project findings and recommendations report

Just as you should avoid too much self-criticism, you should also avoid exaggerating the applicability of your research. Your work should stand alone on its own merits. Relatedly, while future studies might confirm, build on, or enrich your conclusions, they shouldn’t be required for your argument to feel complete. When making recommendations for further research, be sure not to undermine your own work. Further research is needed to determine the causes of/effects of/relationship between ….To better understand the implications of these results, future studies could address ….Based on these conclusions, practitioners should consider ….You may already have made a few recommendations for future research in your discussion section, but the conclusion is a good place to elaborate and look ahead, considering the implications of your findings in both theoretical and practical terms. This research clearly illustrates x, but it also raises the question of y.While x limits the generalizability of the results, this approach provides new insight into y.Don’t dwell on them at length, though-focus on the positives of your work. You can also mention any limitations of your research, but only if you haven’t already included these in the discussion. Consider mentioning the effectiveness of your methodology, or perhaps any new questions or unexpected insights that arose in the process.

To avoid repetition, consider writing more reflectively here, rather than just writing a summary of each preceding section. Your conclusion is an opportunity to remind your reader why you took the approach you did, what you expected to find, and how well the results matched your expectations. Step 2: Summarize and reflect on your research To avoid repeating yourself, it is helpful to reformulate your aims and questions into an overall statement of what you did and how you did it. In the second example, the research aim is not directly restated, but rather added implicitly to the statement. The results indicate that potential donors are more receptive to images portraying a large social distance and a small temporal distance.Ī case study–based thesis or dissertation conclusion may begin like this: Example: Humanities researchBy analyzing changing representations of migration and UK border policy in the past ten years, this thesis has shown how media discourse can directly and indirectly shape political decision-making. Based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of donation intention in response to campaign materials, it can be concluded that social distance and temporal distance are important factors to consider when designing and targeting campaigns. Do synthesize them into a final takeaway that the reader will remember.Īn empirical thesis or dissertation conclusion may begin like this: Example: Empirical researchThis research aimed to identify effective fundraising strategies for environmental nonprofit organizations.Don’t repeat a list of all the results that you already discussed.This is your final chance to show that you’ve done what you set out to do, so make sure to formulate a clear, concise answer. Your conclusion should begin with the main question that your thesis or dissertation aimed to address. A humanities dissertation topic or systematic review, on the other hand, might require more space to conclude its analysis, tying all the previous sections together in an overall argument.ĭiscover proofreading & editing Step 1: Answer your research question Generally, a conclusion should make up around 5–7% of your overall word count.Īn empirical scientific study will often have a short conclusion, concisely stating the main findings and recommendations for future research. How long should your conclusion be?ĭepending on whether you are writing a thesis or dissertation, your length will vary. However, in a thesis or dissertation, it’s common practice to include a final chapter that wraps up your research and gives the reader a final impression of your work, separate from your discussion section. This is especially the case in shorter research papers and journal articles. NoteSometimes, discussion sections are combined with conclusions. Instead of repeating literature from your literature review, discussing specific research results, or interpreting your data in detail, concentrate on making broad statements that sum up the most important insights of your research.Īs a rule of thumb, your conclusion should not introduce new data, interpretations, or arguments. Your conclusion should be shorter and more general than your discussion. While your conclusion contains similar elements to your discussion section, they are not the same thing.

Project findings and recommendations report