Coming to Grips With General Conclusion/ Concluding Chapter Dr. Bashar, Ahmed. Branch of English Studies Mohammed Kheidher University of Biskra

What is a General Conclusion/ Concluding Chapter? By definition GC is the sum of all conclusions. GC is a wrap up of ealier discussions, analyses, and information. GC is a fresh restatement of previous ‘’claims’’. GC calls for further action and/ or research. GC requires critical thinking (provision of concluding thoughts about the implications of the work) GC establishes a sense of completion. Concluding chapter must go beyond the thesis to reach a judgement, to express the writer’s approaval of one side of an issue, to discuss his findings, to offer directives ‘’ (Abdul Rahim 2005 : 7)

What are the general guidelines in writing GC? Restate your topic and why it is important, Restate your thesis/claim, Address opposing viewpoints and explain why readers should align with your position, Call for action or overview future research possibilities.

What is the Structure of the GC? Trzeciak and Mackay (1994) observe a number of useful "ingredients" that form part of a conclusion. ... it will not always be necessary or desirable to include all the elements they mention. However, you will probably want to use some of these in some combination, in order to conclude your work. A summary of the main part of the text (here research) A deduction made on the basis of the main body Your personal opinion on what has been discussed A statement about the limitations of the work A comment about the future based on what has been discussed The implications of the work for future research Important facts and figures not mentioned in the main body

What is the structure of GC? Pallant (2004) sees five basic ingredients of a conclusion as follows, though these will not always be used in the same conclusion.: A summary of the main points (being careful not to repeat exactly what you have written before) Concluding statements  Recommendations Predictions Solutions

What is the content of GC? The GC/conclusion chapter should include the following: A restatement of your subject, your thesis, hypothesis, or what can be called "the central mission" of your study. A presentation of your findings, a summary. Be careful to avoid making a chapter by chapter list of the contents of your main text. It should sound like a discussion. Discuss and interpret findings. Give answers. Draw inferences from your study and discuss the relevance of your data. Point to areas of further research. No doubt while you were researching your topic, in some areas, you found more questions than answers. Graceful exit. Make sure your ending has an ending. The final two or three paragraphs are as important as any others. You could talk about the overall significance of the study, of the subject in general, and how it is important to know about it, how it can "change the world", or maybe world view. Make the reader feel that it has been worth his or her time to read this paper and that the world will be a better place with you in it as an academic.

What to tell potential Readers? In a dissertation or thesis, it is more likely that you will have a section on the need for future research. In an MA or MSc dissertation you may like to suggest something that could be developed from your work as a PhD thesis. In a PhD thesis you may like to indicate some potential for post-doctoral work.

How long should GC be? It depends on the nature of the thesis: GC reflects the length of the thesis. Intuitively, GC could be in a: Master’s thesis: from 2% to 2.5% of the total thesis (viz., from 2 to 3 pages) Doctoral thesis: from 3.5% to 5% of the total thesis (from 10 to 15 pages)

What tense should be used in GC? Present tense seems to be the most favorite of academic circles (i.e., feeling ‘’recentness’’). Present Simple Present perfect Past tense (when and if necessary)

No-Do List No new, unrelated information No clichés ( e.g., as it has been demonstrated, reading is the most important skill). No superfluous repititions Opening with empty phrases (e.g., And therefore, ... + in conclusion) Stuffing (too much information in one paragraph) Failure to start with clear topic sentence (what is the paragraph about?) Failure to check coherence (of ideas) and cohesion (of sentences). Overuse of transition words (Thus, So, Hence, etc.). Avoid pompous personal opinions.

Thank You ever so much