How to Write Conclusions

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Learn the steps in writing an effective Conclusion for a research paper.

Introduction

Often overlooked in the research paper writing process, the Conclusion is important in that it reminds the reader of the key points in the body of the text, communicates important takeaways, and zooms out to discuss the larger implications of the paper’s findings or arguments.

This resource page will cover three key steps or moves that comprise an effective Conclusion:

Summarize key points & main takeaways while connecting back to the thesis and/or research questions.
Make connections to the literature and/or theory presented earlier in the paper.
Zoom out: Discuss limitations, implications, and/or give recommendations.

Step 1: Summarize key points & main takeaways

Start your conclusion by reminding the reader about the key points from the body of your paper. Consider this question: What do you want your reader to remember? Also know that readers sometimes skip down to the Conclusion to get the gist of the paper before reading body paragraphs, so make sure to communicate your most important points here. Also, make sure that this summary aligns with your thesis and/or research questions outlined in the Introduction (i.e. what the main findings or answers to your RQs are).

In the following Conclusion example, the writers highlight three key points or takeaways from their study on theory-practice relationships in teacher education. In the final point, the implications of ‘the embedded practicum model’ are described in terms of the training of teacher candidates.

Example

In the teacher preparation program described in this study, many program components and practices contributed to enabling teacher candidates to develop insights into the complex relationship between theory and practice. Theory and practice were viewed by faculty as existing in an integrated, reciprocal relationship, with many program structures and practices organized around school-based experiences. Faculty adopted a variety of student-centered, active pedagogical approaches (course- and program-based) that explicitly enabled teacher candidates to make theory and practice connections. A key feature of the program that fostered theory–practice connections was the embedded practicum model, which allowed for a gradual enculturation into the teaching profession. This prepared teacher candidates to gradually participate in the life of teaching, starting with low-risk activities in safe learning environments (e.g., viewing case studies of classroom practice, peer teaching) and gradually progressing to more complete complex teaching responsibilities (planning and implementing assessment with children) over time.

From: Goodnough, K., Falkenberg, T., & MacDonald, R. (2016). Examining the nature of theory–practice relationships in initial teacher education: A Canadian case study. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue canadienne de l'éducation, 39(1), 1-28.

Step 2: Make connections to the literature and/or theory presented earlier in the paper

In the next move, return to some of the key literature that you discussed earlier to evaluate how your findings/conclusions compare or add to this body of literature. You can also return to the key theories you used in your paper, evaluating how your findings/conclusions can be interpreted through those theoretical lenses.

In the next section of the example text, the reader is reminded of three key theories that were presented previously. The authors signal their alignment with the second and third theories before discussing the implications for teacher educators in moving away from the first theory (traditional approach).

Example

Earlier in this article, we theorized about three approaches to teacher preparation: traditional, Deweyan, and practical wisdom. Other scholars, such as Grossman, Hammerness, and McDonald (2009), have also suggested that teacher preparation be premised on the ideas of the latter two approaches. These authors suggest that teacher education be organized around core principles of practice, skills, and teacher identity to best prepare teacher candidates for the teaching profession. They state that traditional divides between foundation and methods courses and divides between schools and universities need to be dismantled. This implies a particular role for teacher educators if teacher candidates are to examine discrete aspects of the complex act of teaching. It would require faculty to envision course content differently, and to view program and pedagogy from the starting point of clinical practice.

In the next example, the researchers return to the literature by showing the alignment between the findings in their article and the emerging literature surveyed before. Once again, implications for teacher candidates and teacher education programs are then described.

Example

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, emerging literature does suggest a number of principles for offering high-quality teacher education programs (Allen, 2009; Beck & Kosnik, 2006; Darling-Hammond, 2006). These principles and their associated practices were evident in the design and implementation of the program described in this article. The principles underpinning a teacher preparation program have implications for the scope and sequencing of content and experiences, as well as program structure and pedagogy, and will influence how teacher candidates experience and understand theory– practice relationships.

Step 3: Zoom out: Discuss limitations, implications, and/or give recommendations

In the final step, it is time to zoom out and give your final take-home message. Here, we reverse the “general to specific” pattern in the Introduction, ending with more general points around the implications and recommendations for the field based on your key findings and conclusions. You can also discuss the limitations that were uncovered during the paper writing process, such as gaps that still exist, and then suggest areas for future research.

In the final example, the writers begin with recommendations, discuss areas for future research, outline a key existing challenge, before ending with a description of the significance of the study and how it adds both to our knowledge while also uncovering some tensions for teacher education on the level of theory-practice relationships.

Example

We, the authors, recommend that teacher educators and those involved in teacher preparation, development, and implementation constantly reflect on how teacher candidates are constructing their understanding of teaching and theory–practice relationships. Enabling teacher candidates to establish a sound foundation to start their teaching careers is one of the broad goals of teacher preparation. More research is needed to understand the context of teacher preparation and how programs and individual faculty can offer appropriate, coherent learning experiences that shift away from the traditional divide between theory and practice. While a considerable body of literature about theory and practice in teacher education exists, theory–practice dynamics continue to be a challenge in terms of how teacher educators can best support teacher candidates as they develop their own understanding of theory–practice relationships in the context of learning to teach. This case study research adds to the knowledge base of teacher education, providing insight into the nature of faculty and teacher candidates’ thinking about theory– practice relationships and how this may shape practice. It also provides insight into some of the tensions and challenges faculties of education may experience as they implement new programs and/or practices that explicitly attend to creating strong theory–practice relationships.

Example of a Conclusion

Literature Review (student sample) (366.38 KB, PDF)

This is a full literature review paper written by an OISE student on the topic of Computer-mediated Communication (CMC) and Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) in Writing Centers (WC). Throughout the paper, you will find several annotations. Yellow annotations refer to the structure of the paper, its content and how ideas are developed. Purple annotations refer to writing elements and language elements (e.g., paragraphs, paraphrases, summaries, quotes, stance and voice, cohesion, etc.).

Our Tips

Often, students will focus on Step 1 (Summarizing of key points) in their Conclusion and then stop there. Don’t forget to include Steps 2 (Making connections) and 3 (Zooming out) for an effective Conclusion.
Note that writers do not always follow the Step 1 -> Step 2 -> Step 3 sequence in perfect order. These steps may be mixed up and returned to numerous times in a Conclusion.
A sign of an ineffective Conclusion is when it only comprises a few sentences. For your research papers, aim for the Conclusion to take up half a page at minimum.
Before writing the Conclusion, look back at your Introduction to make sure that the promises you made to the reader there (focus, thesis, significance, etc.) are still relevant to your paper. If not, you can adjust the Introduction to reflect what was actually accomplished in your paper.

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