It is observed that many students start very brilliantly but fail to coast home successfully in the conclusion of the research paper. When you can get the attention of your readers with the hook statement that made them read through your paper in the introduction; it is equally important to finish well.
Do not make the mistake of leaving your readers empty without spurring them to take action after they have read through your paper. This is the function of the introduction and the reason why it is important to end your paper well. A powerful conclusion will confer legit on your paper which will separate it from the midst of the crowded pack.
There are strategies that you can involve to get the best results out of your conclusion. But before we go into the strategies that mattered, let us go into what to avoid if you wanted to make the best out of your conclusion:
- Do not begin your conclusion with an overused phrase. When you begin with words such as ‘in closing’ or ‘in summary’; you are going to lose out at the end of the day.
- Your thesis should on no account be stated for the very first time in your summary.
- Never introduce a new idea or a subtopic in your closing.
- Your emotions do not matter here. What is demanded of you is to state only what you have gotten through research findings which have been stated in the body and introduction of your paper.
- This is not the ideal place to include evidence or quotations that out to be included in the body of your research paper.
Now that we have seen the common mistakes to be avoided; how can you put down a brilliant introduction? The following tips will be of help:
- The ‘so what game’: There is the possibility that you are going to get stuck while writing your conclusion. Get a friend and read out some lines to him/her. This is called the ‘so what game’. After reading a sentence, ask your friend: ‘so what’? It will bring out creative ideas to conclude your work
- The themes in the introduction: When you take your time to return to the themes in your introduction; it will bring the reader full circle. Make use of keywords in the introduction or parallel concepts and you are going to get a soft landing.
- Provocative insight: You can include a provocative insight into the conclusion to excite your readers.
- The course of action: You can include provocative hindsight here or a course of action. This will add value to your work.
- Broader implications: You can as well point to broader implications. When you take the idea to a broader scope of reasoning; you will add more relevance to your work.
Final thoughts
What we have delivered above represents the major highlights of what you are going to need to achieve the best results which will add value to the concluding part of your paper.