The Perfect Conclusion

The Perfect Conclusion

Inhaltsübersicht

Whether it's an exposé, a bachelor's or master's thesis, or a different academic paper - a good text should always end with a strong conclusion. But how do I write a conclusion? Which aspects of my academic work should be repeated in the conclusion, and how long should a conclusion be? These and many other questions probably come to mind when you have to write a conclusion.

What is a conclusion?

In your conclusion, you should briefly summarize the main body of your work and explain how you pursued your research question and the results you arrived at. The conclusion should generally represent about 10% of your academic work. For a term paper that is between 15 and 20 pages long, for example, the conclusion should span one to two pages. The conclusion therefore serves to round off your main body by briefly presenting the most important points in a coherent manner and explaining the core of your work.

What should be included in the conclusion of scientific work?

The conclusion of your paper should generally include the achievement of the objective and a summary of the most important aspects of the main body. It is essential that you primarily present your findings and briefly explain them again, as this is about your personal achievement, not the achievements of other authors. Depending on the scope of your academic work - additional points, such as its context within the current state of research and an outlook on future research or research gaps, can be addressed in the conclusion. When discussing research gaps, you can also discuss possible methods that you believe could help close these gaps.

Guide to Writing a Conclusion

1. Objectives

At the beginning of your conclusion, you should reiterate the objective of your academic work - having already explained it in the introduction. For example, you could state the nature of your problem again and refer to your introduction. In this context, you should also explain how you pursued the research question and perhaps briefly present the results of your research question. However, you should keep this brief and concise, as you have already elaborated in detail in the main body. It is also particularly important here that you re-examine and critically reflect on your results. If you notice any inconsistencies, omitted a detail from your work, or chose a confusing order, use this insight to refine your main body.

2. Summary of the Main Part

Now, briefly and precisely summarize all the results of your work. Make sure to highlight the most important points. Avoid quoting strangers; your work should be the focus here. It's important that you write in the present tense. You should only use the past tense when reporting on your own research.

3. Classification of the state of Research

If your academic work is more extensive, or depending on the requirements of your university or college, this is the section where you briefly outline the current state of research and highlight the contribution your work has made to the current state of research. Also highlight the research gaps you have filled with your work and present this in the overall context of the general state of research. If you wish, you can also explain how you discovered the research gap you addressed here to further clarify the context.

4.Outlook and Future Research Propsects

Finally, you can provide an outlook on possible further research by explaining the limitations and hurdles of your research and also outline how possible future research could build on it. What questions have arisen during your academic work, which ones were you unable to answer in your academic work (either due to lack of expertise or time), and which ones should be addressed further?

What does not belong in a conclusion?

We've now talked about what you should include in your conclusion and how best to do this. But what should definitely not be included in a conclusion and why? Because the conclusion represents the end of your academic work, new information definitely does not belong here. With new information, you open up further subject areas and your work appears obscure and unfinished. You should also avoid quotations, examples, or new interpretations of various facts in the conclusion. You should place such things in the main body of your work and expand on them here as precisely and in as much detail as possible. If you notice any additional aspects at the end, you can add them to the main body later. Remember that your work has not yet been submitted. Anything you notice now that you can improve is worth its weight in gold.

Tips for creating the perfect conclusion

1. Introduction and Conclusion should be coordinated

Your conclusion, along with the introduction, rounds off your academic work. Therefore, you should coordinate the introduction and conclusion. It will be most vivid and understandable for the reader if you revisit the question raised in the introduction in your conclusion and answer it clearly.

2. Before writing the conclusion, you should read through your entire work again:

Read through your entire academic paper two or three times before writing the conclusion. Only when you know for sure which aspects were or are the most important can you write your conclusion in a coherent manner without constantly checking to see if you've forgotten one or more points that are still of great importance.

3. Consider the reader’s perspective:

Once you've written your conclusion, it's a good idea to read it again. Don't read it from your own perspective, but try to put yourself in the reader's shoes. Many readers won't read your entire academic paper, but rather just the introduction and conclusion. Even these readers should be able to get a sense of your work and a rough overview of the topic.

4. Write the conclusion at the end:

You should write your conclusion at the very end of the writing phase of your academic paper. So, make sure your main body is complete and contains all topics and aspects relevant to answering the problem.

5. Have enough time on hand:

Time management is a key factor that you should keep in mind throughout your entire process. There's nothing worse than writing your conclusion in a rush. As already mentioned above, the conclusion represents a particularly important part of your work.

6. Choose an appropriate writing style:

When writing your conclusion, make sure it's written in a clear and factual style. It should be easy to read and understand. Short, simple sentences are key.

7. Proofread:

Have your conclusion, as well as your entire thesis, proofread by several external people. You'll have this text in front of you the entire time. This is why some errors often go unnoticed. External people - such as your parents, siblings, or fellow students, have an open and fresh perspective on your text and can often spot odd phrasing and spelling mistakes much better than you can.

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