General functions and main elements of conclusion

ConclusionAs the end-result of the whole paper, conclusion (also called summary) is the final viewpoint drawn by the author after investigations, experiments, inferences, discussions and so on. To have an effective conclusion is oftentimes as challenging as having an effective introduction. An effective conclusion indicates that you have finished what you have to say. No new material is introduced. It does not rehash opinions or recite the obvious. An effective ending flows logically and smoothly from the body of the essay, giving a sense of completeness or closure. General functions and main elements of conclusionTypical functions of the conclusion of a research paper may include:1) summing up 2)statement of conclusion 3) statement of recommendations and 4) graceful termination. For a particular paper, anyone or any combination of these may be appropriate. Some papers do not need a separate concluding section, particularly if the conclusions or results have already been stated in the introduction.Five ways to conclude an essay:1. restating the main pointsGenerally speaking, if the essay is not very long, you do not need to announce the ending by saying “in conclusion” or “to sum it up”. In deed, you can summarize the main points more effectively without using those expressions.2. referring back to the thesis (and the introduction)Some writers like to conclude their essays by briefly referring back to the thesis. Such an ending is particularly satisfying because it gives the essay a sense of closure by alluding to instead of repeating the entire thesis. This is what Anastasia Toufexis does in “Love: the right chemistry?” Introduction:O.K., lets cut out all this nonsense about romantic love. Lets bring some scientific precision to the party. Lets put love under a microscope.When rigorous people with Ph.D.s after their names do that, what they see is not some silly, senseless thing. No, their probe reveals that love rests firmly on the foundations of evolution, biology and chemistryConclusion: O.K., thats the scientific point of view. Satisfied? Probably not. To most peoplewith or without Ph.D.slove will always be more than the sum of its natural parts. Its a commingling of body and soul, reality, and imagination, poetry and phenylethylamine. In our deepest hearts, most of us harbor the hope that love will never fully yield up its secrets, that it will always elude our grasp.3. suggesting a solution, further study, or predicting an outlineIn “mutual engagement best for US and China ”, column published in 1996, the author argues that in modern times China , as a partner in the geopolitical “multi-partner waltz ”, has been treated equally by the U.S. This column concludes with a suggestion:China has finally grown to be an equal partner in this “multi-partner waltz ” and should be treated accordingly to avoid catastrophic collisions, if not stepping on each other s toes. The stick-and carrot diplomacy, which has an odor of the bygone era and an air of condescension to a lesser partner, has become an anachronism. Which big-stick rhetoric may give a big adrenaline rush to some politicians, especially in an election year, we all realize that one cold war has served us more than sufficiently.4. giving a humorous comment or unexpected twist5. using a striking or memorable quoteUsed judiciously, quotesapt, striking, and memorable quotes, rather than those that have been over-quoted and have lost their freshnesscan conclude essays on a strong note. In an essay titled “ways we lie”, the author gives the discussion a forceful ending (without moralizing clumsily) with a quote form a country song: “Maybe if I dont tell the bank the checks in the mail Ill be less tolerant of the lies told me every day. A country song I once heard said it all for me: youve got to stand for something or youll fall for anything. ”Requirements for writing a conclusion1. Be careful not to draw conclusions from data involving errors of observation: errors in arithmetic, compensating errors, systematic and personal error.2. Do not use mathematical formulas without clearly understanding of their derivations and al the assumptions involved3. Be cautious in comparing conclusions based on experiments in which the influential conditions have been improperly controlled, and therefore not duplicated.4. Avoid confusing facts with opinions of influences, not only in the investigation itself but also in preparing results for publication.5. Do not draw a conclusion from too few data, or too broad a conclusion that is based o extrapolated curves.6. Guard against failing to qualify a conclusion, in order to show the limits within which it applies, or the variation which is to be expected.7. When you indulge in a speculation, be sure to remind your reader to know that it remains a speculation.Useful expressions frequently used in writing conclusions are:l On the basis of , the following conclusion can be madel From, we now concludel To sum up, we have revealedl We have demonstrated in this paperl The result of this experiment indicatel In conclusion, the r