Write your thesis again. Don't restate it word for word, however: Present the same concept, but in a different way. Use different phrases or words to explain the idea, or provide a brief discussion of the argument as a whole.
Summarize the main points of your paper. Again, don't just restate these thoughts the same way you wrote them in the body of the paper; instead, describe them again--briefly--to remind readers why your argument has merit and why they should believe your thesis.
Connect your conclusion to the paper as a whole in a new way. This helps you write an interesting conclusive paragraph or section rather than a boring, cut-and-dried repetition of everything you already said. Although the conclusion should summarize the main idea that you developed throughout the paper, it should also help the reader remember and appreciate that idea. To accomplish this, incorporate a quotation, connect your ideas to a current, real-life example or present your conclusion from a different perspective.
Discuss why your conclusion matters, advises UniLearning at the University of Wollongong. Explain how the issue affects the world, how your ideas about the topic apply to life in a broader way or how your findings provide meaningful insight or ultimately lead to greater truths. Most academic essays focus on very narrow perspectives; use the conclusion to convince your readers that this small aspect of a subject is worth consideration, study and concern.
Explain the broader implications of your conclusion. This goes beyond explaining the theoretical significance of your issue and extends to providing practical suggestions. Describe what will or should happen because of the truth your paper presented. Tell your readers what people can do about the issue or assess how the issue will influence the future.
End with a sentence that inspires, rouses or worries your readers so that they will remember your argument and why it matters. To impact their attention and memory in this way, the Purdue Online Writing Lab suggests presenting a "call to action" that specifically challenges readers to act in a certain way, rather than describing what can be done in general, as discussed in the previous step. Ask a question that provokes your readers to examine their own ideas and to keep pondering your argument as they reach their own conclusions that they genuinely believe.