DRAFT

Chapter 7

Conclusions

All academic writing is a conversation. In a conversation, you may make your point, but, eventually, you stop speaking and let another person speak. So, the best way to think about your conclusion paragraph is to think about how it will guide the conversation after your paper has been read by other academics. In your paper, you found a research niche, a gap in the conversation you felt needed to be filled. But the conversation will not end with you. Others will continue the conversation. So, one common thing academic papers do in their conclusions is to pose questions the author still thinks need to be answered in the hopes that other academics will take up the cause. Following this general idea, we can use several strategies in our conclusions.

So What? Explain Importance/ Synthesize

This is the “So What?” strategy. A conclusion should help the reader understand why the paper they just read was important. A “so what” conclusion answers exactly that. It synthesizes all the points in the paper into a greater whole that points toward the significance of the work. It does not simply restate the thesis, but rather it re-frames the new insight that the paper has contributed to the conversation. All conclusions should do this to some extent, so this strategy might often merge with other more specific ones.

What Next? Pose Questions for Future Research or Study

Earlier in this class, you made an inquiry plan that contained questions you wanted answered. This helped lead you to your research niche. Surely, you did not find answers to all your questions, and you likely noted there are still important questions to answer. Ask these questions in your conclusion. This will provide a guide to move the conversation forward. What else still needs to be researched in this subject to get an even better picture? Should the conversation shift focus? What aren't we thinking about that we should be? You’ll notice that in many academic paper introductions the author references studies or papers by other academics. They summarize their main points, but

they may also bring up a question posed by that paper and seek to answer it. Posing questions at the end of your paper invites other academics to respond to your work, and so the conversation continues.

Echo the Introduction

You may recall from ENG 100 that many of the articles debating the merits of self-driving cars started with a hypothetical situation. This made sense for the subject because the purpose was to imagine the possible ethical implication of the new technology. It also makes sense that if you started with a hypothetical, you might end with one. Likewise, if you started your paper with an anecdote or personal experience, you could finish the story in the conclusion. If you use a metaphor to introduce your subject, you could expand or change the metaphor at the end of the paper.

You have likely been taught to “restate the thesis” in the conclusion, and that is a good beginning strategy that will ground your reader, but the conclusion should do more than just sum up. It should give us a new direction out of the paper.

Call to Action

The classic concluding strategy of a persuasive essay is a call to action. This is a helpful strategy for any paper that is asking your audience to do something. For example, if you study ecology and write a paper on how plastic bags harm the ocean, then it might be fitting in your conclusion to suggest what people can do to enact plastic bag bans in their hometowns. So, consider whether your paper’s purpose is more research based or more persuasive in nature. If it is attempting to get a group of people to do something, tell them what they can do in the conclusion.

Use Quotations to Amplify your Main Point

A notable quotation from an authority in the field may be an effective way to frame and amplify the final point of your argument. Using an authority gives gravitas to your argument or provides a point of poignancy. Be careful that the person you quote is quoted in the correct context and is related to your field or this strategy can easily backfire. If you are writing a paper on biology, a quote from Jonas Salk might be

more relevant than one from Jerry Seinfeld, though both are certainly famous. So, a well-chosen quote from an authority can be helpful, but be quite careful with this strategy as it can lead to absurdities.

This link to a handout at the University of Wisconsin has a few good examples of conclusions specific to subjects.

This link to the writing center at UNC has some good suggestions as well. Pay special attention on their section on what not to do.