What is a good conlusion?
Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of Southern DenmarkWhen writing a conclusion, it’s important:
- That it is clear you are answering your research question
- That you do not include new knowledge that has not previously been explained in the assignment
- That the main points and key results of the assignment are presented – as well as an assessment of the methods used
FAQ for the conclusion section
The conclusion is one of the last sections of your assignment. This is where you summarise the results of the assignment.
In large assignments, it may make sense to present sub-conclusions along the way.
Firstly, re-read your research question and make sure you answer it in the conclusion.
The conclusion should review your findings as well as the methods you used to find the results. If you are writing a short paper, it’s a good idea to have a short discussion section in which you discuss your methods and a short perspective section in which you relate your results to other contexts. In long papers, these parts will appear as independent sections.
It depends on the length of the entire assignment. As a rule of thumb, a conclusion is one of the shorter paragraphs.
The conclusion forms the framework
However, it is a very important section, as it – along with the introduction and methodology – helps frame the assignment and helps your reader understand your points.
Do not bring new knowledge into the conclusion
A conclusion is a summarising paragraph
Therefore, you should not write anything in the conclusion that you have not already explained in the descriptive and analysing parts of the assignment.
- Are you answering your research question as precisely as possible?
- If the answer is unclear, have you argued why?
- Is the assignment coherent from the research question to the conclusion, and is this coherence supported by relevant choices of theory and methodology?
