Thesis and Dissertation Conclusions Writing: A Guide with Examples

What to Include in the Conclusion of a Dissertation or Thesis?

Writing a conclusion has its own challenges. The best example of a conclusion is one that touches all the practical terms of your research findings and gives more space for the reader to analyze the implications.

The dissertation conclusion aims to restate any important points covered and provide readers with a sense of finality. Every dissertation conclusion ought to be brief, understandable, and conclusive. It also aims to provide readers with an overview of the dissertation discussion chapter and recommendations for additional research.

How to Write a Dissertation Conclusion: Key Points

Although writing can be difficult, every student should know how to write my dissertation conclusion because the thesis conclusion is one of the most important sections of your doctoral work. The following is a list of components that every dissertation conclusion should have:

Summarize Key Findings: Briefly recap the primary outcomes and discoveries of your research.

Highlight Contributions: Emphasize the specific contributions your work makes to the field of study.

Discuss Implications: Address the broad statements of your research and its potential impact.

Acknowledge Limitations: Recognize any limitations encountered during the study.

Propose Future Research: Suggest potential directions for future research in the area.

Connect to Objectives: Relate your conclusions back to the initial objectives of the study.

Align with Literature Review: Demonstrate how your overall findings align with and contribute to the existing literature.

Convey Academic Significance: Clearly articulate the academic significance of your work.

Leave Lasting Impression: Write a dissertation conclusion that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

What Exactly is the Conclusion Chapter?

As the last chapter of a thesis or dissertation, a conclusion is your final chance to provide readers with a summary of the material covered and an understanding of the research aims and discussion. Since the dissertation conclusion or thesis will be the point of reference that most people will remember, it should be carefully written.

How to Write a Dissertation Conclusion Chapter in a Few Steps?

Let's dissect the organization of the final chapter so you can start writing it. Remember that this is just an example of a typical structure of a conclusion; it is neither fixed nor a general rule. Certain institutions will want you to address some of these topics in the discussion chapters or to address the topics in multiple chapters at varied intensities.

Step 1: Respond to Research Findings

The central query that your thesis or dissertation attempted to answer should come first in your dissertation conclusion. This is your last opportunity to demonstrate that you have accomplished your goals, so consider your response before responding.

• Avoid reiterating a list of every result you've previously mentioned.
• Make sure to combine them into a concluding point that the reader will find memorable.

Step 2: Restate Your Research Question and Answer It

The first thing to do while writing a dissertation conclusion is to reiterate the research aim that was presented in the introduction and provide the solution. This is a crucial thing to perform at the end of your thesis or dissertation help since it makes sure that readers understand all of the main ideas you attempted to convey in your work.

Furthermore, summarizing the open research questions at the end of a dissertation or thesis can help readers grasp the importance of your study. Stated differently, it ought to serve as a reminder of the initial intent for writing.

Step 3: Explain Why Your Study Is Valuable

The practical and theoretical contributions of your research project to the field must be a part of the discussion. It comprises talking about the study's accomplishments, relevance, and usefulness while highlighting how valuable and important it is to write a dissertation conclusion for future uses. In this case, you ought to:

• Getting started, list all of the research focus that your study produced (publications, papers, journal articles, or anything else);
• Describe how your study aimed towards the research problem you chose and why this is important.
• Describe the gaps in the literature of other researchers that you have identified and how your thesis fills these gaps;
• Share your thoughts on the relationship between your current research project and pertinent theories, including whether it supports or refutes them;
• Describe how the results of your dissertation can be applied in practical situations and make recommendations for specific steps that practitioners might take to do so.

Step 4: Summarise and Reflect on Your Research Findings

The next section in your dissertation conclusion is to summarize key points. Students must consider their empirical research and research objectives to discuss important conclusions as well as the efficacy of the methodology in this section.

The opportunity to reiterate your reasoning for choosing the approach you selected, your expectations going into the study, and the degree to which the outcomes met your expectations may be found in your dissertation conclusion chapters.

Instead of summarizing each section that came before, think about writing about the research focus section more reflective to minimize duplication. Discuss the methodology's efficacy and any fresh inquiries or startling realizations that emerged during the process to give a positive impression.

Any research restrictions you haven't already discussed in the conversation may also be mentioned. Instead of spending too much time thinking about them, concentrate on the advantages of your work.

Step 5: Provide Suggestions for the Future Research

Although your discussion section may have already included some suggestions for further study, the concluding chapter is an excellent area to expand on and analyze how your findings in the previous sections may have theoretical and practical ramifications.

As you suggest additional research, don't contradict your findings. Similarly, further research shouldn't be necessary for your argument to feel fully developed, even though it might support, expand upon, or enhance your conclusion sections. Your writing needs to be able to stand on its own.

In the same way that you should refrain from overanalyzing yourself, you should also refrain from inflating the relevance of your findings.

Step 6: Emphasize Your Contributions to Your Field

Ensure that your reader has a clear understanding of the contributions your study has made to the state of your field.

Several tactics to accomplish this include:

• Referring back to your problem description, describe how your study contributes to its resolution.
• Citing the literature review once more and demonstrating how you have filled in a knowledge gap
• Describing how your research supports or refutes a preexisting idea or assumption

Once more, refrain from merely restating in your dissertation conclusion chapter all that was said during the conversation. Rather, highlight the most crucial ideas and provide a brief summary of them to place your project in a larger context.

Step 7: Conclude Your Dissertation with a Summary

Your dissertation conclusion chapter should be concluded with a closing summary. Without introducing any new material, it should serve as a succinct summary of the main ideas of your work. Write it succinctly, ideally in one or two paragraphs, so that your readers can easily find it later.

A summary of the research will conclude the concluding chapter. Concluding your dissertation or thesis is a great method to make sure your readers remember all the important details of your study and to make a lasting impression. The main ideas from the earlier parts should be recapped, along with how they fit into your larger context.

A dissertation's conclusion chapter should include a succinct but thorough summary. Furthermore, these results may provide a novel viewpoint on how to wrap up a thesis or dissertation. It offers thorough insights into the results and their use in the modern world.

It's almost over!

Following the completion of your conclusion, you should take the following actions about how to write a dissertation conclusion complete your thesis or dissertation:

• Writing your abstract thereafter will help ensure that the study is still fresh in your mind.
• Next, check to see that your reference list is accurate and well formatted. Use our free APA citation generator to expedite the procedure.
• After including any appendices, you can make a title page and table of contents.
• Lastly, proofread the entire manuscript one more to ensure that your thesis is well-written and has no grammatical problems. You have three options for proofreading it: do it in your own words, ask a friend, or use helpful tips provided by a proofreading service.

Word Count for Dissertation Conclusion Writing

A dissertation's conclusion can make up 5% to 10% of the overall word count. Generally speaking, it should be a summary that takes a few pages to complete. Practical and empirical research endeavors to provide a more concise conclusion section than theoretical or methodically created reviews. It is imperative to incorporate recommendations and further research in the entire dissertation conclusion. Future viewpoints on the research process must be included in the recommendations. This may require a page and a half.

Always write your dissertation conclusion according to the university's requirements. Occasionally, a version includes the Discussion Chapter and the Conclusion chapter. The dissertation conclusion only makes up 5% of the total word count in these situations.

Example of a Good Dissertation Conclusion and Thesis Conclusions

"Identification and characterization of a novel antimicrobial protein from the housefly Musca domestica"

The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria have posed a major threat to the public. Health and focus have been shifted towards the excessive usage of antibiotics in various fields such as agriculture and medicine. Research has been done on antimicrobial proteins/peptides (AMPs) from insects and plants to develop an antimicrobial peptide to combat the issue of antimicrobial resistance. Insects have developed a great antimicrobial genetic pool due to their worldwide diversity and have become a popular choice for researchers for antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial proteins/peptides (AMPs) are part of innate,immunare insects' are the first line of insects. This study was conducted in Biozone Lab, investigating the function of the novel gene AMP17 from M.d, America, which was activated when infected with C.tropicalis. Immunological testing (Western Blot, PCR) and AMP17 expression were confirmed with the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) analysis.

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Dissertation Conclusions

Here are some mistakes you should not make while writing conclusions since they will cause them to be illogical and confusing.

1. Do not add anything new. It is appropriate to provide personal thoughts and reflections while wrapping up a dissertation. However, it is imperative that at this point, no new arguments or evidence be included. If there is anything significant you need to include, incorporate it into the main body.
2. Your research should conclude with a succinct summary of your findings that avoids going into undue detail. So, avoid repeating the same thing in the conclusion. Provide a concise and easily comprehensible synopsis of the previously covered material in this chapter.
3. Avoid making inflated or erroneous statements about how your research has contributed since these could turn off readers.
4. Avoid digressing in the conclusion. Although this may vary throughout colleges, the conclusion chapter typically makes up 5-7% of the total word count, so you need to be succinct. Edit this chapter carefully, emphasizing its clarity and conciseness.
5. When claiming the contribution of your study, exercise extreme caution. Nothing will cause the marker to look away more quickly than inflated or false claims. Make your claims with firmness but humility.

Conclusion Checklist

After you have written the main conclusions chapter, make sure that you have mentioned the main points with the help of this checklist:

• I have addressed the primary research question in a clear and succinct manner.
• I've outlined my main points of contention here.
• I have indicated any significant research limitations.
• I've made pertinent suggestions.
• What my research has added to my field has been elucidated.
• I haven't presented any fresh information or reasoning.

Proofread and make sure about your own work.

FAQ's about Dissertation and Thesis Conclusion

Q1. How to write a dissertation conclusion chapter?

To write a dissertation conclusion chapter involves summarizing key points, addressing research questions, and suggesting areas for future research. Here's a step-by-step guide:

• Revisit Research Objectives: Remind readers of the research aims and objectives.
• Summarize Main Findings: Provide a concise summary of your main findings. Highlight key takeaways that directly answer your existing theory.
• Relate Findings to Research Questions: Clearly connect each finding to the corresponding research question.
• Discuss Implications: Explore the practical and theoretical implications of your results. Relate your findings to existing theories or concepts in your research field.
• Future Studies Recommendations: Suggest areas for future studies based on gaps identified during your research. Address limitations and propose ways to overcome them in future research.
• Overall Conclusions: Draw overall conclusions from your study. Discuss the significance of your research in the broader context.
• Reflect on the Research Process: Briefly discuss your research process, methods, and any challenges faced.
• End with a Positive Note: Conclude on a positive and forward-looking note, leaving a lasting impression.

Q2. How to write a good thesis conclusion?

The process of writing a thesis conclusion is the same as to write a dissertation conclusion. Follow the steps outlined above and pay attention to presenting a cohesive and comprehensive final chapter.

Q3. What is the difference between a discussion and a conclusion?

Discussion:

• Focuses on interpreting and analyzing the research findings.
• Explores the implications of the results.
• Discusses the limitations and potential biases of the study.
• May suggest areas for future researchers.

Conclusion:

• Summarizes the main findings and their significance.
• Provides a clear answer to the problem statement.
• Highlights the broader implications of the study.
• Offers suggestions for future research.

Q4. Can I add new data after the dissertation?

Generally, it's not advisable to add new data after completing the dissertation. The conclusion should be based on the data collection during the research process. However, if absolutely necessary, consult your university guidelines and seek guidance from your advisor.

Q5. What is the difference between a thesis and a dissertation?

The terms "thesis" and "dissertation" are often used interchangeably, but there can be differences based on regional practices. In some contexts:

Thesis:

• Typically associated with master's degrees.
• Involves original research or an in-depth analysis of existing research.
• Generally shorter than a dissertation.

Dissertation:

• Commonly used for doctoral degrees.
• Involves original research contributing to the field.
• Typically longer and more extensive than a thesis.

Ensure you follow the terminology and requirements specified by your academic institution.