Education, study and knowledge

How to make a conclusion? 8 tips to know how to write it

Writing an academic or professional paper requires the preparation of well-defined sections that adjust to certain formal and content aspects.

In most papers there is an introduction, followed by the method part, results, discussions and, finally, the conclusions, one of the sections in which the students have the most problems university students

These sections comply with the maxim of “last, and not least”. It is in the conclusions in which it is about putting the icing on the cake, making the work end in a way that implies some kind of response from the reader. That is why in this article we are going to address more clearly how to write a good conclusion, highlighting what the last section of most university papers consists of and explaining what should be in them.

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What is a conclusion?

Before going into more detail about the steps to follow to draw a conclusion, we need to know exactly what it consists of. If we go back to the etymological origin of the word, conclusion comes from the Latin “conclusio” and means “closure, end”. So, it is about

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the last part of an essay, article, presentation, or dissertation.

What is expected in a good conclusion is that the premises and the development of what is exposed in the previous sections lead to clarify an idea that has been treated throughout the work. What is concluded in this section must be related to what has been explained and investigated while the study or presentation was being prepared.

Normally, in the conclusions of scientific articles the findings that have been found during the investigation are emphasized, and indicates which new paths future studies could focus on.

It should be noted that in a conclusion, even if what the researchers believe the data obtained indicates, they are not sections in which their opinion is stated. Neither should lengthy and verbatim summaries of the entire work be transformed..

How to make a good conclusion?

In the same way that starting to write the introduction is something that can be a real headache for many, the conclusions are equally difficult.

For this reason, when they are written, it is necessary to take into account a series of aspects, in addition to following an order in their preparation. Thus, it will be achieved that the information in this section that is exposed in the clearest way possible, but being concise, in addition to reflecting and inviting new points of view.

Let's see then some tips that can help us to draw an appropriate conclusion to all the effort we have put into the development of the work.

1. review what has been done

In a good conclusion, the main ideas of the work are summarized, since it is its final part. The information presented in this section should definitively resolve any doubts that the reader may have considered while he was reading the document.

We will have to reread all the work, selecting what we consider to be essential to be present in the final section of it. It is highly recommended to have a sheet of paper handy and write down all the ideas, results and findings that we consider relevant.

2. Write the key elements

Once we have reread all the work, we must write the key points that are present in it. in the conclusion It must be clear what was the reason for which the work was started, for what purpose the issue was addressed exposed in it, in addition to recalling the methodology used.

In addition, it must be specified what was new that what we have done offered, what problem we encountered in real life that we wanted to solve, in addition to indicating what could be done in the future.

In essence, there are two key points that cannot be missing from any conclusion: the purpose and the problem.

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2.1. Purpose

This is a point that must necessarily be at the beginning of the conclusion, since it will remind the reader what the work was about.

The purpose must be clearly shown. The objective of this point is to solve the reader, in case he still has any doubts about the reason why the author of the work initiated the investigation that he exposes in the document.

2.2. Problem

must be exposed What was the problem that was wanted to be solved or the question that the author asked himself before starting the investigation.

The hypotheses that had been raised at the beginning of the work must be explained and related to the data obtained. These data should not be presented in the form of numerical figures, since they have already been shown in the results section.

It must be clear how what has been found while conducting the investigation has contributed to expanding scientific knowledge, either confirming or refuting our hypothesis.

3. new possibilities

Science advances and never stops, that is why a study will never put an end to the subject in which it has delved. On the contrary, new possibilities must be considered for the future.

In all research, even if a theory has been demonstrated or a problem originally posed has been solved, something will always emerge that will invite us to formulate new unknowns. This will give rise to new research, new ideas to be studied in subsequent studies.

The conclusion is the ideal section so that we can indicate some ideas that have come to us while we investigate the subject that we have exposed.

Also the reader can be invited to document himself on the subject of which we have spoken. If it so happens that two related investigations have been done and one of them has not yet been completed, in the section of the conclusions it is possible to suggest to the reader that he wait for the study that will be published in the not very future distant.

4. Avoid redundant information

This is one of the most useful tips on how to draw a conclusion so as not to take too long. All the relevant information shown at length should already be explained in the introduction section, while the conclusion includes only the main ideas shown concisely, in addition to what is stated in the other sections.

When you have finished writing the conclusion, if you notice that there are some ideas that give you the feeling that they are repeated, shorten them or, directly, remove them.

In this section should be a deep reflection on the work, not an extensive summary of it, because what is the use of summarizing that same work in the same work?

5. Do not show new information

In the same way as in the previous point we have indicated that it should not be redundant, We should not remove information that has not been previously explained either.. In other words, in the final section of our work we should not introduce relevant information on the subject under investigation that has not been addressed in our work.

The advice most repeated by many university professors to their students who are doing theses is that everything explained in the conclusion must be justified in the introduction.

Let us give an example in which this idea is clearer: if we have talked about the differences between social psychology and clinical psychology, it would not make sense to talk in the conclusions section about how they differ with respect to the forensic. Talking about other topics at the end of our work can make the reader feel confused. In essence, you must continue in the same line throughout the work.

6. Don't overextend

Depending on the criteria that are stipulated when preparing a certain work, as are the final degree projects, doctoral theses or presentations in power point format, it is highly contraindicated to add too much information.

As has already been said, It is in the introduction section that all the relevant information is explained. about the work in greater depth, while the conclusions should be more concise.

7. To be honest

When collecting the data, it is possible that they do not confirm our hypotheses or even indicate the opposite of what we wanted to demonstrate. This must be stated clearly, reflecting on why it was originally thought that the data would behave differently.

8. Avoid contradictions and watch spelling

It is a point that is obvious, but it never hurts to remember it. We must be careful how we present ideas, since, on occasions, they can be formulated in such a way that it seems that in one paragraph we indicate one thing and in the next we come to say the opposite.

A rereading of the work is also necessary to ensure that there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes. An interesting piece of work can become cumbersome if the person who wrote it has not ensured that the text is presented clearly and without writing errors.

Bibliographic references:

  • Culler, J. (1997) Literary Theory: a Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Dawson, C. (2007). Prescriptions and proscriptions. The three Ps of scientific writing – past, passive and personal. Teaching Science: the Journal of the Australian Science Teachers Association. 53(2): 36 - 38.

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