After weeks of intensive research and careful refinement, you’ve reached the concluding part of your dissertation, but now you’re feeling stuck on how to wrap it up. Sound familiar? This is exactly what countless students experience. The final chapter, your dissertation conclusion, is the most critical component that can make or break your project’s successful evaluation. In this blog, we’ve covered expert strategies to craft a powerful, memorable conclusion that leaves evaluators impressed and ensures your research truly resonates.
What Is the Conclusion for a Dissertation?
A dissertation conclusion is the final chapter that brings your entire research journey to a cohesive close. It’s where you can synthesise your key findings, reflect on their significance, and show how your work is adding value to the broader academic field.
Unlike the discussion sections, which analyse and interpret your results in detail, the conclusion takes a step back to provide a holistic overview. While the discussion explores the “what” and “why” of your findings, the conclusion in a dissertation answers the overarching research question and highlights the “so what” or the practical and theoretical implications of your work.
Writing conclusion for dissertation serves a crucial role. It reminds readers (evaluators, professors or students) of your research objectives, reaffirms how you have addressed them, and shows your study’s unique contribution to existing knowledge. Essentially, when you write dissertation conclusion, it’s your opportunity to leave a lasting impression of your research beyond the pages of your dissertation.
How Long Should a Dissertation Conclusion Be?
It is quite natural to come across a standstill as to what the dissertation conclusion length is. It is often decided based on the type of paper you are writing, whether it is a dissertation or a thesis. Ideally, it is recommended to keep its word count at about 5-7% of your paper’s total length. While empirical scientific studies lean towards shorter conclusions, the conclusion section of dissertation on humanities topics tends to be larger in size, with its arguments and reflections connecting back to previous sections and synthesising key insights.
Key Components of an Effective Dissertation Conclusion
A compelling dissertation conclusion requires several essential elements working together. Here are the key components that can turn your ending into a strong academic statement.
Restating the Research Aim and Question
Rephrase your central research question and answer it clearly.
Summarising Key Findings
Combine results into a coherent summary without repeating full details.
Discussing Research Limitations
Briefly acknowledge limitations or challenges.
Explaining Implications of Your Findings
Show the theoretical and practical relevance of your results.
Highlighting Contributions to Knowledge
State how your dissertation adds new value or perspective to your field.
Suggesting Future Research Directions
Recommend what can be studied next.
Ending with a Strong Closing Statement
End with a concise, reflective sentence that wraps up the dissertation.
How to Write Conclusion for Dissertation?
Finally, we’ve come to the point of learning how to conclude a dissertation. Follow these five strategic steps to craft a conclusion that is clear, cohesive, and can potentially leave a lasting academic impact.
Step 1: Lead with Your Main Answer
Start by directly answering the core question that drove your entire dissertation. Don’t just repeat your results; rather, synthesise them into one clear, confident statement. Show that you have delivered on your initial promise.
How to do it well:
- Weave your findings together into a single, powerful takeaway.
- Rephrase your research question to sound fresh.
- Connect your answer back to the goals you set out at the beginning.
- State your findings with conviction.
Example:
This study demonstrates that emotional branding is far more effective than rational messaging in motivating millennial purchases
Step 2: Look Back on Your Research Process
Writing a conclusion for dissertation is your chance to be a thoughtful critic of your own work. Discuss your methodological choices and any unexpected circumstances you faced along the way. This way, you can show your audience you have grown as a researcher.
How to do it well:
- Explain why your chosen method was the right tool for the job.
- Share unexpected findings that turned out to be important.
- Discuss any limitations honestly, but focus on what you learned from them.
- Be fair and balanced in your self-assessment.
Example:
While the focus was on major consumer brands, the deep-dive interviews revealed that authenticity was even more critical than the emotional appeal itself, a nuance that broader surveys might have missed.
Step 3: Point the Way Forward
Your work doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Suggest how other researchers can build on what you have discovered. Frame these ideas as exciting opportunities that your work has now made possible.
How to do it well:
- Propose clear, specific questions for future projects.
- Explain how your findings could be applied in real-world settings.
- Use suggestive language like “could” or “might” instead of definitive “musts.”
- Make sure your suggestions add to your credibility, rather than undermine it.
Example:
Future research could explore how these principles of emotional branding translate to marketing aimed at Gen Z, or how to effectively measure emotional connection beyond purchase data.
Step 4: State Why Your Work Matters
Be clear about what you’ve contributed to your field. Go back to the gap in the literature review you identified earlier and explain how your research has filled it.
How to do it well:
- Remind the reader of the specific knowledge gap your work addresses.
- Explain how your findings fit into, challenge, or expand existing theories on the grounds of your problem statement.
- Highlight what was new or innovative about your approach.
- Don’t be shy; state the significance of your work with confidence.
Example:
This dissertation provides concrete evidence that shifts the marketing paradigm, proving that building a genuine emotional connection with millennials is a more powerful driver of loyalty than traditional feature-based advertising.
Step 5: End with a Strong, Final Thought
Leave your reader with a single sentence that captures the heart of your work. It should feel complete, but also stick with them after they have finished reading.
How to do it well:
- Connect your specific findings to the bigger picture of your field.
- Use thoughtful, resonant language without being overly technical.
- Do not introduce any new arguments or data.
- Create a sense of closure, while leaving room for the conversation to continue.
Example:
For brands seeking to thrive in the modern marketplace, speaking to the heart has proven to be far more effective than just speaking to the head.
Dissertation Conclusion Example
Having seen the steps on how to write a conclusion dissertation, let’s now try to understand how they apply in context with the help of an actual conclusion dissertation example.
Dissertation Conclusion Example
This dissertation demonstrates that soil type is a decisive factor in seed germination success. The investigation conclusively found that loam soil provides the optimal conditions for both the speed and final germination rate of Arabidopsis thaliana, due to its superior balance of water retention and drainage.
A key, unexpected finding was the significant root elongation observed in sandy soils. This suggests plants may activate adaptive survival mechanisms in sub-optimal conditions, a nuance that merits further exploration. The study’s controlled environment, while a limitation for direct field application, successfully isolated the specific effects of soil texture.
Future work could expand these findings to agriculturally vital crops and investigate the genetic triggers of the observed root response. This research ultimately provides a clearer, evidence-based framework for selecting soils in horticulture and conservation and underscores that the path to a sustainable future begins with understanding the very ground beneath our feet.
Expert Tips on How to Write a Strong Conclusion for a Dissertation
Use these dissertation conclusion tips to craft a compelling ending to your paper.
Be Concise:
Edit rigorously for brevity. Your discussion and conclusion dissertation should be a powerful summary rather than a lengthy rehashing of every detail.
Claim Contributions Modestly:
Confidently state your research papers’ importance, but avoid exaggeration. Ground your claims directly in your evidence, citing relevant journal articles where applicable.
Use Accessible Language:
Write for an intelligent non-specialist. Use clear, simple terms, as you’ve seen in our dissertation conclusion template, to ensure your findings are understood by all.
Synthesise, Don’t Summarise:
Answer your research question directly. You can easily achieve that by weaving your key findings into one cohesive, definitive takeaway statement for the reader to go with.
Guide Future Research:
Suggest specific, logical research paths that future researchers can build upon your work. Presenting clear opportunities for future research can signal that your efforts have practical relevance.
End Memorably:
Craft one strong, final sentence that provides closure and underscores your work’s lasting significance. Ensure it leaves a clear impression of your key findings and their broader impact.
How To Organise Sentences in Your Conclusion of a Dissertation – A Standard Approach
Here is a standard sentence organisation pattern you can use for your dissertation or thesis for universities across all subjects and disciplines.
- This research was designed to explore…
- The evidence gathered establishes that…
- A central finding that emerged is that…
- These results have meaningful implications for…
- The primary contribution of this work is…
- Collectively, the findings demonstrate that…
- This work provides a new perspective on…
- To build upon this foundation, future studies should…
- This dissertation addresses a pivotal gap in the literature by…
- In summary, this research affirms that…
Conclusion
Congratulations! You are now equipped to craft a powerful dissertation conclusion! Remember, a strong conclusion makes your research resonate. We would love to hear your thoughts; what part of writing a conclusion for a dissertation do you find most challenging? If you’re feeling stuck, don’t hesitate to reach out; we’re here to help you succeed in your dissertation writing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How does the dissertation discussion differ from the dissertation conclusion?
How does the dissertation discussion differ from the dissertation conclusion?
The dissertation discussion is a section where you discuss and interpret your specific findings in depth. On the other hand, the conclusion for a dissertation is where you synthesise those insights to answer your core research question and state your work’s broader significance.
Is it okay to add any new arguments in the dissertation conclusion?
No. Adding any new idea or argument which you haven’t covered in the dissertation body is strictly not okay and should be avoided by all means. It defeats the whole purpose of the dissertation conclusion.
