A Writer's Handbook

Follows a formula, but is not redundant:

• Restatement of thesis or argument (NOT direct copy and paste of the original thesis)
• One sentence to sum up each body paragraph
• Final “clincher” sentence that reinforces point or call to action

Basically restates the basis of the entire paper. 

Example conclusion paragraph for essay:

     Jane’s struggle with how much time she spent with her work creates a lesson for many people in identifying habits as addictions.  Her struggle to maintain relationships with anyone close to her was an indicator that she was spending too much time obsessing over her job.  The continued strain on her mental health due to this addiction led Jane down a path she could not recover from; this path eventually led to her physical health failure.  Jane’s recovery from this silent addiction will be a long one, but her example can show others that even work can be an addiction and perhaps she can help lead others to see their habits before they succumb to them.

• All essays have a thesis point:  some essays are simply informational, some are entertaining, some are argumentative, some are analytical, and some are persuasive - several of these modes have some of the same characteristics in purpose, but the overall notion is the thesis will be the central sentence tying the purpose of the paper together
• Essay body paragraphs can be as numerous as they need to be to reflect on all the topics for the paper; do not let yourself get stuck in the “Five Paragraph Essay” rut
• Cohesion matters:  think of paragraphs and their relationship between each other and use transitions to illustrate that relationship
• Content matters:  there is nothing worse than an essay that skims the surface with generalities;  make specific points with specific and detailed information
• Grammar matters:  although a comma here or there is something that can be overlooked, sentence variety (a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences) with correct punctuation can save a paper
• Outlines help people that have trouble writing enough in an essay; remember surface level identification of topics does not help content, so create an outline with detailed topics and subtopics to help boost organization and content