Drawing

Conclusions
from Research
Findings
 Learning Objective
 To identify and describe the
steps and strategies on how to
draw conclusions from research
findings
Key Understanding
• Knowledge of different steps and
strategies on how to draw
conclusions from research findings

Key Question
 How are conclusions drawn from research
findings?
 Conclusions
 This section of a research explains
things that will lead you to significant
points, insights, or understanding, or
conclusions that derive their validity,
credibility or acceptability from the
factual evidence gathered during the
data-collection stage.
 Conclusions
 Stated here, too, is the significance of
the results; that is, whether or not these
are the right answers to the research
questions or the means of hypotheses
acceptance or rejection.
 Your assessment of the data in relation
to the findings of previous research
studies is also given a space in this
section of the research paper.
A conclusion should

 stress the importance of the thesis statement,

 give the research a sense of completeness

 leave a final impression on the reader.

 Importance of a Conclusion

For the examination process

 It is often the last piece of text in
the thesis that examiners or
readers read.
For your longer term research career
 A good conclusion will provide you with the
energy to publish thesis when you come to
recap your findings.
 Basic Functions of a Conclusion

1. To summarize:
 What you researched
 Nature of your main
arguments
 How you researched it
 What you discovered
 What pre-existing views were
challenged
 Basic Functions of a Conclusion

2. To provide an overview of:

 The new knowledge or information
discovered
 The significance of your research
(where is it new?)
 The limitation of your thesis (concepts, data)
 Speculation on the implications of these
limitations
 Areas for further development and research
(alternative data sets, links with other fields,
different methods applied to same data)
 Steps in Writing Conclusions

1. Answer the question "So What?"

 Show your readers why this paper was
important. Show them that your paper was
meaningful and useful.

2. Synthesize, don't summarize.

 Don't simply repeat things that were in your
paper. They have read it. Show them how the
points you made and the support and examples
you used were not random, but fit together.
 Steps in Writing Conclusions

3. Redirect your readers.

 Give your reader something to think about, perhaps
a way to use your paper in the "real" world. If your
introduction went from general to specific, make your
conclusion go from specific to general. Think globally.
4. Create a new meaning.
 You don't have to give new information to create a
new meaning. By demonstrating how your ideas work
together, you can create a new picture. Often the sum
of the paper is worth more than its parts.
 Steps in Writing Conclusions

5. Close with logic.

If your research paper presented multiple sides
of an issue, use your conclusion to state a
logical opinion formed by your evidence.
 Include enough information about your topic to
back the statement up but do not get too carried
away with excess detail.
 Sample Conclusion Structure

 One paragraph stating what you researched and

what your original contribution to the field is, then
break it into section.
 One section on what you researched and how you
did it.
 One section on what are the main findings were and
show links across chapters.
 One section on possible areas for future research.
 Final section reminding readers of the original
contribution and significance of your research to your
field.
 Strategies
1. Echoing the introduction
 Echoing your introduction can be a good
strategy if it is meant to bring the reader full-
circle. If you begin by describing a scenario, you
can end with the same scenario as proof that
your research was helpful in creating a new
understanding.
2. Challenging the reader
 By issuing a challenge to your readers, you are
helping them to redirect the information in the
paper, and they may apply it to their own lives.
 Strategies

3. Looking to the future

 Looking to the future can emphasize the importance of
your paper or redirect the readers' thought process. It may
help them apply the new information to their lives or see
things more globally.
4. Posing questions
 Posing questions, either to your readers or in general,
may help your readers gain a new perspective on the
topic, which they may not have held before reading your
conclusion. It may also bring your main ideas together to
create a new meaning.
 The “5 Avoids” in Writing a Conclusion

1. Avoid claiming findings that you have not proven

throughout your thesis.
2. Avoid introducing new data.
3. Avoid hiding weaknesses or limitations in your
thesis (make a virtue of showing strong analytical
skills and self-critique by discussing the limitations-
but don’t go overboard on this)
4. Avoid making recommendations (e.g. for policy). If
you must include them put them in an appendix.
5. Avoid being too long (repetitive) or too short (saying
nothing of importance)