Conclusions in Academic Writing

 Conclusions in Academic Writing

The conclusion to a piece of academic writing should show the reader that the main discussion or argument has finished. For a coursework assignment it will probably be no more than two paragraphs long, for writing of less than 3000 words it usually just a paragraph (University of Canberra, 2012), while for a dissertation or extended project it is likely to be more complex and longer (Morley, 2010). It is generally around 10% of the whole piece of writing University of Southern Queensland (n.d.). It often opens with a signpost indicating that it is indeed the conclusion, followed by a summary of the main points made. Signposts such as ‘To sum up,..’, ‘To conclude,..’, and ‘In conclusion,..’ are common ways of opening this section.

Morley (2010) states that conclusions in academic writing are generally brief and that they serve two general functions. He categorises these functions as a summary which “bring[s] together the main areas covered in the writing” and a judgement deriving from this. He explains that this second part may also “include making suggestions for improvement and speculating on future directions.” Morley also provides a series of specific functions which occur in conclusions. These are listed in Table 1.

Table 1: Functions which appear in the conclusion section in academic writing

Summarising the content Restatement of aims (research) Summarising the findings (research) Suggesting implications Significance of the findings (research contribution) Limitations of the current study (research) Recommendations for further work (research) Implications/recommendations for practice or policy

Source: Morley (2010)

It seems that a summary is an essential part of a conclusion. However, conclusions and summaries are not the same. A good conclusion should generally go further than a summary of main points. However, the nature of what is needed for a good conclusion often depends on the nature of the writing or the question. The following are suggested by Trzeciak and Mackay (1994a:79) as items which might be appropriate in a conclusion:

1. A deduction based on the discussion in the main body of the assignment

2. An expression of concern with limitations in the assignment

3. A prediction relating to the future based on the discussion in the body

4. The personal opinion of the writer concerning the topic

5. The likely implications of findings in the main body for future research or action

6. A suggestion for further research into the topic

A typical conclusion might include a summary followed by some of these items. For example, Trzeciak and Mackay (1994b:26-27) found that in four academic conclusions all of the above items (a-f) were present. However, no more than three of the items appeared in any one conclusion. What should be included is often dependent on the nature of the task. For example, if a question asks for the implications of findings to be identified then this should probably take place in the body of the writing, rather than being introduced in the conclusion.

A further item which might appear in a conclusion would be recommendations. If the assignment is in the form of a report then it is likely that the conclusion will include recommendations or even be replaced by a recommendations section. Recommendations are much less likely to appear in essays. The recommendations in a conclusion often relate to the direction of future research, future policy or issues experienced in the research being reported.

Having explained the possibilities for items to include in a conclusion, items which should certainly not be included in a conclusion are now discussed. The conclusion is not the time to introduce any new ideas. If an idea is worth mentioning then space should be found for it in the main body. Similarly, no new examples, evidence or research should appear in the conclusion. This means that conclusions do not include data of any kind and only in exceptional circumstances do they include any reference to people’s research on the topic. The University of Canberra (2012) provides advice concerning what should not be included in a conclusion explaining that it should not

just sum up

end with a long quotation

focus merely on a minor point in your argument

introduce new material

More details on the topic of conclusions can be found in the references.

References:

Morley, J. (2010) Academic Phrasebank: Writing Conclusions. Downloaded from: http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/conclusions.htm.

Trzeciak, J. and Mackay, S. (1994a) Study Skills for Academic Writing. Harlow: Pearson Education.

Trzeciak, J. and Mackay, S. (1994b) Study Skills for Academic Writing: Teacher’s book. Harlow: Pearson Education.

University of Canberra (2012) Writing a Conclusion. Downloaded from: http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/conclusions

University of Southern Queensland (no date) Writing Conclusions. Downloaded from: https://open.usq.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=9989

doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.22689448