The conclusion is the last chapter you write and the first one a tired examiner reads closely. By that point they have waded through your literature review, your methodology, and sixty pages of findings. The conclusion is where they decide, almost unconsciously, what grade this dissertation deserves — it is the chapter that turns a pile of analysis into an argument.
Most students write it exhausted, out of time, and sick of their own topic. The result is usually a rushed summary that repeats the findings chapter, or a vague ramble that introduces new ideas three pages before the end. This guide gives you the structure that works, the mistakes that cost marks, and concrete examples of weak versus strong concluding paragraphs.
What the Conclusion Is Actually For
Think of your dissertation as a conversation with your examiner. Your introduction made a promise, your literature review mapped the field, your methodology chapter explained how you investigated, and your findings presented what you discovered.
It has four jobs:
- Remind the reader what you set out to do.
- State what you found — the answers, not the raw data.
- Argue why those answers matter — your contribution to knowledge.
- Point forward — what remains unresolved, and who should pick it up.
Everything in the chapter should serve one of those four purposes. If a paragraph does not remind, state, argue, or point forward, cut it.
How Long Should a Dissertation Conclusion Be?
Aim for about 5 to 10 percent of the total word count:
- Undergraduate dissertation (10,000 words): roughly 500 to 800 words.
- Master’s dissertation (15,000 words): roughly 800 to 1,500 words.
- PhD thesis (80,000 words): the conclusion is often a full chapter of 3,000 to 5,000 words, sometimes combined with the discussion.
Shorter is safer than longer. Examiners forgive a tight 600-word conclusion; they do not forgive a 2,500-word one that belongs in the discussion chapter. Check your department handbook first — some programmes specify the length, and some want discussion and conclusion merged. Follow their template when the two disagree.
A Structure That Works, Section by Section
The seven sections below form a template you can follow almost verbatim.
1. Restate your aims — briefly
Open with one or two sentences reminding the reader what the dissertation investigated — restated with the confidence of someone who has answered the question, not copied from the introduction.
For example: “This dissertation set out to investigate how shift-working nurses in NHS hospitals experience workplace wellbeing support, and whether current provision meets their needs.” That is all. Move on.
2. Summarise your key findings
Give the headline results — the three or four findings that actually answer your research questions. This is a synthesis, not a repeat of the findings chapter. If your findings chapter was twenty pages, this section is three paragraphs. Lead with the most important result, not the first one you happened to analyse.
Your examiner should be able to describe your results to a colleague from this section alone.
3. Answer each research question directly
This is the section students skip, and the one examiners miss most. Go back to the research questions from your introduction and answer each one explicitly, in order, using the same wording so the examiner can match question to answer without effort.
If a question could not be fully answered, say so and explain why — an honestly qualified answer beats a confident invented one.
4. State your contribution: why it matters
Here is where you earn the higher grades. Answer the “so what?” question directly: what does your study add that was not there before? Your contribution might be:
- Empirical: new data on an under-researched group or context.
- Theoretical: an extension, challenge, or refinement of an existing framework.
- Methodological: a novel application of a method, or evidence that a method travels well (or badly) to a new setting.
- Practical: recommendations that could change policy or practice.
You do not need all four. One genuine contribution, stated plainly, is worth more than four inflated ones. “This study provides the first interview-based account of X in context Y” is a perfectly respectable contribution at undergraduate level.
5. Acknowledge the limitations honestly
Every study has limits, and the conclusion is where you name them — briefly, without apologising. Sample size, single location, self-reported data: pick the two or three that genuinely bound your claims, explain how, and stop. A limitations section that reads like a confession undermines the confidence you just built.
Never write “Due to time constraints, this study could only…” — name the limitation, not the excuse.
6. Recommendations and future research
Separate what your study can say from what it cannot, then point at the gap. Practical recommendations (for policymakers, practitioners, organisations) come first, grounded in your findings — never recommend what your data does not support. Then suggest two or three directions for future research: the questions your study raised but could not answer, the populations it did not reach.
Keep this concrete. “Future research should explore this topic further” says nothing. “Future research could test whether these patterns hold in private-sector hospitals, where shift structures differ” says something.
7. A short, confident closing
End with one or two sentences stating the significance of the work — the thing you want the examiner to remember as they reach for the marking form.
What to Leave Out
The conclusion is a small chapter, and some things do not belong in it at all.
New evidence or citations. If you are introducing a source the examiner has not seen before, you are still arguing — and arguing belongs in the main chapters. The UNC Writing Center’s guide to conclusions makes the same point: conclusions should not include evidence or statistics that belong in the body of the paper.
A copy of your introduction. The conclusion should echo the introduction, not duplicate it. If the examiner can line the two up paragraph by paragraph, you summarised when you should have synthesised.
Apologies and weak language. “This small study attempted to…” undermines you before the final mark is decided. You did the work; state what it shows. Confidence is clarity about what you found and what it means — not arrogance.
Overclaiming. The mirror image of apologising. If your study surveyed 60 students at one university, it does not “prove” anything about students everywhere. Keep your claims inside the fence your methodology built.
New terminology or concepts. If a term needs defining, it arrived too late. The conclusion uses only language the dissertation has already established.
Weak vs Strong: A Before-and-After Example
The weak version below is typical of first drafts written at 2 a.m.:
Before (weak):
In conclusion, this dissertation looked at social media use among teenagers and mental health. The results showed that there are some links between heavy social media use and anxiety, although more research is needed. This study had some limitations, such as a small sample size, but it is hoped that the findings will be useful. Future research should look into this topic more.
Now the same content, rewritten:
After (strong):
This dissertation investigated the relationship between social media use and anxiety among 14- to 16-year-olds, addressing a gap in the literature around evening usage patterns. The findings show a consistent association between social media use after 10 p.m. and elevated anxiety scores, with interview data suggesting that fear of missing overnight conversations is the driving mechanism. These results extend current understanding by identifying when usage matters, not just how much, and they suggest a practical step: school wellbeing programmes should address evening routines rather than total screen time. The study is limited by its single-school sample and self-reported measures; future research should test these patterns across diverse settings and combine surveys with device-logged usage. Taken together, the findings show that the timing of adolescent social media use is a distinct and actionable factor in youth mental health.
Same study, same honest limitations — but the strong version names its findings, states its contribution, and ends with a claim the examiner can remember.
A Final Checklist Before You Submit
- Every research question from your introduction is answered explicitly.
- The contribution — what your study adds — is stated in plain language.
- Limitations are acknowledged briefly, without apology.
- Recommendations follow from your findings, not from general opinion.
- No new evidence, citations, or terminology appear.
- The chapter reads as a synthesis, not a summary of the findings chapter.
- Past tense for what you did and found; present tense for what it means.
- It is 5 to 10 percent of the total word count, not more.
For broader writing conventions — tense, voice, citation mechanics — Purdue OWL remains the most reliable free reference.
The conclusion is short, but it carries disproportionate weight — it is the last impression your examiner takes into the marking meeting. Give it the same care you gave your literature review, even if you write it last. A clear, confident conclusion can lift a good dissertation into a higher grade band; a rushed one can drag a strong study down.
If your conclusion is fighting you — or your draft reads like the “before” example — The Pen Master can help. Our editors review dissertation chapters for structure, clarity, and argument, with concrete chapter-level feedback. Message us on WhatsApp at +49 1521 3962850 or send your draft through the contact form on our website, and we will take a look.