Allow students to summarize their papers briefly and recast the introduction and thesis. Direct them to use different words and language so that the conclusion does not read like an echo of what has been previously stated. Remind your students that this is their last chance to wrap up everything they wanted and needed to say in their papers.
Use a quotation that captures the essence of the paper and the problem or issue at hand. The best quotations are rich with meaning and give readers a thoughtful idea to ponder.
Conclude with a call to action, which should be sensible and logical but can also be risky and controversial. This can be a delicate balance. Although a call to action, by looking forward, is sometimes the best way to end a paper, the risk is writing a paragraph that takes the paper in a new direction.
Write a recommendation or warning if a call to action seems too risky. Either should be sensible and logical. Surprising a reader at the end of a paper with a quirky, irrelevant or ridiculous recommendation or warning will devalue the rest of the paper.
Create an air of hope or promise, or one of concern or worry. Many papers explore thorny issues that Americans continue to debate furiously, such as gay marriage, the death penalty or foreign wars, so a paper that addresses such topics should end on a note that complements the points made in the paper.
Do not let students take the easy way out and simply restate their introduction and thesis. This is the most inept method and demonstrates a writer's laziness and inability to craft a meaningful final statement.
Do not raise new issues, questions or points of contention in the final paragraph. Doing so might steer the paper off course and require more debate and explanation than a closing paragraph should reasonably be expected to provide.
Resist the urge to overreach and draw conclusions or make recommendations that are far-fetched or irrational.
Do not backtrack on statements made earlier in the paper. That will undermine the points made by the paper.