Info: Here you can find an overview of the overall structure of a Social Science paper.

The final chapter of the paper contains a summary of the main statements of the work and possible conclusions derived from them. For a conclusion, you take up the research question, answer it in a summarized way, and provide a final evaluation. You can also comment on the hypotheses you formulated at the beginning of your paper.

What belongs in a conclusion?

• Recommendations for practice
• Placing the problem in a larger context
• Personal conclusions, if they are meaningful for the type of paper
• If applicable, an outlook on research gaps arising from your own scientific work
• Summarized answers to the questions posed in the introduction

The title of the final chapter corresponds to the content points you address and is therefore, for example, “Summary and Conclusion,” “Recommendations for Practice,” or “Outlook.”

A good conclusion is short and written neutrally despite evaluation.

What does not belong in a conclusion?

• You do not address new content aspects in the final chapter.
• In the final chapter, you do not present your personal opinion (based on gut feeling) but your justified evaluation, which is based on previous presentations and your conclusions. If applicable, you may also provide recommendations for action.

The conclusion is a mandatory part of the structure of a scientific paper.

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The Bibliography in the Social Sciences

Info: Here you can find an overview of the overall structure of a Social Sciences paper. General regulations The bibliography contains the complete bibliographic details of the sources cited in the text. The types of sources are not separated; instead, all sources are listed alphabetically in a single list. If you are unsure about the …

• citation
• citing
• directory
• index
• paraphrasing
• Quotation
• quotes
• references
• sources

Faculties: SW

• Citing & Layout

Contributors: Carola Gröhlich, Susanne Heidenreich, Maria Noll, Erika von Rautenfeld, Schreibzentrum, Dzifa Vode

The Appendix of a Social Science Paper

Info: Here you can find an overview of the overall structure of a Social Science paper. The appendix contains unwieldy text parts that complement and document the statements in the main text. The main text must be understandable without the appendix. The appendix is titled “Appendix”, does not receive an order number, and has its …

• attachments
• collections
• documents
• extensive data
• supplements

Faculties: SW

• Genres & Structures

Contributors: Carola Gröhlich, Susanne Heidenreich, Maria Noll, Erika von Rautenfeld, Schreibzentrum, Dzifa Vode

This article was published in August 2025 and last updated in April 2025.