The main purpose of the conclusion is to tell the reader that the paper is ending. Often, the detail from the old idea will fit in very well here. For example, if, in your introduction, you mentioned the finding of rare plants in the jungle, then mention that jungle again here and make reference to plants. Your conclusion should also contain a restatment of the thesis and categories of support in brief but different words. Some teachers permit the students to voice their own opinions in a couple to sentences in the conclusion. No new arguments about the thesis itself should be made in the this closing section.

When you write your conclusion, you will have thought and talked about your topic many times. As a result, you might understand your topic better than when you wrote the introduction. If your conclusion is stronger and better articulated than your introduction, you should consider using it in the introduction.

It is also very important that you do not save the best part for last. In academic writing, that is disaster. We should put the best, most persuasive sentences in the introduction, very near the beginning of the paper. This principle might be the opposite of what is considered good style in other types of writing and/or in different countries.

© Copyright 2002 Dr. Clyde Coreil