Hoe schrijf je een conclusie voor een essay of onderzoeksartikel

Cursusessay / geesteswetenschappelijk paper:

Zo gelezen, [de hoofdclaim herformuleerd na het bewijs], niet louter dat [het onderwerp]. Dat verandert hoe we [de tekst, de gebeurtenis of het debat] zien omdat [de so-what die de kern verdiende]. De volgende vraag is [een vraag die vóór de analyse geen zin zou hebben gehad].

Empirisch / IMRaD-paper (Discussion, geen tweede Results-lijst):

Deze resultaten laten zien dat [bevinding in één zin], wat consistent is met [benoemd eerder werk] en inconsistent met [het alternatief dat het ontwerp daadwerkelijk kon toetsen]. De belangrijkste beperking is [degene die de interpretatie verandert]. Een nuttige vervolgstudie zou [een ontwerp dat die kloof sluit].

Gerandomiseerde trial (CONSORT 2025 Items 29–30):

Het primaire resultaat was [de schatting die al in Results staat], wat consistent is met [benoemd eerder bewijs] en [het alternatief dat de trial kon toetsen] niet steunt. Baten en schade tellen allebei omdat [de afweging die de data daadwerkelijk tonen]. De belangrijkste grenzen zijn [bias, onnauwkeurigheid of generalisability die het gebruik verandert].

Beleids- of toegepast paper:

Omdat [het bewijs dat al in het paper staat], zou [wie] [een concrete actie die de bevindingen steunen] moeten, in plaats van [het gebruikelijke alternatief]. De huidige praktijk ongewijzigd laten zou [een gevolg dat het paper daadwerkelijk kan verdedigen].

Your conclusion is your chance to have the last word on the subject. The conclusion allows you to have the final say on the issues you have raised in your paper, to synthesize your thoughts, to demonstrate the importance of your ideas, and to propel your reader to a new view of the subject.

Just as your introduction acts as a bridge that transports your readers from their own lives into the “place” of your analysis, your conclusion can provide a bridge to help your readers make the transition back to their daily lives.

Synthesize, don’t summarize. Include a brief summary of the paper’s main points, but don’t simply repeat things that were in your paper. Instead, show your reader how the points you made and the support and examples you used fit together. Pull it all together.

Your conclusion can go beyond the confines of the assignment. The conclusion pushes beyond the boundaries of the prompt and allows you to consider broader issues, make new connections, and elaborate on the significance of your findings.

Your conclusion should make your readers glad they read your paper. Your conclusion gives your reader something to take away that will help them see things differently or appreciate your topic in personally relevant ways. It can suggest broader implications that will not only interest your reader, but also enrich your reader’s life in some way. It is your gift to the reader.

A strong conclusion will provide a sense of closure to the essay while again placing your concepts in a somewhat wider context. It will also, in some instances, add a stimulus to further thought.

A conclusion is not merely a summary of your points or a re-statement of your thesis. If you wish to summarize—and often you must—do so in fresh language. Remind the reader of how the evidence you’ve presented has contributed to your thesis.

A good last sentence leaves your reader with something to think about, a concept in some way illuminated by what you’ve written in the paper.

You might begin a conclusion by reminding the reader of your thesis and main points, but a conclusion is not a summary. A successful conclusion brings your argument to a logical close; it is where you justify your argument to the reader.

Use your conclusion to describe the consequences of your argument, to answer the question “why is my argument important?”

Do not begin with the unnecessary and over-worked phrase “in conclusion.”

Make a reasonable final claim; don't overstate your findings.

Take special care with your final sentence; make sure it is carefully constructed and leaves a strong impression.

Do not let your conclusion merely restate your introduction; if you have successfully argued your point, a summary conclusion generally bores and can even insult your reader.

Any paper that ends with such expressions as, “Thus it is unquestionably certain that...” probably expresses a dubious thesis.

Don't try to bring in new points or end with a whiz bang(!) conclusion or try to solve world hunger in the final sentence of your conclusion. Simplicity is best for a clear, convincing message.

De predikersmaxime, stap 1 (een startoutline, geen afgewerkte slotzin):

Tell what you're going to tell them (introduction).

De predikersmaxime, stap 2:

Tell them (body).

De predikersmaxime, stap 3:

Tell them what you told them (conclusion).

Papers usually end with a concluding section, often called the “Discussion.” The Discussion is your opportunity to evaluate and interpret the results of your study or paper, draw inferences and conclusions from it, and communicate its contributions to science and/or society. Use the present tense when writing the Discussion section.

In the Discussion section of a research paper, you should evaluate and interpret the implications of study results with respect to your original hypotheses. It is also where you can discuss your study’s importance, present its strengths and limitations, and propose new directions for future research.

In other types of papers, such as essays or reaction papers, the Discussion is where to summarize the key points or themes in your paper and reflect on previous statements and their broader connections.

Officiële zin om bevindingen te koppelen (vul de leemte; verzin geen studie):

This pattern of results is consistent with the previous literature … (citation).

Officiële zin voor een beperking:

One limitation of this study is that … It is possible that ... Although the present research cannot rule out these explanations, it seems useful to point out issues that may conflict with these results.

Resultaten rapporteren (verleden):

Results showed

Implicaties (tegenwoordig):

The results indicate

Conclusies, beperkingen, toekomstige richtingen (tegenwoordig):

We conclude

Limitations of the study are

Future research should explore

It is useful to begin the discussion by briefly summarizing the main findings, and explore possible mechanisms or explanations for these findings. Emphasize the new and important aspects of your study and put your findings in the context of the totality of the relevant evidence. State the limitations of your study, and explore the implications of your findings for future research and for clinical practice or policy.

Discuss the influence or association of variables, such as sex and/or gender, on your findings, where appropriate, and the limitations of the data. Do not repeat in detail data or other information given in other parts of the manuscript, such as in the Introduction or the Results section.

Link the conclusions with the goals of the study but avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not adequately supported by the data. In particular, distinguish between clinical and statistical significance, and avoid making statements on economic benefits and costs unless the manuscript includes the appropriate economic data and analyses. Avoid claiming priority or alluding to work that has not been completed. State new hypotheses when warranted, but label them clearly.

Item 29, Interpretation:

Interpretation consistent with results, balancing benefits and harms, and considering other relevant evidence

Item 30, Limitations:

Trial limitations, addressing sources of potential bias, imprecision, generalisability, and, if relevant, multiplicity of analyses

How you conclude your paper will depend on where you started—and where you traveled.

In a short paper—even a research paper—you don’t need to provide an exhaustive summary as part of your conclusion.

After the “what” and the “so what,” you should leave your reader with some final thoughts.

What can my readers now understand, see in a new light, or grapple with that they would not have understood in the same way before reading my paper?

What questions can I now raise that would not have made sense at the beginning of my paper? Questions for further research? Other ways that this topic could be approached?

fake transitions like “in conclusion” that are followed by sentences that aren’t actually conclusions. (“In conclusion, I have now demonstrated that my thesis is correct.”)

Stelling (what het paper wilde aantonen):

While socialization may indeed be an important factor in RS, I argue that individuals with ADHD may also possess a neurological predisposition to RS that is exacerbated by the differing executive and emotional regulation characteristic of ADHD.

Echo van de conclusie (what, herformuleerd na de literatuur):

This literature demonstrates that, as with many other conditions, ADHD and RS share a delicately intertwined pattern of neurological similarities that is rooted in the innate biology of an individual’s mind, a connection that cannot be explained in full by the behavioral mediation hypothesis.

Now-what (schuld en behandeling):

seems to place a degree of fault on the individual. It implies that individuals with ADHD must have elicited such frequent or intense rejection by virtue of their inadequate social skills, erasing the possibility that they may simply possess a natural sensitivity to emotion.

Now-what (wie erom moet geven):

has profound implications for understanding how individuals with ADHD might best be treated in educational settings, by counselors, family, peers, or even society as a whole.

Jij:

Basically, I’m just saying that education was important to Douglass.

Vriend:

So what?

Jij:

Well, it was important because it was a key to him feeling like a free and equal citizen.

Vriend:

Why should anybody care?

Jij:

That’s important because plantation owners tried to keep slaves from being educated so that they could maintain control. When Douglass obtained an education, he undermined that control personally.

Return to the theme or themes in the introduction. This strategy brings the reader full circle. For example, if you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof that your essay is helpful in creating a new understanding.

Propose a course of action, a solution to an issue, or questions for further study. This can redirect your reader’s thought process and help them to apply your info and ideas to their own life or to see the broader implications.

Point to broader implications. For example, if your paper examines the Greensboro sit-ins or another event in the Civil Rights Movement, you could point out its impact on the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. A paper about the style of writer Virginia Woolf could point to her influence on other writers or on later feminists.

If your essay deals with a contemporary problem, warn readers of the possible consequences of not attending to the problem.

Recommend a specific course of action.

Use an apt quotation or expert opinion to lend authority to the conclusion you have reached.

Give a startling statistic, fact, or visual image to drive home the ultimate point of your paper.

If your discipline encourages personal reflection, illustrate your concluding point with a relevant narrative drawn from your own life experiences.

Return to an anecdote, example, or quotation that you introduced in your introduction, but add further insight that derives from the body of your essay.

In a science or social science paper, mention worthwhile avenues for future research on your topic.

An annotated bibliography, for example, typically provides neither.

A book review may begin with a summary of the book and conclude with an overall assessment of it.

A policy briefing usually includes an introduction but may conclude with a series of recommendations.

Beginning with an unnecessary, overused phrase such as “in conclusion,” “in summary,” or “in closing.” Although these phrases can work in speeches, they come across as wooden and trite in writing.

Stating the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion.

Introducing a new idea or subtopic in your conclusion.

Ending with a rephrased thesis statement without any substantive changes.

Making sentimental, emotional appeals that are out of character with the rest of an analytical paper.

Including evidence (quotations, statistics, etc.) that should be in the body of the paper.

a complete restatement of all that you have said in your paper.

a substantial counterargument that you do not have space to refute; you should introduce counterarguments before your conclusion.

an apology for what you have not said. If you need to explain the scope of your paper, you should do this sooner—but don’t apologize for what you have not discussed in your paper.

“That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It”:

In conclusion, Frederick Douglass was, as we have seen, a pioneer in American education, proving that education was a major force for social change with regard to slavery.

“Sherlock Holmes” (stelling achtergehouden tot het eind):

So, as the evidence above demonstrates, Douglass saw education as a way to undermine the slaveholders’ power and also an important step toward freedom.

“America the Beautiful” / “I Am Woman” / “We Shall Overcome”:

Because of the efforts of fine Americans like Frederick Douglass, countless others have seen the shining beacon of light that is education. His example was a torch that lit the way for others. Frederick Douglass was truly an American hero.

“Grab Bag”:

In addition to being an educational pioneer, Frederick Douglass provides an interesting case study for masculinity in the American South. He also offers historians an interesting glimpse into slave resistance when he confronts Covey, the overseer. His relationships with female relatives reveal the importance of family in the slave community.

For most essays, one well-developed paragraph is sufficient for a conclusion. In some cases, a two-or-three paragraph conclusion may be appropriate. As with introductions, the length of the conclusion should reflect the length of the essay.

It is a natural, human inclination to wonder if God exists. Aquinas, like many other philosophers, attempted to prove God’s existence through logical reasoning. His arguments, however, seem to be based on the presumption that there is in fact a God. He went on from this supposition to question human concepts, such as the way that we determine what is good, true, and noble. If no obvious, tangible cause for a concept or behavior could be found, he concluded that God must be the cause and then claimed proof of God’s existence. Aquinas was clearly biased in his study of God; he seemed to have a firm belief that God exists before he began the process of logical reasoning. This fault would be a problem for anyone trying to prove God’s existence through concrete logic. There is something uncertain and enigmatic about the concepts of God and religious belief that logic will never be able to penetrate.

The physical disabilities of the girl serve as symbolic functions that affect how the reader interprets her relationship with the magistrate. These injuries lend themselves to symbolism because they are reflections of the weaknesses in all people—the insecurities, the compassion, and the love for one another that may manifest itself in various forms. Coetzee applies this symbolism to the complex relationship between two very different characters. The effect is a complicated and often contradictory representation of love and the emotions closely related to it.

The coming of capitalism and modernization to China does not indicate that democracy will follow. Strong forces both within and without the CCP ensure that the status quo of one-party politics will remain. According to political theorist Samuel Huntington, there are three ways a country can democratize. There can be transformation of the power elites; however, the likelihood of this occurring under Hu Jintao, with supporters in the Standing Committee, is slim. Democratic transition may occur through replacement, but the support the CCP receives from wealthy entrepreneurs and the middle class precludes the likelihood of collapse or overthrow. Transformation, the third path to democratization, is a mixture of the first two forms and thus unlikely. The verdict is in; despite prospects for democracy, the hallmark of the present era will be increased market reform without the democratic baggage.

Oorspronkelijke didactische stelling:

The Wrightwood homeowners’ association should put street cleaning services in the budget because doing so will remove trash from the street gutter, deter pests, and improve the overall appearance of the neighborhood.

Herformuleerde claim na de kern:

Providing street cleaning services to the Wrightwood neighborhood will help improve the neighborhood in three important ways.

Officiële herformulering van vier zinnen van de kern (vóór de slotgedachte):

Providing street cleaning services to the Wrightwood neighborhood will help improve the neighborhood in three important ways. The services will keep the gutters clear, allowing rainwater to drain and avoid flooding. It will also deter pests by removing easy food sources. Improving the look and safety of the neighborhood will result in a better appearance, adding value to all the homes in the neighborhood.

Officieel in elkaar gezet slot (herformulering van de kern plus slotgedachte):

Providing street cleaning services to the Wrightwood neighborhood will help improve the neighborhood in three important ways. The services will keep the gutters clear, allowing rainwater to drain and avoid flooding. It will also deter pests by removing easy food sources. Improving the look and safety of the neighborhood will result in a better appearance, adding value to all the homes in the neighborhood. Having street cleaning services will improve the entire neighborhood and benefit all of the residents equally.

You may notice that the example uses no new evidence. This is because there should be no new ideas, information, or claims to support in your concluding paragraph.

Avoid starting the concluding paragraph with phrases like “In conclusion” or “In summary”. Phrases like these are informal because they are directed toward the reader and create a sudden shift in tone.

Gebruik wanneer de steekproef of het archief begrensd is:

Deze lezing beperkt zich tot [de teksten of jaren die je daadwerkelijk analyseerde]; ze beslist niet hoe latere edities of andere archieven dezelfde vraag zouden beantwoorden.

Gebruik in een empirische Discussion:

Het ontwerp kan [variabele A] niet van [variabele B] scheiden, dus de associatie mag niet als causale claim worden gelezen. Een nuttige vervolgstudie zou [de toets die ze zou kunnen scheiden].

Gebruik in een CONSORT 2025-trial-Discussion:

De schatting is onnauwkeurig omdat [de breedte van het interval die al in Results staat], en de steekproef vertegenwoordigt niet [de populatie die een lezer zou willen behandelen]. Die grens verandert of het resultaat [de beslissing die het paper daadwerkelijk onderzocht] kan sturen.

Schrijf niet:

Dit paper heeft veel beperkingen en kan fout zijn, maar ik hoop toch dat het nuttig is. (Dat is Harvards verontschuldiging, geen beperking.)

• Een lezer die de kern oversloeg, ziet nog steeds een claim, geen inhoudsopgave
• De stelling is herformuleerd, niet uit de inleiding geplakt
• Minstens één zin beantwoordt "why should anybody care?" (UNC)
• Er verschijnt geen nieuwe bron, figuur of subonderwerp voor het eerst
• Het slot past bij de opdracht: essay, Discussion, CONSORT-trial of aanbevelingen
• Beperkingen, als vereist, veranderen de duiding in plaats van zich te verontschuldigen
• Afgeronde resultaten blijven in de verleden tijd; implicaties en grenzen gebruiken de tegenwoordige (APA §4.12)
• De laatste zin is een gedachte, geen keelschrapende overgang
• Elke bron waarop het slot steunt, is al in de kern geciteerd; formatteer die records in APA, MLA of Chicago