This document provides guidance on writing effective conclusions for papers. It emphasizes that conclusions are important because they are the last words that can impact the reader's impression and assessment of the paper. Conclusions allow for a sense of resolution and completeness, and provide an opportunity to discuss the broader significance of the work. The document offers tips for conclusions, such as restating the thesis, answering the question of why the topic matters, synthesizing the main arguments, and proposing implications or next steps. It cautions against introducing new topics or evidence in the conclusion.

1. CONCLUSIONS
You wrote a paper…. So What?
Conclusions can be the most challenging part of a paper, making it so writers may not
dedicate too much time to crafting one, because “it’s just the conclusion”. However, conclusions
are the last words of your paper, that can be the difference between an A paper and B paper.
Conclusions allow a feeling of closure and completeness to one’s work, which will resonate both
with the writer and the reader. Conclusions permit the presence of vision and “big picture”
content, where the broader significance of your work can be stated. So, don’t avoid the chance to
show off even more of your great ideas.
Here are some guidelines/tips to keep in mind:
• Remind the reader of your thesis or a certain theme present in the
introduction
o Bring the reader full circle, if you mentioned an example in your
introduction, reference that example again in your conclusion
o Restate what your main argument and what you proved in your paper
• Ask yourself, “So what?
o Why does your paper matter? What’s the point of your
thesis/argument?
o For example, thesis question can be posed in a number of ways: Why
does it matter that people should vote? Why should anyone care?
§ Your answer to the “So what?” belongs in your conclusion
• Synthesize your main arguments in the paper, but do not summarize your
whole paper again—just the synthesized bullet points
• Propose a solution, course of action, or broader implications
o This allows the reader to engage in self-reflection and how your paper
is relevant in their daily life
Things NOT to do:
• Introduce a new topic/subtopic/or argument (stick to what you’ve already
written)
• Using overused phrases such as “in conclusion”, “in closing”, etc.
• Ease your reader into your thesis again; in other words, don’t bluntly restate
your thesis at the beginning. Transition to it.
• Make over emotional appeals (unless your paper is a more emotional piece).
A way to avoid this is to make sure you know your audience.
• Include evidence
o You already did that in the body of the paper, why do any more?