1. Writing Conclusions
ENC 1101

2. A conclusion should… Give a sense of completeness and closure
Show the lingering possibilities of the topic, its larger meaning and implications
Close the discussion without closing it off
Stress the importance of the thesis
Leave a final impression

3. What NOT to do
Do not summarize your essay. Short essays do not require a restatement of the main idea.
Avoid phrases like “in conclusion,” “in summary,” “to sum up.” Your reader will see they are at the end of the paper.
Do not add new information.
Do not allow a strong essay to fizzle with a weak conclusion.

4. Approaches to writing conclusions
Answer the question "So What?"
Show your readers why this paper was important. Show them that your paper was meaningful and useful.
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.
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.
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.
From St. Cloud State Literacy Education Online

5. Link your conclusion to your introduction
Reiterate words or phrases
Echo, don’t repeat

6. Conclude with a sentence of one syllable words.
Creates understated drama

7. Challenge the reader.
Help them to apply the information in your essay to their own lives.

8. Look to the future. Emphasize the importance of your topic
Redirect readers’ thoughts
Help them see your topic from a global perspective

9. Pose questions. Help readers gain a new perspective
Bring main ideas together to create new meanings

10. Conclude with a quote.
Use a quote from or reference to a primary or secondary source
Amplify your main point

11. Set your discussion in a new context.
Put your topic in a different, perhaps larger, perspective
Ex) link the past to the present or the present to the past

12. Redefine. Redefine one of the key terms of your argument. Landscape?
Brute force?
Muscle?