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Conclusions

The Conclusion sums up the outcome of the discussion. It never presents new information; it simply sums up the information that was presented already in the Discussions section the report. It also never suggests action or recommends changes. Again, it simply sums up what has already been presented in the report.

You should always be as brief as possible when writing the conclusion. Use the main points from the Discussion compartment to write it. In addition, write the primary conclusion first, then write any other conclusions in the order of their importance. You can also list the conclusions as a bulleted list, if there are a number of them.

After you write the conclusion, go back to the introduction. Make sure that everything you wrote about in the introduction is summed up in the conclusion. This is a good way to make sure your report served the purpose for which it was created. If there are points in the introduction that you didn't sum up in the conclusion, you know that you either left out information in the discussion, or haven't completely summarized the outcome of the discussion in your conclusion.

Recommendations

The Conclusions and Recommendations sections of your report should never be listed under the same heading – even though they are both part of the Outcome compartment. Always list your recommendations under their own heading. The recommendations you make in your report should:

  1. Be strong and let the audience know that action must be taken. Write, "I recommend" or "We recommend." Don't write, "It is recommended."

  2. Be written in the active voice.

  3. Follow your conclusions. They should also make sense, based on your conclusions.

  4. Be listed in the order of their importance – or in the chronological order that the actions should be taken.

  5. Be organized in a numbered or bulleted list, if more than several recommendations are made.



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