Read the specific instructions your teacher or professor gave for writing the research paper. Clarify any requirements they have set for the conclusion or style. Assignments may ask you to address or format your conclusion using a style that corresponds with the type of research paper you are writing. Examples of different types of research papers include: scientific research papers, literature reviews, and argument-based papers.
Scan your research paper and make a note of the overall message or topic your reader should get from the paper. A conclusion should wrap up your paper and give closure to your topic. It should be interesting and emphasize what was significant in the paper. Do not start any new thoughts or topic in this section; instead it should reiterate the point you want your reader to learn from your paper.
Read the last paragraph you wrote before the conclusion. Ideally, the conclusion should flow in a concise manner from the last paragraph, while making the reader aware of the transition to the paper's conclusion.
Address your argument, thesis, or hypothesis, and how it was supported in the paper's body. Do not restate points from the body of your paper. Instead, consider the reader enlightened on your topic when they are reading the conclusion and close your paper maintaining the tone you used in your introduction. Your introduction and conclusion, if read consecutively, should make sense and have a nice flow. Include why your paper is important and write in a general, discussion type of format. A conclusion should entice a reader and be attractive when read alone.
Ask a friend or peer to read your paper and give you suggestions for the conclusion. You can also ask someone else to read your conclusion and give you feedback. Feedback from someone else can be very useful in forming the conclusion. It is helpful to know what conclusion your reader has drawn from the paper, as your conclusion should reflect what your reader has concluded from your paper as well.