How do you write a clear conclusion for academic writing?

In academic writing, particularly in public health, a conclusion succinctly consolidates your findings, highlighting their broader implications. Begin by revisiting your thesis with added depth from your research. For example, if your thesis was "Vaccination campaigns significantly reduce infectious disease spread," it might evolve to "This study affirmed the pivotal role of vaccination campaigns in curtailing the prevalence of infectious diseases in communities." This approach reinforces the study's importance in public health discourse.

In crafting a clear conclusion, the initial step is to restate your thesis statement—the core claim or argument of your paper. However, avoid a mere copy-paste of the introduction's thesis. Instead, rephrase it to showcase how the thesis has been substantiated with evidence and analysis throughout the paper. For instance, if the original thesis was "Social media has a negative impact on mental health," a rephrased conclusion could state, "This paper has demonstrated how social media can harm mental health by increasing stress, anxiety, and isolation." By revisiting and refining the thesis in light of the presented evidence, the conclusion reinforces the paper's main point and provides a cohesive summary of the supporting elements.

Make your argument of the paper clear in the first 2 lines of the conclusion. Furthermore, in the later lines, try and provide a summary of the evidence and analysis you have used in your manuscript to support your thesis argument. Conclude by providing future directions and critique present work to provide a compelling ending to your paper.

If you're crafting a conclusion for academic writing, think of it as serving dessert after a great meal. It's your chance to leave a lasting impression. Start by briefly revisiting the 'flavors' of your main points, but no need to re-serve the whole meal. Then, spice it up with your unique insights or a thoughtful question, leaving your readers with food for thought. Remember, a great conclusion is like a mic drop – it's your final moment to shine and leave your audience thinking, "Wow, that was awesome!" ???

An effective article conclusion should be concise and impactful, ideally taking up no more than 10% of the total article length. When restating the thesis, it is crucial to demonstrate how your findings support this statement, reinforcing the relevance and robustness of your argument. It's essential to synthesize the key points, illustrating how your research contributes to existing knowledge. Avoid introducing new information; focus on leaving a lasting impression of your study's importance and depth. Remember: It's a conclusion, not a discussion. Good Luck!

In your conclusion, intertwine your primary arguments to highlight their collective significance. For instance, with smoking: if your points were "Smoking damages lung tissue," "It elevates cardiovascular disease risk," and "Second-hand smoke harms non-smokers," your synthesis could be: "These arguments cumulatively reveal smoking's broad health threats, impacting both smokers and those around them." This synthesis accentuates the pervasive dangers of smoking in public health.

To craft a clear conclusion for academic writing, begin by summarizing the key arguments and findings presented in the body of the paper. Next, synthesize these arguments to highlight their significance and relevance to the broader context of the research topic. Finally, offer insights or implications based on the synthesized arguments, providing a sense of closure and leaving the reader with a lasting impression of the paper's contribution to the field.

The utility of every research article is to solve a research question. While most writers consider the conclusion as a throw away section that simply summarizes every section that came before it, this is not true. Many researchers often read only the abstract and conclusion of a paper in order to determine its usefulness to their exploration.The conclusion is an opportunity to provide a concrete answer to the questions established in the beginning. It is a chance to place your work at the front of the long line of preceding works that resulted in its synthesis. An explanation of the significance of your work not only pays due homage to body of work that existed before, but opens up multiple lines of inquiry that others can follow.

In addition to discussing your significance, consider briefly summarizing the practical implications of your research, offering a glimpse into how it can be applied or guide future studies. This helps your readers grasp the real-world value of your work.

When writing future directions in the conclusion section of your thesis, discuss the unresolved questions and areas for potential developments related to your study. For example: This study investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying gene regulation in cancer cells. Future research could delve into exploring the crosstalk between different signaling pathways and their roles in tumorigenesis could offer new avenues for therapeutic interventions.

"Future directions" is often a "throw away" portion of a conclusion, but you can use it to elevate your current work. Instead of highlighting what is missing from your work or the current literature, explain how your work sets up the next step in addressing the literature gap or problem of interest. Try something like "Our work suggests _____ is a viable potential intervention warranting more study...." or "Our study highlights the importance of more exploration of..." Give yourself credit and draw a strong relationship between what you have accomplished and the next phase of research.

If appropriate and applicable, mention possible areas for future research to indicate the need for further study and investigation. End the conclusion with a strong, powerful sentence that leaves the greatest lasting impression in the reader's mind about the importance of your work.

We often advise writers not to summarize in the conclusion, but the truth is that academic readers do want a reminder of what happened in the document. The trick is to focus on summarizing the significance of what was presented, not to repeat the claims or evidence. The conclusion is the opportunity to emphasize discoveries, connections, and projections. Don't introduce new claims or ideas you "didn't get to" in the body-- remember that this is the "wrap it up" and "so what" section. So, what was the significance to your primary statement/thesis and what is the significance more broadly to your field.

The conclusion is a good place to highlight for your reader one final, powerful time WHY this matters for the reader, or even better, the culture. What are the broader implications of this essay you've just shared with the reader? Never allow a reader to say, "So what?" when reading. The conclusion can drive home the purpose of why you've spent so much time writing and they've spent reading. Finish strong with emphasizing VALUE. Helping readers leave with clear answers to your WHY is vital.

Don't ever, under any circumstances, use the phrase "In conclusion." If you've done your job as a writer, your reader understands when you're wrapping things up. "In conclusion" is a crutch used predominantly by hacks who can't write. A good conclusion can set the stage for future research, provide a call to action, or pose sagacious questions for your readers to ponder long after finishing. Your conclusion is like the ending of a movie: a good ending wraps things up without being redundant, and it also leaves your audience with something to consider. Conversely, a mediocre ending can ruin an otherwise cogent text and leave your readers with a sour taste in their mouth.

I'm not sure that "clear" is always the most important, although that's nice. I often think about "satisfying" as the most important thing. If you've been raising a question or problem in the piece of writing, what would feel like a reconciliation? Stylistically, conclusions often move up a rhetorical register to achieve this effect.

Think: "Conclusion = CONTEXT." This is the portion of the manuscript that puts your work in perspective for your reader. Your Methods, Results, and Discussion sections largely focused on the details of your study; the Conclusion should place your work in the larger field or world. Explain where your work fits into the big picture, why you took the time to perform it, and how your readers can use it to further their knowledge, change their behavior, or reach their goals.