complicated for you. In this case, you can order the research paper here. Be sure its conclusion will be perfect. If you still have questions you can leave them in the comments to the article and we will respond to them with pleasure.