Crafting A Geography Dissertation Conclusion: Helpful Advice
As part of your requirement towards receiving your master’s degree or PhD in geography you will have to complete a dissertation. It’s long been understood that the completion of this project is the most effective way of gauging one’s ability to develop and organize original thoughts and ideas on a particular topic within this field. One of the most difficult parts of the dissertation to write is the conclusion, so we’ve come up with some advice to help you write a really good ending:
- Be Sure to Address the Major Themes
- Be Precise with Your Summary and Synthesis
- Don’t Introduce Anything New at this Point
- Put Your Research into a Larger Context
- Leave the Reader with a Lasting Impression
The final paragraphs of your dissertation should be filled addressing the major themes discussed in the main portion of your work. The ending should concern itself with wrapping up whatever topic you have explored and point to whether or not you have succeeded in proving your original argument or hypothesis.
You shouldn’t approach your conclusion, or any other part of your project, with the intent of providing lengthy and unnecessary material. When you summarize and synthesize the information you should be clear and direct. Rewrite your content in different words but make sure you aren’t simply adding content that is superfluous.
One of the biggest mistakes that students make when they reach the final portion of the dissertation is introduce new content. New material will detract from your writing and will confuse the reader. It’s usually a sign of poor composition abilities and will certainly cost you a few points off of your final grade. Avoid this mistake in its entirety and stick with revisiting content you have already discussed in full.
Your research should contribute to the discipline and put your thoughts and ideas into some larger context. Briefly discuss the usefulness and meaningfulness of your work and what it means in terms of future study conducted either by you or by other researchers within the area. Don’t worry about sounding overly confident. You have accomplished a difficult task, possibly the largest of your academic career, so it’s okay to validate your knowledge and expertise by stating exactly how your work is important.
One of the most important things you should aim to accomplish with a well-crafted conclusion is leave the reader with a positive and lasting impression of your work. The best method is to give the reader something to contemplate on well after he or she has put down your writing. Consider a thought provoking question or a call to action.