Writing the conclusion sentence for a research paper is an important part of tying together everything you discussed. The conclusion leaves the reader with a final impression and should summarize the most significant evidence and findings from your paper. Here are some tips for crafting an effective conclusion sentence:
Restate the research question or thesis statement. The conclusion should directly relate back to and directly address the thesis statement or central research question you posed in the introduction. You want to remind the reader of exactly what it is you set out to research and make clear whether you accomplished answering the question or proving the thesis.
For example, if your thesis was “Requiring a college degree is no longer necessary for many white-collar jobs”, your conclusion sentence might state “This research has shown that for occupations like accounting, marketing, and human resources, experience and skills are now valued over degree attainment by many employers.” This directly restates your central claim and ties it back to the findings.
Summarize the key points without going into too much detail. The conclusion is not the place to introduce new evidence or explanations. Summarize the 2-3 strongest points that emerged from your research in support of the thesis, but do so concisely without rehashing whole paragraphs.
Using the previous example, you might write “Analysis of job listings and interviews with hiring managers revealed changing priorities, with a focus on soft skills, certifications, and proven work history as alternatives to a college degree for many entry-level business roles.” This highlights the significant evidence without restating whole sections.
Draw conclusions from your findings. Based on the evidence presented, state one or two clear conclusions you can draw about the research question. What does your evidence and analysis ultimately show? Were you able to prove or disprove the thesis? Leave the reader with a definitive takeaway regarding whether and how the research question was answered.
Continuing the running example, a concluding statement might be “This study confirms that a college degree is no longer a universal prerequisite for white-collar work, as other qualifications can demonstrate sufficient competency and qualify candidates for consideration.” This directly draws a conclusion supported by the body of the paper.
Discuss implications. If relevant to the topic, comment on any implications, applications or need for further research suggested by your findings. What impact or relevance do the results have? What questions remain unanswered? Leaving some scope for future work can make for a more sophisticated conclusion.
In our case, we might add “As the job market continues to evolve rapidly, employers and job seekers should thoughtfully consider experience and alternative credentials on par with degrees. More research is still needed to understand implications for specific industries and positions over time.” This opens things up while underscoring the conclusion.
Use future or present perfect tense. The conclusion sentence summarizes work that is now complete, so employ future tense to discuss implications (“This suggests that…”) or present perfect to tie the thread (“This research has shown that…”). Avoid shifting back to past tense, which implies the process is not finished.
Keep it brief and impactful. Aim to wrap everything up cleanly in one concise sentence. Your conclusion statement should clearly communicate the bottom line takeaway and leave the reader with closure. Avoid introducing anything new or unwinding what you’ve neatly summarized. One strong sentence drives home the final message.
With practice and by following these guidelines, you can become adept at crafting conclusion sentences that wrap up your research in a powerful, definitive way and leave lasting impressions on your readers. Take care to address the key components of restating the thesis, summarizing main points, drawing conclusions, and considering implications – all within a single, polished concluding statement. This will give your paper a satisfyingly cohesive structure from start to finish.