Do you have the task to write conclusions in a dissertation, report, bachelor’s thesis or master’s thesis? Not sure what to include in the conclusions of a research or project? Paradoxically, writing conclusions is often more difficult than creating the thesis itself. It is hard to summarise an extensive text in a few sentences.
In today’s post, you will find tips on how to write conclusions properly. I think such a guide will be helpful for anyone facing the challenge of writing any kind of paper.
What are conclusions and what should they include?
Conclusions are the end of any paper. This paragraph provides a summary of the entire text. In the conclusion, you should restate the thesis/hypothesis, summarise the assumptions and arguments described and give your final opinion and impressions.
In the conclusion of your bachelor’s or master’s thesis or report, based on the research or experiments carried out, you should describe whether the results are consistent with the hypothesis. You have to justify whether the research made it possible to refute or confirm the hypothesis and to what extent. In addition, you should present your views and deeper thoughts, e.g. what the knowledge obtained can change and how it can be used, what else should be investigated, whether the research carried out was sufficient and fully revealed the problem, and what challenges researchers and society face.
For what purpose are conclusions written?
Conclusions are written to help the reader to understand the text and our message. The recipient, after reading the conclusions, should know all the main assumptions and results. Many people read only the conclusions instead of the whole thesis because that is where the crux of the content is.
The purpose of the conclusion in an undergraduate or master’s thesis is to relate to the hypothesis – to confirm or refute it. In addition to addressing the hypothesis, it is also important to provide the broader context of the issue and to describe challenges and future research directions.
Of course, writing a conclusion for a dissertation is much easier than summarising a study and constructing a conclusion for an advanced research paper. In a dissertation, we only need to summarise the arguments cited earlier and address the thesis or hypothesis, drawing on extracts from the literature.
How to write a conclusion?
Below, in two separate paragraphs, you will find tips on how to write a conclusion for a dissertation, as well as for academic texts – reports, research, and undergraduate or master’s thesis.
How to write a conclusion for a dissertation?
Conclusions are one of the elements of a dissertation ending. To create a good conclusion for this type of written assignment, you should:
- summarise the arguments and considerations so far by referring to the literature,
- draw your conclusions on the basis of the arguments arising from the analysis of the literature,
- refer to the thesis or hypothesis and clearly state your position.
Remember: when writing your dissertation and conclusions, speak in the first person singular!
How to write conclusions for a report, research, bachelor’s or master’s thesis?
A summary with conclusions in a report, research, bachelor’s or master’s thesis should address the following questions:
- Was the objective of the research achieved and to what extent did the hypothesis prove to be consistent with the experiment?
- What difficulties were encountered during the research and what concerns might arise from this? Does the experiment/research have any weak points?
- What factors determine the uncertainty?
- What further research should be carried out?
- What does the knowledge gained contribute?
Scientific texts are usually written impersonally. However, if we want to indicate that what we are describing mainly represents our thoughts and views, we can speak in the first person.
I hope that, with my guidance, you already have a preliminary idea of how to create the conclusion to your written assignment. Of course, I realise that the biggest burden is on you. I have only included general factors to include, you have to do the “dirty work”, i.e. write the text. So I wish you perseverance and good luck.
