The conclusion of a research study begins with a narrative summary of the entire study. The key here is that this is a summary; it is not overly detailed. The conclusion reiterates or paraphrases the research questions and hypotheses, reminds the reader of the methodology used, and restates the findings concentrating in the highlights of the study findings.

The section then presents conclusions. These are interpretations of the findings of the study and their potential significance. This section allows the researcher to interject opinion where appropriate so long as they are clearly separated from facts. The concluding remarks allow the researcher to discuss implications of the work and to form a logical argument surrounding the research questions and hypotheses. This is also a final opportunity to address any issues or questions resulting from conducting the study. These comments include noting negative results or failures produced by the study.

The conclusion section progresses to suggestions for further research. While completing the study, the researcher should identify questions that arise but are beyond the scope of the current study; these may become future research topics. The researcher should also identify limitations of the study and express that overcoming these limitations is a topic for further research. Additional gaps or tensions discovered while preparing the literature review may also be noted as possible topics for future research so long as they are at least loosely related to the topic at hand. The researcher may also suggest replying the study in a different context to potentially increase generalizability of the results.

Finally, a references section must be included. Regardless of which publication format is followed, every source directly identified in the study must be adequately referenced. This is an ethical responsibility of the researcher. A good rule of thumb is that if there is an in-text citation or footnote, there must be a reference, and vice versa. Also remember to include citation and reference information for charts and graphs that are based on data outside the study data. It is also important for the researcher to have the references and citations copy edited by a third party editor. The copy editor will check for correct and consistent formatting based on the publication format that is appropriate to the field of study.

A well-crafted conclusion of an empirical study will provide the reader with a good argument for the implications and applications of the research findings. Adequate references and citations will help the researcher avoid ethical controversy including accusations of plagiarism and will provide other researchers with initial resources to conduct further studies on related topics.