Technical Reports: Conclusions

Your report will end with sections devoted to your Conclusions & Recommendations. This page covers the Conclusions section, while the next page covers Recommendations.

There is a major difference between a Conclusion and Conclusions:

  • Conclusion: Provides formal closure to a document. Reiterates main points, sometimes looks to the future, and sometimes includes contact information for the sender or writer.
  • Conclusions: Summarizes what the sender or writer has drawn from their research or their consideration of the problem. Provides a detailed summary of your research findings -- an overall assessment of the problem or issue and a summary of the alternative courses of action you have studied, for example. This is what your report needs!

Setting Up This Section

  • This section should be set up in paragraph form. You can cover the bases in a single paragraph, as shown below, or you can try three well-developed paragraphs:
    • Paragraph 1: A brief intro to what the section will cover, something like “In this section, we will provide a summary of the conclusions we have drawn from our research into the problem of X.”
    • Paragraph 2: Summarize the problem, reiterating key evidence.
    • Paragraph 3: Summarize the possible solutions, including ones you intend to reject. CAUTION: Do not make any recommendations in this section.

Sample Conclusions Sections

In keeping with the practice of this module, this section provides the conclusions sections of the two reports.

Sample 1: Improving Accessibility in Selected Residence Halls: A Recommendation Report

After witnessing individuals with disabilities struggle and researching the problem, we feel as though one of the most important barriers to equality and inclusion that Virginia Tech faces is accessibility in the residential halls. We investigated six residential halls and documented at least one accessibility barrier present in each one, with six different accessibility barriers found in total (Table 1). We have researched the options and believe there are multiple solutions available to increase accessibility, with the most universal ones being adding ramps at all stairs and handicap push buttons at all doors.

 

Sample 2: Safe Construction on Campus: The Need for Better Signage and a Notification System

In conclusion, the construction projects on campus can cause significant disruptions to campus life for Students, Faculty, and Visitors.  Our team understands that the completion of these projects is essential to VT’s growth, however, during this construction safety should be a top priority.  There are extensive online resources provided by Virginia Tech, such as the interactive closure map, yet this information is often overlooked.  Students and faculty on campus often overlook this information because it is not delivered in a palatable way.