I remember my college days when one of the most dreadful assignments was writing a research paper. It made me wonder if there was an easier way to help me through it. The worst part was writing the conclusion, which meant wrapping up the entire paper and finally drawing conclusions. It sounds pretty intimidating, doesn't it? How are you supposed to fit all that information into such a short space, and what else might you be missing? In this guide, I will show you how to write a conclusion so you can spare yourself from the distress of it all.
What to Include/ Not Include in a Conclusion?
Professors often stress a lot on writing a good conclusion that includes a wrap-up for your paper or essay. These are some factors you must consider to include in your conclusion:
Restate Your Thesis:
Begin by restating the main argument or thesis of your paper. This reinforces the central point you have been arguing throughout your work.
Summarize Key Points:
Provide a concise summary of the key points and findings from your paper. Highlight the most significant pieces of evidence that support your thesis.
Discuss the Implications:
Explain the broader implications of your findings. How do they contribute to the field of study? What practical applications or theoretical advancements arise from your research?
Address Limitations:
Acknowledge any limitations or weaknesses in your study. This demonstrates a critical and reflective approach to your research and provides a foundation for future work.
Suggest Future Research:
Propose areas for future research. What questions remain unanswered? What further investigations could build on your findings?
End with a Strong Closing Statement:
Conclude with a strong, impactful statement that leaves a lasting impression on your reader. This could be a call to action, a prediction, or a thought-provoking question related to your research topic.
There may also be certain things you would unknowingly add in your conclusion that would ultimately leave a bad impression on the reader. Keep these factors in mind so you may avoid when writing your conclusion for your paper:
New Information:
Avoid introducing new information or ideas that were not covered in the body of the paper. The conclusion is for synthesizing and reflecting on the information already presented.
Detailed Methodology:
Do not include detailed descriptions of your research methods. This information belongs in the methodology section of your paper.
Repetitive Summaries:
Refrain from simply reiterating points that were already made in the results or discussion sections. Instead, focus on synthesizing the information and highlighting its significance.
Speculative Statements:
Avoid idle speculation or guesswork about potential outcomes or implications that are not supported by your research findings.
Apologies or Undermining Your Work:
Do not undermine your work by apologizing for any perceived shortcomings. Present your conclusions confidently and assert the value of your research.
Excessive Length:
Keep the conclusion concise and to the point. Long, drawn-out conclusions can dilute the impact of your final statements.
To put things into perspective, here's what a good and bad conclusion example look like:
Good Example:
Bad Example:
Types of Conclusion
Summarizing Conclusion:
This type is the most common and involves summarizing the main points of the research, reiterating the research question, and restating the significance of the findings.
It is broadly used across different disciplines.
Example: If a study investigated the impact of social media on adolescents' mental health, a summarizing conclusion would reiterate key findings, such as the association between high social media use and increased anxiety and depression levels among adolescents, and emphasize the importance of these findings for developing effective interventions.
Editorial Conclusion:
This type is used less frequently and is suited for research papers that advocate for a particular viewpoint or policy. It presents a strong editorial opinion based on the research findings and offers recommendations or calls to action.
It is suitable for papers focusing on policy recommendations or advocating a specific viewpoint.
Example: For a study on the environmental impact of plastic waste, an editorial conclusion might call for a comprehensive ban on single-use plastics and increased recycling initiatives, urging governments, businesses, and individuals to take immediate action to protect the environment.
Externalizing Conclusion:
This type extends the research beyond the scope of the paper by suggesting future research directions or discussing broader implications of the findings. It is often used in theoretical or exploratory research papers.
It is Ideal for theoretical or exploratory studies.
Example: In a study exploring AI applications in healthcare, an externalizing conclusion might suggest future research into the ethical, legal, and social implications of AI in healthcare and emphasize the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to harness AI's potential while addressing its challenges.
How to Write a Conclusion in 4 Steps [With Examples]
Writing a conclusion may seem a bit tricky, but once you fully understand the essence of what goes into a conclusion, it will become much easier. To demonstrate how to write a conclusion, I will be using WPS Office, a tool designed to be convenient for students, thanks to its easy-to-use interface and free features. You can also utilize WPS AI, as I am in these simple 4 steps, to make the entire process smoother for yourself.
Step 1: Restate The Thesis Statement
Start your conclusion by restating the thesis statement of your research paper. This reminds the reader of the main focus and purpose of your study.
Example: If your thesis statement is "This study investigates the impact of social media on adolescents' mental health, revealing a significant association between high social media usage and increased levels of anxiety and depression.", you can use WPS AI to help improve and rewrite your thesis statement.
Here's how WPS AI can assist you with your thesis statement.
Write your thesis statement in WPS Writer and select the entire text using your mouse.
After selecting the text, a small hover menu will appear. Click on the "WPS AI" icon in this menu.
This will open a list of AI assistance options you can choose from. To ask WPS AI to improve your thesis statement, click on "Improve Writing".
WPS AI will process and return an improved thesis statement. If you don’t like the improved version, click on "Rewrite", or click on "Accept" to replace your text with the improved version.
Step 2: Review Main Supporting Points
Next, we need to summarize the key points of our research. When summarizing the key findings of your research, it’s important to highlight the most significant results and their implications.
Example: Let's say that from our research the most important findings were:
The study found that high social media usage negatively affects adolescents' self-esteem due to constant exposure to idealized images and lifestyles.
Excessive use of social media, particularly before bedtime, was linked to disrupted sleep patterns and insufficient rest, contributing to mental health issues.
Despite being a tool for connection, high social media usage can lead to feelings of loneliness and social isolation as face-to-face interactions decrease.
Here's how WPS AI can assist you summarize the key points of your research for your conclusion.
Let's switch to WPS Office again, and this time let's select the key points that we have written down from our research.
Click on the WPS AI icon from the hover menu to open the list of options you can choose from.
From the list, let's click on "Summarize" to shorten and summarize the key points from our research.
You can now choose to either accept or ask WPS AI to rewrite this summary of key points again.
Step 3: Show Why It Matters
Now that you have laid out all the findings from your paper and WPS AI has effectively summarized them, you can further prompt it to broaden the implications of your findings and follow up with real-world problems.
To get real-world insights using WPS AI, follow these steps:
Click on the WPS AI widget at the top right corner of the WPS Writer interface.
The WPS AI pane will open on the right. Here, simply type in your prompt. Here is an example of a prompt:
"Explain the significance of high social media usage leading to increased anxiety and depression in adolescents, and discuss potential real-world problems and solutions."
WPS AI will display the results, which can now be a part of your summary or can be further summarized or improved with the help of WPS AI.
Step 4: Offer Meaningful Insights
Lastly, provide some final thoughts or insights that will leave a lasting impression on your reader. This can include suggestions for future research, practical applications of your findings, or a call to action based on your conclusions.
Example: Here is an example of how Meaningful Insights can be presented:
Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of social media usage on adolescent mental health and to identify effective interventions.
Developing and promoting apps that encourage healthy social media use and provide mental health support could mitigate the negative effects identified in the study.
Stakeholders, including policymakers, educators, and parents, should collaborate to create environments that foster healthy digital habits and support adolescents' mental health.
Now, with the help of WPS AI, these points can simply be summarized to get more concise and structured Meaningful Insights for our conclusion.
Bonus Tips: How to Polish your Conclusion with WPS AI
Writing a strong conclusion for your research paper is crucial, and WPS Office is designed to be exceptionally student-friendly. It offers accessible options and advanced features for free, making it an excellent tool for students. One of the standout features is WPS AI, which integrates AI into its writing and proofreading abilities.
Draft Generation: WPS AI can assist you in writing a conclusion by generating an initial draft. This draft serves as a solid foundation, ensuring that all essential elements are included and properly structured.
Grammar and Style Check: WPS AI can identify grammar errors, awkward phrasing, and inconsistencies in your conclusion paragraph. This ensures that your writing is polished and professional.
Sentence Structure Enhancement: The AI can suggest improvements to sentence structures, helping you to vary sentence lengths and styles for better readability and flow. This makes your conclusion more engaging and easier to read.
Vocabulary Enhancement: WPS AI offers synonyms and alternative word choices to enhance the vocabulary in your conclusion, making your writing more sophisticated and engaging.
Clarity and Conciseness: WPS AI can help you refine your conclusion to ensure it effectively summarizes your main points without unnecessary repetition or tangents. This keeps your conclusion focused and impactful.
Refinement and Customization: Once WPS AI has generated the draft, you can refine and personalize it to align with your research and style. This step allows you to inject your voice and insights into the conclusion, making it uniquely yours.
Polishing and Proofreading: After refining the draft, you can use WPS AI to polish the conclusion further. WPS AI's advanced proofreading capabilities ensure that your conclusion is not only coherent and concise but also free of grammatical errors and stylistic inconsistencies.
ByIncorporating WPS AI into your writing routine you can significantly improve your efficiency and the overall quality of your academic work. You can streamline the process of writing your research paper conclusion, saving time and effort while ensuring a high-quality result. Whether you’re summarizing key findings, making policy recommendations, or suggesting future research directions, WPS AI helps you create a compelling and impactful conclusion.
So we have seen how WPS AI can help us write more effective and accurate conclusions, but is this all the help it offers? Absolutely not! With the help of WPS AI, you can further improve your conclusion by making it more fluent and easier to read.
Furthermore, WPS AI is not just a writing tool; it also offers AI spell check features, which can help students proofread their work according to their academic style such as APA, MLA, or Chicago style.
WPS Office has a lot to offer and is a perfect tool for students who need help writing not just effective conclusions but also effective research papers. So if you are stuck with a conclusion or a research paper, consider turning to WPS AI for help.
FAQs about writing a conclusion for paper/ essay
1. How long should a Conclusion be?
A well-constructed conclusion typically constitutes approximately 10% of your document's total word count. For instance, in a 1,500-word paper, aim for a conclusion of about 150 words. This provides sufficient space to summarize key points and offer a final overview of the main ideas discussed.
2. How can I make my Conclusion impactful?
Here are some effective strategies for creating an impactful conclusion:
Utilize compelling language to engage the reader effectively.
Ensure the conclusion remains clear and concise, omitting insignificant specifics.
Conclude with a stimulating statement, a call to action, or a reflection on the broader implications of your research findings to make a lasting impact.
3. How do I avoid simply repeating what I've already said in the Conclusion?
To avoid repeating yourself in your conclusion, focus on cohesively summarizing your main ideas rather than reiterating them. Additionally, consider exploring the wider impact of your arguments or suggesting directions for future research on your topic. This approach ensures your conclusion provides fresh perspectives and maintains reader interest.
Perfect Your Conclusion With WPS Office
Your research paper is not complete without a strong conclusion. The person who reads your paper should feel like they have taken away significant key insights from your work. Writing an effective conclusion can sometimes be challenging, but WPS Office, with its AI capabilities, can assist you in helping you with how to write a conclusion to perfection. Incorporate WPS AI into your writing routine to significantly improve your efficiency and the overall quality of your academic work. Try WPS Office today and experience the benefits of AI-assisted writing firsthand.
