Technical Writing Tips
General References
A helpful document can be found at
http://www.icsharpcode.net/TechNotes/TechnicalWriting20020325.pdf.
How to Write an Abstract (By Phil Koopman)
http://www.ece.cmu.edu/~koopman/essays/abstract.html
Tips for Writing a Strong Conclusion (By Barry W. Hamilton, Ph.D.)
Note: The original webpage of Dr. Hamilton can be found at
http://acc.roberts.edu/NEmployees/Hamilton_Barry/TIPS%20FOR%20WRITING%20A%20STRONG%20CONCLUSION.htm
- Bring out the significance of your research paper. Show how you've
brought closure to the research problem, and point out remaining gaps in
knowledge by suggesting issues for further research. Deal with issues at
the level of the whole paper rather than with issues at the level of a
paragraph.
- Make the significance brought out in the conclusion congruent with the
argument of your paper. Don't oversell or undersell the significance of
your paper. The conclusion can't reach any farther than the paper's main
argument. The conclusion is the place to put the final, proper
perspective on the paper as a whole.
- Bring closure to the entire paper, not only by summarizing the
arguments, but also by bringing out the significance of the paper. Avoid
using terms related to specific elements of the paper--look at the paper as
a whole and pull it all together in the conclusion. Take the thesis
statement from your introduction and demonstrate in your conclusion how
the paper as a whole has addressed the research problem.
- Make the conclusion sell a worthwhile paper to interested readers.
Exercise integrity in your conclusion--don't exaggerate the conclusion to
bring strength to a weak paper. There should be a strong correlation
between the arguments in your paper and your stated significance(s) in the
conclusion. In the case of a thesis or dissertation, readers will likely
turn first to the conclusion. Don't let your readers get motivated by
your conclusion to read the rest of the document--only to experience
disappointment.
- Use key terms, concepts and phrases from the introduction and body of
the paper--but don't just repeat them. Use them to bring out the new
insight gained from your research. The conclusion should provide more
than a flat-footed re-statement of the thesis statement articulated in the
introduction--it should take the entire paper a step ahead toward a new
level of insight on the research problem.
- Make the tone of the conclusion match the tone of the rest of the
paper. For most of your NES papers, keep the tone serious--omit jokes and
anecdotes from the conclusion. In the context of an academic argument,
humor is generally inappropriate and could seriously detract from your
paper's credibility.
- Write the conclusion at a level of specificity/generality that matches
the introduction. Don't use the conclusion to summarize the previous
paragraph--rather, pull the entire paper together and make its significance
clear. For a book, deal with the primary issues raised in the
introduction and in each of the chapters. A concluding chapter should
draw conclusions for each major issues raised in the document. For any
type of paper, don't overreach the conclusion--make statements that can be
fully supported by your evidence. The body of the paper should prime
readers for the conclusion--if the conclusion surprises them, readers may
distrust the reasoning of the entire paper.
- In a thesis or dissertation, it's usually customary to raise questions
or suggest areas for further research. If this is done in a 20-page
research paper, it's normally only a sentence or two--not even a paragraph.
At this point, the writer must keep moving toward closure.
- Don't introduce any new information into the conclusion. The
conclusion signals readers that the writer will point out the significance
of the paper at this point, and bring the entire paper to a clear and
definite end. Just as the minister should never introduce a new point in
the concluding remarks of a sermon, the writer should not introduce
another point in the conclusion. Expecting the end, readers will be
disappointed--or annoyed--to find yet more new information.
- Put your best writing skills into the conclusion, especially if you
are writing a thesis or dissertation. Never allow the first draft to
stand as the final product--revise the conclusion again and again until
its integrity is practically unassailable. Scholars
frequently read the conclusion of a thesis, dissertation or research
article first!
- Here are some helpful websites for writing conclusions:
http://www4.wju.edu/arc/handouts/intro_concl.pdf
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/conclusions.html