PROBLEM SOLVING TEACHING SERVICES
STUDY AIDS ELEVEN:
CONCLUSIONS
|
Contents |
Section One:
Core Concept
Section Two: Types Of Conclusion
Section Three: Characteristics Of Good Conclusions
Section Four: Improving Conclusions
Section Five: Addenda
Section Six: Appendices
Section Seven: Footnotes
Section Eight: Bibliographies
Section Nine: Overall Structure Of Bibliographies
Section Ten: Concluding Comments
Appendix One: An Overview of Effective Essay Structure
|
Aims
|
Having completed this document, the student should be in a position to end any written work in a competent manner. In particular, he/she should be able to:-
1. Know What Type Of Conclusion To Write.
2. Write Clear Conclusions Related To The Rest Of The Assignment.
3. Draw Up Well-Structured 'Addendum'.
4. See The Purpose Of Appendices And Footnotes.
5. Design Useful Bibliographies.
6. Categorise The Varying Types Of 'Sources' That Go Into A Bibliography.
7. Leave A Good Impression At The End Of The Given Assignment.
|
Section
One:
|
Conclusions represent the final portion of a written assignment. They should always serve to bring any piece of written work to an effective close. They consist, almost always, of a written statement of opinion.
|
Section
Two: |
The various types of conclusion are:-
2.1 The Affirmative Type - Here, The Conclusion Is In Agreement With The Main Points Put Forward In The Question Or Title.
2.2 The Contentious Type - Here, The Conclusion Disagrees With The Main Point Put Forward In The Question Or Title.
2.3 The Mixed Type - Here, The Conclusion Agrees With Some, But Not All Aspects Of The Question.
2.4 The Tentative Type - Here, The Conclusion Can Neither Agree Nor Disagree With The Points Put Forward In The Question.
In relation to all types of conclusion, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO GIVE BRIEF REASONS for using a particular one. For instance, if, at the end of an essay the writer is unable to firmly decide who murdered the princes in the Tower, he (or she) is then obliged to say WHY this is so.
|
Section Three: Characteristics of Good Conclusions |
A good conclusion:-
3.1 Relates To The Title And To What’s Been Said Before.
3.2 Briefly Sums Up The Available Evidence.
3.3 Conveys A Clear Sense Of Having Reached A Definite Ending.
3.4 Engages The Reader’s Attention By Giving The Impression That They Alone Are Being Addressed.
3.5 Is Short And Succinctly Written.
3.6 Matches, But Does NOT Repeat The Introduction Or Main Body "Ad Verbatim".
3.7 Provokes Thought And Even Controversy.
3.8 Reveals Areas Where
Further Research May Be Needed.
3.9 Terminates With A Good Short Finishing Sentence To Close Matters On A Definite Note.
3.10 A good conclusion totally avoids:-
3.10.1 Launching Into A Wild Diatribe Over An Issue.
3.10.2 Meandering Aimlessly To A Close.
3.10.3 Repeating In Detail What’s Been Said In The Main Body.
3.10.4 Suddenly Introducing A Completely New Subject.
|
Section
Four: |
In order to improve conclusions, please note that:-
4.1 A brief justification is especially important when giving a tentative conclusion. Such justification should help prevent the examiner from thinking, "Why..." did they do this assignment (or question) if they couldn’t give a definite answer?"
4.2 A well reasoned contentious conclusion is apt to score higher marks than a partially reasoned affirmative one. (The examiner is not usually looking for "yes men").
4.3 Dogmatically asserting something is not the same as giving a reasoned conclusion.
4.4 Mixed and tentative conclusions are usually more suitable for the higher reaches of education, as they require more complex justification.
|
Section Five: Addenda |
Addenda act to give supporting evidence to ideas when they have been put forward in the main body of a written assignment. They include such things as:-
5.1 Abstracts.
5.2 Acknowledgements.
5.3 Appendices.
5.4 Bibliographies.
5.5 Charts And Tables.
5.6 Descriptions Of Procedures
5.7 Diagrams.
5.8 Executive Summaries.
5.9 Glossaries - Which Are Short Explanations Of Key Terms
5.10 Graphs And Other Visual Material
5.11 Indexes - These Can Be In:-
5.11.1 Name
Order- E.g. Jones A. 89, 146, 185
Jones
B. 3, 14, 17
Karl C. 140, 150, 161, 178, 179
5.11.2 Reference
Order- E.g. Genesis 3.16, 50, 12
Exodus 20.1
Leviticus 17.11
5.11.3 Subject
Order- E.g. Meaning 166-167. 189
Messiah
467-468, 516,541,612. 777
Midrash 3-4. 16-19. 20-21
Indexes Are Usually Placed After Bibliographies
Addenda Are To Be Found Most Commonly In Academic Works.
|
Section Six:
Appendices |
Appendices serve to:-
6.1 Include Any Material Mistakenly Omitted In The Main Body Of The Essay.
6.2 Insert Any Last-Minute Developments, e.g. A New Research Finding.
6.3 Give Room To Interesting Digression, Or Descriptions Of Procedure.
6.4 Present Diagrams And Statistical Information.
6.5 Provide Additional Information, Either To Amplify Or To Further Qualify The Main Argument.
|
Section Seven: Footnotes |
Although shorter than appendices, footnotes also include that EXTRA information which, if used in the main body of the assignment, could have disrupted it's flow. While often sharing the same function as an appendix, footnotes also tend to:
7.1 Give Specific Source References.
7.2 Leave Room For Personal Comments That Would Have Been Unacceptable Elsewhere In An Assignment.
7.3 Qualify Or Correct Any Misleading Material.
Footnotes can either come at the bottom of the page in which they are marked, or in a separate section following the conclusion of a written piece of work. They can be denoted by an asterisk (*) or number (1), or a small letter (a). Usually asterisks are only used if the footnotes are few in number and placed at the bottom of the relevant page. An overuse of asterisks can be distracting to the reader. Sometimes footnotes can come at the end of individual chapters, rather than at the end of a whole book.
|
Section Eight: Bibliographies |
Ideally, all bibliographies should be presented in the following manner:-
8.1 Begin With An Author’s Surname.
8.2 Record Their Initials.
8.3 The Name And Initial Of Any Co-Authors.
8.4 Insert The Main Title And Any Sub-Title Of A Work.
8.5 Name The Publisher.
8.6 Insert The Date Of Publication.
8.7 Record Any [ ISBN ] Or [ Library Reference] Numbers.
All the above information should be well spaced and clearly visible to the reader.
|
Section Nine: Overall
Structure of Bibliographies |
Long bibliographies can be divided into:-
9.1 Book lists.
9.2 Research Papers.
9.3 Other Written Documents.
9.4 Media Sources e.g. Newspapers, Radio And Television.
9.5 Other Information Sources e.g. Personal Interviews.
Also, primary sources should be clearly distinguished from secondary sources. In effect, this means that the names of contributors to a survey should not be set alongside the names of text book authors, unless they are one and the same person. If named at all, they should be placed in a separate section. Furthermore, it would be wise to remember that, for non-exam essays, a bibliography is NOT an optional extra, students are penalised for not having one. Consequently, they really do need to know just how bibliographies are devised. Here, looking up the bibliographies of books in their own subject could be of help. At the very least, a good bibliography can help refute any charge of plagiarism.
|
Section Ten: Concluding
Comments |
Good conclusions and helpful addenda help to bring about an effective essay structure, whose salient characteristics are illustrated in Appendix One.
|
An Overview of Effective Essay Structure |
Those essays and written assignments which prove to be the most meaningful and effective often contain:-
1. Introductions, Which Serve To Inform The Reader Of. A Contents Page, A Glossary Of Key Terms, An Opening Summary:-
1.1 The Time Period Being Covered.
1.2 A Reiteration Of The Question, Of Which An Answer Would Be Attempted In The Main Body Of The Essay.
1.3 A Statement Of The Case About To Be Presented.
1.4 An Interesting Hypothesis Which Will Be Tested And Reported Upon.
1.5 An Interesting Quote, Given In Order To Convey Ideas Then Requiring Further Discussion In The Main Body Of The Essay.
1.6 An Outline Of Reasons For A Particular Focus Or Viewpoint.
2. A Main Body, Wherein:-
2.1 Any Irrelevancies Are Quickly Discarded.
2.2 Appropriate "Weighting" Is Given To The Main Points.
2.3 Arguments Are Discussed In A Logical Manner.
2.4 Different Parts Are Linked Together In A Definite Order.
2.5 Full Explanations (Where Possible) (To Answer The Question Posed) Are Offered.
2.6 Main Topics Are Confined To One Paragraph Each.
2.7 Paragraphs Are Divided Into Opening Topic Sentences, Key Discussion Sentences And Closing Sentences.
3. Conclusions, Which Are Able To:-
3.1 Avoid Abrupt Or Meandering Endings.
3.2 Come To A Definite Opinion, (Or At Least Justify A Tentative One).
3.3 Draw Together And Sum Up The Main Points.
3.4 Give Definite, Practical Recommendations.
3.5 Link
Naturally Back To The Introduction
3.6 Suggest Innovative Ideas Or Point Out Areas Where Further Research Is Needed.
4. Structured Addendum, Which May Include:-
4.1 Appendices
4.2 Bibliographies
4.3 Footnotes
4.4 Indexes
(For Long Essays, Dissertations And Reports Only)
Glossaries and summaries are increasingly being placed at the beginning, rather than at the end of a written piece of work. Especially in the Business Studies area there is a growing demand for executive summaries to come Before any introductory comments.