Conclusions are possibly the most universally hated part of writing. Even for writers who follow a fairly standard formula or outline, conclusions can pose problems: How do you summarize a large amount of information effectively? How do you make sure you don’t just repeat content? How do you leave readers with a compelling takeaway? These are all questions that I hear frequently from clients. It’s all well and good to say that a conclusion should flow naturally from the previous text, but what does that mean in practice?
Elevator Pitch
One of the easiest ways to start with your conclusion is to think about the elevator pitch: If stuck in an elevator for 60 seconds with a stranger, how would you explain your project in 1-2 sentences? This elevator pitch (or thesis) should feature prominently in the conclusion. If you are really struggling with where to start, begin with the elevator pitch and write around it. You can go back and delete it later, if necessary. A clear statement of that one fixed idea, though, functions as an anchor for the rest of the conclusion. It also helps to keep you from dropping key ideas (I do occasionally see conclusions that neglect to summarize major elements of the paper)! Regardless of how confident you feel about your conclusion, starting with your elevator pitch will help you to keep the most important pieces of your argument front and center as you wind down your manuscript.
Summary
How do you summarize without simply repeating your introduction? Simply put, summary comes most effectively from narrative arc. You are telling a story that is nearing its end, and the conclusion’s purpose is to remind the reader of the major beats of that story and to wrap up any loose threads or ideas that have not been fully integrated. You will almost certainly reiterate some elements of your introduction, but if you focus on pulling together all of the major themes of your manuscript, it become easier to resist mere repetition. If you have included short, secondary summaries in other sections, this also assists you in deciding what to prioritize in your conclusion. Not only do these summaries remind you of material you have covered, but the clearer the narrative of your paper is in your head, the more likely it is that a direction for your conclusion will begin to take shape as you approach the end.
Future Research
While summary is absolutely necessary in a conclusion, you don’t want to just stop there. Part of the key takeaway from new research should be a demonstration of how your work fuels future projects. Most authors already understand that they need to offer future research directions and possibilities. How do you do this in the most compelling manner, though? The most effective research offerings that I see regularly feature two things: 1) specificity, and 2) practical AND theoretical applications. Specificity shows that you (or others!) can build on your research. It establishes that your work matters within and contributes to the field. Practicality, meanwhile, helps you to avoid the trap of just promising to tinker with the model in the future. No matter how good that model is, you should be able to articulate why further improvements of that model matter in the real world.
I began this post by noting that many authors resist writing conclusions. I must confess that this is true of my own writing, as well. It’s easy to say that writing builds on itself to a conclusion more or less naturally, but it takes practice to become confident you will end up with the structure that you originally planned. Perhaps, in the end, the best piece of advice I can give (not just to wrap up this blog post, but also this short series) is to maintain flexibility and patience. Outlines and plans are valuable tools. At the same time, don’t be afraid to adapt your writing approach as your thinking changes. Keep in mind that all of the elements of good writing take regular practice to develop and maintain.
And remember: You can always go back and edit.
