Conclusions

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An effective conclusion is essential to the success of your paper. Most readers will remember the last paragraph more than any other part of your document. Like a prosecuting attorney's closing appeal to the jury, a conclusion is your last chance to convince the reader of your argument or to reemphasize your main point. In other words, the conclusion should leave the reader with a clear understanding of what you have been trying to show in the paper. Try to think of it as a finale, rather than a summary.

 

Three Things A Conclusion Should Do

Recall the thesis or purpose of your paper—this isn’t necessarily a restatement of your thesis; rather, it is a culmination of the ideas that your paper has presented. Here you often will give a quick recap of a significant point that you plan to re-address in your conclusion.

Ask “So What?” Why should your audience care about what you’ve said? What should they understand now that they’ve read your paper? How does it apply to a more general audience? Use the conclusion to frame the argument of your paper in the context of a bigger issue.

Provide a sense of closure. Leave the audience thinking about your subject in an interesting way. This could be a challenging comment about the issue you’re addressing, a particularly effective quote, or a serious question.

 

Some Suggestions For Writing A Conclusion

You should do more than just mechanically restate what you have already said in the body of your paper. It’s nice to add some extra flavor to your conclusion. Here are some tips that can take your conclusion beyond mere summary:

• Take a break: if your mind is sluggish, your conclusion will probably be bland and boring.
• Skim through your paper to get a feel of how your argument develops—you don't want the conclusion to sound tacked on. Follow the ideas you have previously provided.
• Ask yourself, "Why should readers care about this?"
• Avoid preaching or introducing completely new ideas. Instead, put a new spin on the information you have already given.
• Make the conclusion fit the length of the paper; short papers may only need a paragraph, but longer papers (8+ pages) may need more.
• Never say, “In conclusion…”.

 

Examples of Concluding Ideas

These ideas will help your conclusions be more interesting.

Note: The examples given are ideas to be explored throughout a conclusion and not simply sentences to be tacked on to the end of a summary of your paper.

Suggest a course of action

If I have argued throughout my paper that the portrayal of Batman in the movie Batman Begins is the theatrical depiction most true to the comic book hero, the following might be an effective course of action:

Directors in Hollywood looking to bring a comic book to life on the silver screen should use this movie as an exceptional model. They must put in the effort to closely examine a character’s true comic book nature before representing them in a film.

Provide a personal application

If I have argued throughout my paper that the portrayal of Batman in the movie Batman Begins is the theatrical depiction most true to the comic book hero, the following might be an effective personal application:

Christian Bale’s representation of Batman has permanently altered my understanding of comic book heroes and will forever change my expectation of what a hero is.

Note: Because the personal application takes the first person [I, we, etc.], it may not be appropriate for all paper types.

Clarify the relevance of the issue

If I have argued throughout my paper that the portrayal of Batman in the movie Batman Begins is the theatrical depiction most true to the comic book hero, the following might effectively relate this to the audience:

American society has been overly inundated with cutesy heroes that lack any resemblance of their originally vengeful selves. For those who embrace the true nature of comic book heroes, the portrayal of Batman here is an essential step to recreating what theatrical renditions of comics have been sorely missing. To devalue the original motives and intent of such heroes is unfair to both the author and the truest of fans.

Frame the paper by echoing an idea from the introduction

If I have argued throughout my paper that the portrayal of Batman in the movie Batman Begins is the theatrical depiction most true to the comic book hero, I might begin the paper by talking about an upbeat representation of Batman in previous movies and then refer back to this representation in the end, focusing specifically on why I have proven in my paper that this depiction is inadequate.

Refer to and apply a quote from the body of the paper

Chris Allred, summer 2005
Based on a handout by Heather Jensen, Feb. 1993