Many authors start the conclusion by restating the thesis, but you can put your thesis anywhere in the conclusion—the first phrase of the paragraph, the last sentence, or somewhere in between.
As with any other part of the essay, the goal of the conclusion is to summarize and expand on the main ideas introduced in the argument. The conclusion should be concise yet comprehensive. It should not only answer the question posed at the beginning of the essay but also preview what will happen in the next section of the paper (or in future essays). At the same time, it should not feel like a repeat of the introduction.
As you write your conclusion, keep in mind that readers want to know how you plan to support your argument and what impact your idea has on them. Therefore, your conclusion should provide information about both sides of the debate: why the topic is important and relevant today as well as possible solutions for the problem at hand.
The conclusion paragraph should restate your thesis, review the primary supporting concepts covered throughout the paper, and provide your last thoughts on the fundamental issue. This last summary should also include the story's moral or a revelation of a deeper reality. For example: "Through this analysis, it can be seen that money is only valuable because we believe it to be worth something. This understanding leads us to ask: What is value? And through investigation, it turns out that all things are interconnected in an infinite universe. Our quest has thus come to an end."
In addition to summarizing the paper, the conclusion should also preview what will be covered in future papers from this research project. For example, if one were writing about monetary systems around the world, then one would want to include a sentence mentioning future studies regarding other currencies such as the yen or euro.
Finally, the conclusion should recapitulate the main ideas or insights derived from the study.
These ideas may seem obvious now but they're important to remember when writing your conclusion. It is the final sentence of your paper so it should bring everything previous in the essay together in a way that makes sense to the reader.
It is also important not to make any assumptions about your audience's knowledge base or experience.
The purpose of a conclusion
In essence, you restate your thesis in conclusion to demonstrate to your audience that the body of the paper or essay has demonstrated the major argument while correctly winding up your work. This section should focus on addressing all aspects of the thesis and demonstrating that your article or essay was a success. Generally, you begin this section by acknowledging the topic of your paper and then simply repeating back the main idea or question that you introduced at the beginning of your paper.
For example, if your original thesis was "Eating food with added sugar is bad for your health," then the restated version would be "Eliminating food with added sugar from your diet is the best way to keep yourself healthy." Both versions of this conclusion make the same point but use different language to do so. The restated conclusion also gives credit to the reader for understanding the main idea without being told directly. In other words, it shows that you know how important it is for students to understand their professors' thoughts even when those ideas are implied rather than stated outright.
The restated conclusion is only one part of the essay but it is often the most difficult to write. You need to be able to summarize your entire paper in a concise manner using only these few sentences. If you fail to do so, then your essay will not read as a whole and your professor will not be able to tell what you think about the topic nor will he know if you have properly concluded your argument.
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