Drafting a conclusion
C-57
A conclusion should remind readers of the paper’s main idea without repeating it. Often the concluding paragraph can be relatively short. By the end of the paper, readers should already understand your main point; your conclusion drives it home and, perhaps, gives readers something more to consider.
Whatever concluding strategy you choose, keep in mind that an effective conclusion is decisive and unapologetic.
Finally, because the conclusion is so closely tied to the rest of the paper in both content and tone, be prepared to rework it (or even replace it) when you revise.
Strategies for drafting a conclusion
In addition to echoing your main idea, a conclusion might do any of the following:
- briefly summarize the paper’s key points
- propose a course of action or describe the consequences of not acting
- discuss the topic’s wider significance or implications
- offer advice or recommendations
- return to your hook by including a detail, an example, or a quotation from the introduction to bring readers full circle
- pose a question for future study
