A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, Ninth edition - Kate L. Turabian 2018

Draft your final conclusion
Writing your final introduction and conclusion
Research and writing

Your conclusion sums up your argument, but just as important, it offers an opportunity to raise new questions suggested by your research. You can build your conclusion around the same elements as your introduction, only in reverse order.

10.2.1 Restate Your Claim

Restate your claim early in your conclusion, more fully than in your introduction:

Ordinary people make decisions about risk not on a rational or quantifiable basis but on the basis of at least six psychological factors that not only involve emotion but systematically draw on the power of visual imagination.

At this point you’re probably sure what your claim is, but even so, take this last chance to rephrase it to make it as specific and complete as you can.

10.2.2 Point Out a New Significance, a Practical Application, or Opportunities for Further Research (or All Three)

After stating your claim, remind readers of its significance, or better, state a new significance or a practical application:

These findings suggest a hitherto unsuspected aspect of human cognition, a quantitative logic independent of statistical probabilities involving degrees of precision or realism in visualization. Once we understand this imaginative but systematic assessment of risk, it should be possible for risk communicators to better explain risk in everyday life.

Finally, suggest further research. This gesture suggests how the community of researchers can continue the conversation. It mirrors the opening context:

Although these factors improve our understanding of risk, they do not exhaust the “human” factors in judgments of it. We must also investigate the relevance of age, gender, education, and intelligence. For example, . . .

When you state what remains to do, you keep the conversation alive. So before you write your final words, imagine other researchers who are intrigued by your work and want to follow it up. What more would you like to know, as their reader? What research would you suggest they do?