When writing a research paper, the most difficult part looked upon by many is the concluding paragraphs.
Writing a compelling conclusion for a research paper is not as difficult as it may seem. Of course, you have your doubts and fears. In this article, you’ll learn how to write conclusions for a research paper. Stick to the end so you don’t fret next time when you need to write a conclusion for your research paper.
NOTE: You’ll find a perfect example of a research paper conclusion at the end of this article. If you don’t want to miss it, relax and read the process to write the perfect conclusion for a research paper. Happy reading!
Types Of Conclusions For Research Papers
There are three types of conclusions you can use to round up your research paper. However, the type you choose to adopt will depend on the research topic and the style.
1. Summarizing conclusion: Basically, a summarizing conclusion gives the reader a clear summary of the major points discussed in the research paper. It is the most used form of conclusion when writing a research paper. However, if your research paper doesn’t require you to use a summarizing conclusion, don’t use it. You can adopt another type of conclusion. Read on to discover the ones you can use in place of a summarizing conclusion.
2. Externalizing conclusion: As it sounds: “Externalize”. It denotes something not included in the research paper, right? Yes, you’re right!
In an externalizing conclusion, you present the reader with an idea or points that may not have been included in the overall research paper. You may wonder if it works. News flash — it works!
The externalizing conclusion works because it presents new ideas and views that are related to your topic, but were not discussed in the research paper.
3. Editorial conclusion: In this type of conclusion, you’re free to present your views. You can pour out your heart, offer suggestions, and comment on things that were not presented earlier in the research paper. In an editorial conclusion, you can discuss what you feel about results, or the topic in question.
How to write a conclusion for your research paper
Now, to the main reason you’re here. As you read on, you’ll learn how you can write a conclusion for your next research paper. Sit back and note down these invaluable tips.
1. Restate your research topic.
The first mistake we would like to point out and ask you to stop is to quit using obvious phrases like “in conclusion,” “in summary” or “in closing.”
When you want to write your conclusion, start by paraphrasing your research topic to the reader and briefly summarize the content of your work.
Also, ensure to keep this to one sentence max. In one sentence, you’ll let the reader understand and clearly state the reason your topic is important. This part of your conclusion should be free of fluff and MUST contain only the necessary information.
Quick example:
“Although the significance of cattle in climate change is already well-known, governments such as Iceland continue to fail to address this issue with the urgency it merits.”
2. Restate the thesis statement
Ensure you restate the thesis statement at the conclusion of your work. How do you do this?
You’ll review the thesis statement written earlier in the research paper and reword it to make it unique. As with restating the topic, you restate the thesis in one sentence.
Quick example:
“Greenhouses are essential to maintaining ecological balance and protecting the plant’s health.”
3. Summarize the main points of your research
Summarizing the main points of an article is a crucial step in research paper writing. It helps refresh the reader’s memory and reinforces the content they just read. To accomplish this, it is essential to pick out the essential points and arguments from the research paper, avoiding irrelevant information that doesn’t support the main points. In case you need help summarizing long paragraphs, you can use the AI summarizing tool provided by rewritetool.net.
4. Connect the significance or results of the main points
It is essential to note the significance of the points you have discussed. After raising an argument, you need to back it up with evidence or facts and findings. A common mistake people make is adding new information here. Don’t catch the reader off-guard. If the information wasn’t referenced in your research paper, it shouldn’t be found in the concluding point.
5. Conclude your thoughts
This stage is where you introduce a call to action or present an idea or observation that will prompt the reader to think about further research and arguments. Also, you can use this to refer to any unfinished and open argument that was discussed in the research paper.
Things to Avoid in the Conclusion of Your Research Paper
Here are a few things you MUST avoid when writing the conclusion of a research paper.
1. Avoid using phrases like “In summary”, “To conclude”, or “In sum” to start writing your conclusion. These are obvious statements and can be considered to be redundant.
2. New information should not be introduced in the concluding paragraph as it will confuse the reader.
3. Don’t forget to restate your thesis in the conclusion. Your thesis should not only be stated at the beginning of the research paper but also at the end.
4. Always be concise when writing your conclusion. Avoid filler words and fluff in the concluding part and write clear information that was discussed in the research paper.
5. Be analytical, not emotional.
Example of How To Write Conclusions For Research papers
Congrats! You’ve made it to this point. Now, we have to deliver our promise to you. Here is a typical example of how a well written conclusion should be:
“The purpose of this research was to identify effective strategies for dealing with repetitive motions identified in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Based on the analysis gotten, it can be concluded that there are multiple behavior modification therapies important for the improvement of this behavior. Future experimentation into behavior modification techniques could be useful to find further therapy techniques. The amount this could improve the lives of others with repetitive motion behaviors is worth exploring.”
On a final note;
If you’ve been finding it hard to write that perfect final paragraph, this article has explored all you need to note and the types of concluding paragraphs you can use.
