9 Conclusions, Introductions and Headings

Your conclusion has three parts.

• Summarize the paper.
• What’s the main lesson learned?
• What are the gaps or next steps?

After you’ve written the conclusion, write an introduction.

• What does the reader need to know to understand the paper?
• What’s the context or back story?
• What is your contention or claim?
• What can the reader expect in this paper?

While most educators frown upon personal statements of positionality to the topic, most qualitative researchers consider this statement essential. No research is without bias. If the bias is not acknowledged or stated, it is considered unethical. Similarly, your connection to the topic can sometimes lend credibility to the work.

Your headings should serve as street signs providing direction for the reader. One-word headings are often too short, but long sentences can lead to jumps in content.  Similarly, the formatting of headings is another area of common concern and for students a loss of marks.

APA Style offers a summary and illustration of the common heading structures in APA, which we’ve summarized below. The Purdue Online Writing Lab will have descriptions of heading styles for other citation formats.