Read the section on the four conclusion strategies on the Week three readings button. Write a conclusion to your paper that uses one or more of the four strategies listed:
-
So What? Explain Importance/ Synthesize.
-
Pose Questions for Future Research or Study/ What Now?
-
Echo the Introduction
-
Call to Action
-
Use Quotations to Amplify your Main Point
After you are finished, explain in 100 words min, which strategy or strategies you used and why. It is okay to combine these strategies as well. They are just broad ideas.
Chapter 7
Conclusions
All academic writing is a conversation. In a conversation, you may make your
point, but, eventually, you stop speaking and let another person speak. So, the best way
to think about your conclusion paragraph is to think about how it will guide the
conversation after your paper has been read by other academics. In your paper, you
found a research niche, a gap in the conversation you felt needed to be filled. But the
conversation will not end with you. Others will continue the conversation. So, one
common thing academic papers do in their conclusions is to pose questions the author
still thinks need to be answered in the hopes that other academics will take up the
cause. Following this general idea, we can use several strategies in our conclusions.
So What? Explain Importance/ Synthesize
This is the “So What?” strategy. A conclusion should help the reader understand
why the paper they just read was important. A “so what” conclusion answers exactly
that. It synthesizes all the points in the paper into a greater whole that points toward
the significance of the work. It does not simply restate the thesis, but rather it re-frames
the new insight that the paper has contributed to the conversation. All conclusions
should do this to some extent, so this strategy might often merge with other more
specific ones.
What Next? Pose Questions for Future Research or Study
Earlier in this class, you made an inquiry plan that contained questions you
wanted answered. This helped lead you to your research niche. Surely, you did not find
answers to all your questions, and you likely noted there are still important questions to
answer. Ask these questions in your conclusion. This will provide a guide to move the
conversation forward. What else still needs to be researched in this subject to get an
even better picture? Should the conversation shift focus? What aren’t we thinking about
that we should be? You’ll notice that in many academic paper introductions the author
references studies or papers by other academics. They summarize their main points, but
they may also bring up a question posed by that paper and seek to answer it. Posing
questions at the end of your paper invites other academics to respond to your work,
and so the conversation continues.
Echo the Introduction
You may recall from ENG 100 that many of the articles debating the merits of
self-driving cars started with a hypothetical situation. This made sense for the subject
because the purpose was to imagine the possible ethical implication of the new
technology. It also makes sense that if you started with a hypothetical, you might end
with one. Likewise, if you started your paper with an anecdote or personal experience,
you could finish the story in the conclusion. If you use a metaphor to introduce your
subject, you could expand or change the metaphor at the end of the paper.
You have likely been taught to “restate the thesis” in the conclusion, and that is a
good beginning strategy that will ground your reader, but the conclusion should do
more than just sum up. It should give us a new direction out of the paper.
Call to Action
The classic concluding strategy of a persuasive essay is a call to action. This is a
helpful strategy for any paper that is asking your audience to do something. For
example, if you study ecology and write a paper on how plastic bags harm the ocean,
then it might be fitting in your conclusion to suggest what people can do to enact plastic
bag bans in their hometowns. So, consider whether your paper’s purpose is more
research based or more persuasive in nature. If it is attempting to get a group of people
to do something, tell them what they can do in the conclusion.
Use Quotations to Amplify your Main Point
A notable quotation from an authority in the field may be an effective way to
frame and amplify the final point of your argument. Using an authority gives gravitas
to your argument or provides a point of poignancy. Be careful that the person you
quote is quoted in the correct context and is related to your field or this strategy can
easily backfire. If you are writing a paper on biology, a quote from Jonas Salk might be
more relevant than one from Jerry Seinfeld, though both are certainly famous. So, a
well-chosen quote from an authority can be helpful, but be quite careful with this
strategy as it can lead to absurdities.
This link to a handout at the University of Wisconsin has a few good examples of
conclusions specific to subjects.
This link to the writing center at UNC has some good suggestions as well. Pay
special attention on their section on what not to do.
Read the section on the four conclusion strategies on the Week three
readings button. Write a conclusion to your paper that uses one or
more of the four strategies listed:
•So What? Explain Importance/ Synthesize.
•Pose Questions for Future Research or Study/ What Now?
•Echo the Introduction
•Call to Action
•Use Quotations to Amplify your Main Point
After you are finished, explain in 100 words min, which strategy or
strategies you used and why. It is okay to combine these strategies as
well. They are just broad ideas.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
