Guide to Writing Dissertation Conclusion

You’re on the home stretch. The final chapter. After the intense analysis of your Discussion chapter, writing the Conclusion can feel a bit like an afterthought. But here’s the secret: a weak conclusion can undo the hard work of your entire dissertation, while a powerful one leaves a lasting, positive impression on your marker.

This chapter is your last chance to answer the “so what?” question. It’s where you step back from the detailed findings and present the big picture of your research contribution. For a mixed-methods project, this is your moment to showcase how the powerful combination of numbers and narratives has led to a richer, more meaningful understanding of your topic.

Think of your dissertation as a journey. The Conclusion is the final destination where you unpack, reflect on the trip, and tell everyone what you discovered. Its core purpose is threefold:

1. To Consolidate: To provide a concise summary of your most important findings and how they answer your original research questions.

2. To Claim Contribution: To state clearly and confidently how your research has filled the gap you identified in your Literature Review.

3. To Close the Loop: To reflect on the process, acknowledge the limitations, and suggest where the research should go next.

Crucially, for a mixed-methods study, you must demonstrate how the integration of your quantitative and qualitative data was essential to achieving these goals.

The biggest mistake students make is writing a Conclusion that merely repeats what was in the Discussion chapter. Your marker has just read the Discussion; they don’t need a rehash.

Instead, your goal is synthesis. This means weaving the key threads from your entire dissertation into a new, higher-level understanding. You’re not saying “I found X and Y.” You’re saying, “Because I found X and Y together, we now understand Z in a new light.”

Following a clear structure will help you avoid the summary trap. Here’s a proven framework for what to include in a dissertation conclusion.

Start by briefly re-stating your research problem and your main research questions. This reminds the reader of the core purpose of your dissertation. Keep it to a few sentences. For example: “This research set out to explore the complex relationship between social media use and student wellbeing, asking not only ‘to what extent’ a correlation exists but also ‘how’ students experience this relationship in their daily lives.”

This is the heart of your chapter. Here, you answer your research questions by presenting the synthesised takeaways from your mixed-methods study. Don’t present quantitative and qualitative findings separately. Instead, state the integrated finding.

• Instead of: “My survey found a negative correlation. My interviews found students feel pressured.”

• Write: “The powerful synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data revealed that the negative correlation between social media use and wellbeing is primarily driven by a cycle of social comparison and anxiety. The survey data confirmed the statistical significance of the link, while the interview data illuminated the lived experience of this link, describing it as a constant, fatiguing pressure to measure up.”

Use this section to highlight where the mixed-methods approach was particularly valuable. Did the qualitative data explain a surprising statistical trend? Did the quantitative data show how widespread a qualitative experience was? This is your chance to showcase the strength of your methodology.

This is arguably the most important paragraph in your entire dissertation. You must explicitly state how your work has moved the conversation forward. Link back directly to the Literature Review.

• How to state your contribution: “This study contributes to knowledge in three key ways. Firstly, it confirms the findings of Smith (2020) but within a UK-specific context. Secondly, and more significantly, it provides a novel explanatory model for why this correlation exists, moving beyond simple association to underlying mechanism. Finally, it demonstrates the value of a mixed-methods approach in studying complex psychosocial phenomena, providing a template for future research.”

Be bold and specific. This is not the time to be modest.

No study is perfect. Briefly acknowledging the limitations of your research shows critical self-awareness and academic maturity. The key is to be strategic. Don’t just list weaknesses; frame them as boundaries to your study.

• Good: “The primary limitation of this study was its sample size of 100 students from a single university, which means the findings may not be fully generalisable to the wider student population.”

• Even better (Strategic): “The primary limitation was the sample size from a single university. While this limits generalisability, it allowed for a deeper, more contextualised analysis, which was central to the qualitative arm of this research. Future studies could address this by employing a multi-institutional sampling strategy.”

This shows you understand the trade-offs involved in research design.

Based on your findings and limitations, what should happen next? This section has two parts:

• Practical Implications: If your research has real-world applications, state them. Who should care about your findings and what should they do? (e.g., “For university wellbeing services, these findings suggest a need for workshops that build resilience against social media comparison.”)

• Recommendations for Future Research: Offer specific, actionable suggestions for other researchers. What questions did your study open up? (e.g., “Future research could employ a longitudinal design to track how this relationship changes over a student’s degree. A further study could also focus specifically on the role of specific platforms like TikTok or Instagram.”)

This forward-looking perspective demonstrates that you see your work as part of an ongoing academic conversation.

• New Evidence or Quotes: The Conclusion is for discussion, not new data. All your evidence should have been presented in the Findings chapter.

• Long Quotes from Literature: You’ve already had that conversation in the Literature Review. Here, you are the expert speaking.

• Overly Apocalyptic Language: Avoid phrases like “This study proves beyond a doubt…” Science is about evidence, not absolute proof. Use confident but measured language like “strongly suggests,” “indicates,” or “provides compelling evidence for.”

• Have I synthesised my mixed-methods findings into higher-level takeaways, rather than just summarising?

• Have I explicitly and confidently stated my original contribution to knowledge?

• Have I clearly explained how using a mixed-methods approach led to a deeper understanding?

• Have I acknowledged limitations in a strategic, non-damaging way?

• Have I provided specific, useful recommendations for future research or practice?

• Does my conclusion provide a strong, satisfying sense of closure?

Writing your dissertation conclusion is your final act as a student researcher. It’s your opportunity to leave your marker with a powerful, lasting impression of a job not just completed, but mastered. By synthesising your findings and boldly claiming your contribution, you’ll end your dissertation on a high note that truly does justice to all your hard work.

 

Dr. Eleanor Evans is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and the Director of Undergraduate Dissertations at a leading UK university. She has over 15 years of experience helping students turn their ideas into successful research projects.