CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION

This is the final chapter of your dissertation and the most unique of them all. Before this, most of the chapters can easily be written following a template with strict requirements for each section. However, this chapter is the one where you get to be individualistic the most. Your goal in this final chapter is to inform the reader of what your results are and what they mean. You emphasize the key points to take away from the fundamental research you’ve done. You describe how your results can help others both in the real world and in further research in the field. You are free to state your opinion on your results and draw your own conclusions.

This chapter aims to remind your reader of your findings from the previous chapters, summarize your interpretations, and illustrate how your research will affect the current understanding of the field and its practical applications.

This chapter is crucial to tying up your arguments and solidifying your research work. Everything you’ve written till now builds up to this chapter, where you conclude by giving the strongest and most important statement that highlights the outcome of the study.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing the Conclusion Chapter

One of the biggest mistakes often made when writing Chapter 5 is not including enough thoughts about the research. It is easy to find a research work with more than a hundred pages with only three paragraphs in the implications in Chapter 5. Avoid this mistake! Explain your work and its applications and implications in detail. This is why you use all your intellect and help the reader understand your objectives and why it’s important. Don’t undersell your research.

Another mistake, apart from writing too little in the conclusion, is writing laborious summaries of the preceding chapters. Although the conclusion needs to review the preceding information, it should be done neatly and concisely, not in lengthy rants that take up your reader’s time. The summary is to provide a framework and context for the main bulk of the chapter.

Another common mistake is introducing new material in this section. This can be confusing for your reader. Any information needed to make the concluding case should have been introduced earlier. Any new argument you want to make for your thesis should be included in the discussion section instead. Bringing up new material in the concluding section gives the impression that you are too lazy to go back to make the needed adjustments.

Another mistake amateurs, and even some professionals, tend to make is not including an analysis of the research limitations. Making a note of the limitations of the research shows that you have a good grasp of the research topic, and you’ve fully considered the overall picture. You don’t need to overstate the weaknesses of your research, though – include clear statements of what the research does and doesn’t do.

Exaggerating your claims, or underestimating your claims, is also another common mistake.

Tips for Writing the Conclusion Chapter

• – Go through the literature review you produced in chapter 2 and compared your results to the existing body of research. In what way have you added knowledge to the research topic?
• – Explain how the results you outlined in the previous chapter apply to the research problems and questions.
• – Defend your conclusions and theoretical framework.
• – Back up your interpretations of the research with quotes and data from your results section.
• – Try to have a wide view of the whole research topic. Note the connections and relations between the different statistical tests and data.
• – Try to flow in your writing. This chapter should not be as formulaic as the previous ones.
• – Tell your research story.

Outline of the Conclusion Chapter

Introduction – In the introduction of this chapter, restate briefly and succinctly the problem and purposes statements of your research. Reference the results from the preceding chapter. State what the reader should expect in the chapter by giving a brief outline.

Summary – The summary aims to refresh the reader’s understanding of the results from chapter 4. Don’t explain in detail; highlight the main points. Make your summary straight to the point. Make use of the past tense in writing this section.

Discussion – Defend your belief in your findings – what you found in your research and what you didn’t find. Mention your thoughts on the possible factors affecting your findings stated in the Summary section. If the result was not what you were expecting, you must still explain why your methodology did not produce the findings you expected. List the research questions stated in the introductory chapter and answer them with your findings.

Implications – This section should illustrate how the results of your study will add to the existing body of knowledge on the concepts addressed in your research. Acknowledge the perspectives of others who share the same or similar views as those indicated in your research. Compare and contrast your research findings with the results of other researchers. Outline how your study has contributed to your theoretical framework and how it could affect the theoretical discourse, if applicable. Indicate how your research findings can significantly impact the general field and the broad implications of that.

Conclusions – In your conclusion, you must relate the research questions and objectives to the existing knowledge and the significance of the study. You can freely state your personal opinion on the collected data.

Recommendations – The recommendations can either be for further study or change or both. The recommendations should be based on your findings and could include practical, real-world suggestions.

References The references should follow the format of a specific style guide. List the name and year of publication for every reference in this section.

Appendices – Include letters of permission, invitation and consent forms, as well as data collection instruments.

Finishing Your Thesis/Dissertation

Writing this final chapter and defending your dissertation is a huge step towards achieving your goal. The tips above will prove helpful as you tackle the challenge. You could also benefit from having a coach to guide you through this process.