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How to Write a Good Conclusion

How to Write a Good Conclusion

Knowing how to write a good conclusion is very important because this section of an essay or paper gives you an opportunity to impress your reader. Although the body of an essay or paper can be easy to write, a frame that surrounds it is needed. That frame is formed by a conclusion and an introduction. Basically, the conclusion can be defined as the section of any writing that wraps up a writing work. It is what a writer leaves with the reader. A conclusion demonstrates that you have accomplished what you wanted to do. Additionally, it shows that you have proved a thesis that you stated while starting the paper or essay. A good conclusion creates a feeling of closure of a topic for the reader.

How to write a good conclusion in a simple way

Writing a good conclusion should not be difficult. You simply need to know what to include in a conclusion and the purpose that it should serve.

A good conclusion should serve four major roles:

  • Remind readers the stated thesis statement while answering the “so what?” question
  • Create a closure and completion sense
  • Create a lasting, final impression for the reader
  • Ensure that the reader is happy for reading the essay or paper

By ensuring that your conclusion performs these roles, you can write a good conclusion in a simple way. However, you should have a strategy for writing the conclusion depending on the topic of you paper or essay as well as your writing style.

Strategies for writing a conclusion

To learn how to write a good conclusion, you should know the strategies that you can use to craft one.

They include:

  • The circle or frame strategy

Using this strategy, the writer circles or frames the beginning by returning to an image, metaphor quotation, anecdote or the example given in the introduction. Echoing an introduction creates a sense of completion and unity in an essay or paper.

For instance, in an argumentative essay on the reasons why the housing market has not been in a bubble in Canada, the writer restates that there are several issues that affect the real estate sector-  Why the Canadian housing market is not in a bubble. Apart from creating a sense of unity, the conclusion shows that the writer has proven what he/she stated in the introduction. Another example can be an essay on an infectious disease’s epidemiology where a writer can say, “Tuberculosis is a disease that affects many people across the world each year.” This statement can have also been stated in the introduction. Another example is an essay on Italian Renaissance where the writer can conclude by saying, “Italian Renaissance entailed the explosion of ideas and arts around writers, thinkers and artists in Florence.” The same statement can also fit in the introduction.

  • Restating thesis

A thesis refers to the narrowed and focused perception of the topic of a paper or essay. It can be restated in the conclusion while ensuring that it is different from the statement that was stated in the introduction in terms of wording. Rephrasing the thesis statement in the conclusion complements the conclusion of a topic. For instance, in the case of the essay on the reasons why the housing market has not been in a bubble in Canada, the thesis can, “This essay presents an assessment of the recent real estate trends in Canada while explaining the factors that affect it.” In the conclusion, the writer can write, “In conclusion, there are many factors that have been affecting the real estate industry in Canada causing the recent trends” In the tuberculosis essay, the thesis could have been, “this essay assesses the impact of tuberculosis especially in the developing countries and measures that are being taken to curb it.” In this case, the writer can conclude by saying, “New strategies for diagnosing, treating and containing this disease are being implemented by medical professionals especially in the poor countries as it has been demonstrated in this essay.”

  • Planning to a horizon strategy

In this strategy, the writer moves readers from specifics of an essay or paper to larger or universal points. This strategy redirects readers while leaving them with something bigger or meaty. For instance, a writer can demonstrate the essence of a topic by reintroducing statistics that were mentioned or stated in the body or introduction. An example is the essay on reasons why the housing market has not been in a bubble in Canada- Why the Canadian housing market is not in a bubble. In this essay, the reader restates the statistics that were mentioned in the body.

  • Summarizing the main point

This is the starting point for most people when learning how to write a good conclusion. With this strategy, you briefly remind readers what you told them or stated in the essay body. To do this, you should:

  • Re-read the major sections or paragraphs and the topic.
  • Come up with a way of restating every point in a brief manner.
  • Avoid repeating the supporting details of the essay or paper
  • Avoid including new information especially the important information of the argument

An example of such a conclusion can be, “Being a widespread disease, tuberculosis affects many people globally. It is spreading at an alarming rate especially in the poor countries. As such, medical experts are implementing more and new strategies in diagnosing, treating and containing it. Consequently, TB infection rates are declining. Poor sanitation, crowded conditions and inadequate medical care access are among the factors that are increasing tuberculosis’ spread in the poor countries. However, medical experts especially the WHO’s experts are launching sensitization campaigns in these countries while providing testing, diagnosis and treatment services. Nevertheless, TB has very many treatments and they have side effects. Consequently, cases of patient non-compliance as well as strains that have multi-drugs resistance have been reported in these countries.”

  • Call to action

If you are learning how to write a good conclusion for an argumentative essay, you should try this strategy. With this strategy, the writer asks the target readers to take an action. This is very common in political speeches and sermons. An example can be the case of the tuberculosis essay. A call to action conclusion can be, “Although efforts are being made to combat tuberculosis, there is a need for further research in order to facilitate the development of new drugs that will offer better treatment especially for people with resistant tuberculosis strains. This will also help in easing the adverse effects that the current treatments have.”

Making the conclusion more effective

Learning how to write a good conclusion alone is not enough. You should know how to make it effective. After reading the conclusion, readers should be compelled to do something.

To achieve this, do the following:

Answer the “so what” question

Answering the “so what?’ question will help you make your conclusion more effective. After reading any statement in your conclusion, ask yourself why somebody should care. In the above example of a call to action conclusion, the writer notes that somebody should care and conduct further research because tuberculosis has developed new resistant strains and it is therefore important to come up with more effective treatments.

Go back to the theme

This is an effective way of concluding a paper or essay because it proves to the reader that you have proven what you wanted to prove. It also shows that the essay or paper was helpful because it has introduced a new perspective or understanding of the topic.

Summarize

Summarizing the main points of the essay or paper without repeating the same things that you stated in the body creates unity or coherence in a paper or essay. Simply pull the paper or essay together while showing the reader how examples and points support each other and fit together.

Make a call to action

You can propose something to the target reader. This can be something that should be done such as further study or something that can help in solving an issue. You can also point to a broader implication of the issue. For instance, an essay on TB can point out that if the disease is not controlled in the poor countries it has the potential of spreading to developed countries. Therefore, quick actions should be taken to curb it.

Your conclusion should summarize the purpose and content of the essay or paper without appearing or sounding too dry. Even if it is a basic conclusion, it should share the key elements highlighted above. Use the discussed strategies to make every conclusion that you write a masterpiece.

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Online Sources

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/2/60/

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/conclusions/

http://www.bestessayservices.com/blog/an-argument-on-why-the-canadian-housing-market-is-not-in-a-bubble/

http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/Italian-renaissance.html

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conclusion

 

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