How to Write a Conclusion: Strategies, Weak and Strong Examples, and What to Avoid

Knowing how to write a conclusion is mostly knowing what not to repeat. A conclusion paragraph brings the reader back from the details of your argument, shows how the points fit together, and says what follows from them. This guide sets out what writing centers say a conclusion should do, strategies you can choose from, a step-by-step method, weak and strong example pairs written for this page, and the endings that most often fall flat.

What a conclusion paragraph should do

The introduction carries readers into your argument. The conclusion carries them back out, changed.

The UNC Writing Center's handout on conclusions describes the conclusion as a bridge that helps readers make the transition back to their daily lives, and as your chance "to have the last word on the subject." It says a conclusion lets you synthesize your thoughts, demonstrate the importance of your ideas and propel the reader to a new view of the subject.

The Hamilton College Writing Center is direct about the most common mistake: you might begin by reminding the reader of your thesis and main points, "but a conclusion is not a summary." It says a successful conclusion brings the argument to a logical close and answers the question of why the argument is important.

The Harvard College Writing Center adds a caution: there is no one right answer to what belongs in a conclusion, and it depends on the discipline. A STEM paper might close on questions for further study; a literature paper might return to a quotation that now reads differently. When in doubt, ask your instructor.

What, so what, now what

Harvard's guidance gives a simple three-part frame. Each part answers a question a reader has at the end of your paper.

Strategies for an effective conclusion

UNC and Hamilton list overlapping strategies. You do not need all of them; pick the one or two that fit your argument.

• Play the "so what" game. UNC suggests having a friend ask "So what?" or "Why should anybody care?" after each statement in your draft conclusion, then answering.
• Return to the introduction. UNC and Hamilton both suggest bringing the argument full circle with a scenario, image or key words from the opening. If your opening hook used a story, the conclusion can show it in a new light.
• Synthesize, don't summarize. UNC says to show how your points and examples fit together rather than simply repeating them.
• Propose an action, a solution or a question for further study. Both UNC and Hamilton list this.
• Point to broader implications. UNC's example: a paper on one event in a movement can point to its effect on the movement as a whole.
• Raise qualifications. Hamilton lists limiting or opposing viewpoints, and also advises making a reasonable final claim that does not overstate your findings.
• End on a provocative insight or quotation from your reading, a strategy on both lists.

How to write a conclusion, step by step

1. Reread your thesis and topic sentences

   Highlight the thesis and the first sentence of each body paragraph, then read only those. This is the argument your conclusion has to close. If they do not line up, fix the thesis first; see how to write a thesis statement.

2. Write one sentence of "what"

   Restate where the argument has arrived in new words. Do not copy the thesis; the reader now knows the evidence, so the sentence can say more.

3. Connect the points

   Write a sentence or two on how your main points relate. Does one cause another? Do two together explain something neither explains alone?

4. Answer "so what"

   Say why the argument matters to the reader or the field, in a broader context than your introduction could manage.

5. Choose a "now what"

   A question, an action, an implication or a qualification. One is enough.

6. Polish the last sentence

   Hamilton advises taking special care with the final sentence so that it is carefully constructed and leaves a strong impression. Read it aloud.

Conclusion examples: weak and strong

Every paragraph below is an example written for this page, for an imagined essay arguing that a town's new protected bike lanes did more for local shops than the parking they replaced. The essay's (example) thesis: "The Main Street bike lanes raised shop revenue because they brought more frequent, shorter visits, which matter more to small stores than parking spaces."

Weak: the restated thesis (example)

"In conclusion, the Main Street bike lanes raised shop revenue because they brought more frequent, shorter visits, which matter more to small stores than parking spaces. As this essay has shown, bike lanes are good for business."

This is the ending UNC calls "That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It": it restates the thesis, is painfully short, and does not push the ideas forward. It also opens with "in conclusion," which UNC says comes across as wooden in writing.

Strong: synthesis and implications (example)

"Shop owners feared the lanes because they counted parking spaces, but the receipts counted something else: customers who stopped by twice a week instead of once a month. That shift explains both findings in this essay, the higher revenue and the shorter visits, as one change in habit rather than two separate effects. If frequency matters more than capacity, the question for the next stretch of Main Street is not how many cars it can hold but how easy it is to drop in."

It returns to the argument without copying the thesis, connects the two findings, and ends with a now what for the town.

What to avoid in a conclusion

UNC's list of strategies to avoid, with Harvard's additions:

• Beginning with an overused phrase such as "in conclusion," "in summary" or "in closing" (UNC). Harvard also warns against fake transitions followed by sentences that are not conclusions.
• Stating the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion. UNC calls this the "Sherlock Holmes" conclusion; readers of an analytical paper expect the main argument up front.
• Introducing a new idea or subtopic, or adding evidence that belongs in the body (UNC). UNC calls the version stuffed with leftover facts the "Grab Bag" conclusion.
• Ending with a rephrased thesis with no substantive change (UNC), or a complete restatement of everything you said (Harvard).
• Sentimental, emotional appeals out of character with the rest of an analytical paper (UNC).
• A substantial counterargument you have no space to refute, or an apology for what you have not said (Harvard).

Tips

• Check the discipline. Hamilton notes that expectations vary, including whether a new idea or a quotation is allowed in the conclusion.
• Match length to the paper. In a short essay, one paragraph is usually enough. A well-built paragraph with a clear first and last sentence does the job.
• Revise it last. Your conclusion should describe the paper you wrote, so check it after the body is final. The editing checklist covers the other end-stage checks.

Writing a conclusion comes down to three moves: bring the reader back to where the argument arrived, show how the pieces fit, and say why it matters. Cut stock phrases, leave new evidence in the body, and read the last sentence aloud. For the other end of the essay, see the guide to writing a hook, and find more writing guides on the study hub.