The conclusion for a research paper summarizes your research and highlights the relevance of your research to the field. As such, much consideration should go into the closing to ensure that you end your paper with a firm final impression.

Having covered most of the paper, the conclusion ranks as the most challenging part for many students. Students often introduce new ideas, present weak points, or spend too much time conjuring an impressive conclusion.

This guide covers the best tips for concluding a research paper and steps to ease the process.

Steps to writing a conclusion

Like the introduction and the body, you should put a lot of consideration into finding the ideal conclusion. With many arguments in your body, determining the best ending for projects requires you to weigh the argument that best meets the thesis statement.

To find this argument, you should:

Summarize your main points
Determine the implications of the topic to your field.

As a result, you can determine the consequences of your findings and hypothesize their impacts on your discipline.

Parts of a conclusion

A research paper conclusion comprises of:

The thesis statement. This should clearly show your opinion and the claim of your paper. However, in the conclusion, you should paraphrase the thesis statement instead of rewriting it.
Summary of your argument. This should highlight the overview and implications of the data you have collected in your research.
Observations. Here, it would help if you showed the significance of your work to your field and the implications of your findings.

A reasonable conclusion should:

Write your conclusion in clear, simple language.
Showcase the areas your paper has poorly covered and thus require further research.

How to write a Science Conclusion

An effective conclusion should include:

The most decisive opinion in your paper. This section should cover the thesis and your key findings in the research. You should also highlight the unexpected results you encountered during the work.
Speculations for the future. If your research has unveiled some evocative results, consider mentioning some papers that have covered the topic and some ideas on how the issue may be expanded on in the future.
The significance of your research. Within your conclusion, show the points you have discovered and their meaning to the subject. You may also take this opportunity to recommend the course of action to better study the research problem in the future.
How your work fits into the larger context. Unlike the body, your conclusion should go from specific to general. Within your conclusion, place your paper in the larger context and

How to start a conclusion for a research paper

When writing your conclusion, refrain from statements such as ‘in conclusion’ and ‘in closing.’ These statements sound stiff and make your work excessively formal.

Instead, you may start by answering a question you had posed in the introduction or employing a rhetorical question. You may also quote a renowned expert in your field or utilize a relevant quote to hook the readers in.

As you wind up your conclusion, you may consider covering the consequences of not addressing the topic. You may also provide a guideline on employing your recommendations when covering an empirical paper.

What to avoid when writing a research paper conclusion

Avoid long conclusions that do not tackle a specific issue in your paper. Preferably, avoid any details that do not respond to the thesis statement.
Avoid focusing on the specific issues and show how the research contributes new understanding in your field.
Avoid introducing new ideas that are not covered in the paper.

Final Take

The conclusion of your paper is crucial in clearly stating your main points. This guide should come in handy as you write your essay to help you select content for your conclusion and impress your audience.