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In informative and persuasive writing, a conclusion serves to end
your discussion. Too abrupt an ending leaves your reader feeling
suddenly cut off. Also, a conclusion that is merely tacked onto a
paper does not give the reader a sense of completion. On the other
hand, an ending that flows gracefully and sensibly from what has come
before it reinforces your ideas and enhances your paper. Five common ways of concluding a paper:
- Use the devices for introductory paragraphs, such as providing
an interesting anecdote or relevant statistics, but avoid using the
same exact device in both the introduction and the conclusion.
- Summarize the main points of the paper. Do not just re-hash
them though! Find a way to re-invent the ideas stated in
the introduction and body of your paper.
- Show the significance relative to the reader.
- Call for awareness and/or action.
- Point to the future by making suggestions or offer solutions.
What to avoid in a concluding paragraph
- Do not go off the track. Avoid introducing an entirely new idea
or adding a fact that belongs in the body of the paper. Your
conclusion should flow from the rest of the paper. An effective
conclusion should not detract from the central message of the paper.
- Do not just reword your introduction. Avoid simply listing the
main idea in each topic sentence or restating the thesis. While a
summary can refer to those points, it must tie into what was covered
in the essay. A good test is to check if the introduction and
conclusion are interchangeable. If they are, you need to revise.
Remember: Don't repeat ...re-invent!
- Do not announce what you have done. Avoid statements such as "In
this paper I have tried to show that..."
- Do not apologize. Avoid casting doubt on your material by making
statements such as "I may not have thought out all the arguments,
but ..." or "Even though I am not an expert, I feel that what I have
said is correct."
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