How to Avoid Undermining the Conclusions of Your Research Paper

The end of a research paper is a powerful position. People remember the last thing you say, so you want your final words to be the most compelling.

Yet, at the end of scientific and medical papers, many researchers weaken the power of their study by undermining their conclusions. How? They end with phrases like:

More research is needed…

…has yet to be assessed.

Future work will…

…remains to be established.

You might be thinking that you need to use these phrases to recognize the limitations and outstanding questions of the work. And you do. But you can acknowledge the limitations and questions while also amplifying the significance of the conclusions.

The key is to use these phrases mindfully. If you are not intentional about how you use these (or similar) phrases in your writing, you will drain the persuasion from your paper. And if you are not intentional about how you use these phrases at the end of the paper, you will weaken the significance of your work in the most powerful position of the paper.

Let’s look at an example.

Example 1.1

Our data support the safety of using the drug to treat heart failure, although more research is needed to prove the efficacy of long-term treatments with this drug.

In this example, the sentence starts by stating the overall conclusion and significance of the work (the drug is safe). Then the sentence undermines that significance by saying that more work is needed to prove the efficacy of the drug. This order of information saps the compelling energy from the significance at the beginning of the sentence by shifting the reader’s focus to what the authors did not accomplish.

Fortunately, you can easily fix this problem to keep the significance at the forefront of your reader’s mind.

How? Reverse the order of information.

Readers remember endings, and that includes the information at the ends of sentences. If you describe the limitations at the beginning of the sentence and the conclusions at the end of the sentence, you will leave readers with the conclusions—and significance—of the work at the top of their mind.

To strengthen the sentence, we can reverse the order of information.

Example 1.2

Although additional clinical trials will need to test the efficacy of the drug, our data support that the drug is a safe treatment for heart failure.

This phrasing acknowledges the limitations by stating that more work is needed at the beginning of the sentence. And it puts more emphasis on the strengths by stating the significance of the work at the end of the sentence. This order of information leaves readers with the compelling statement of significance at the end of the paper.

Let’s look at another example.

Example 2.1

Although our findings support that the new intervention could improve the prognosis of women with breast cancer, the small sample size limits the generalizability of the study.

This example starts by stating the benefits of the new intervention, and then it undermines that value by stating the limitation of the sample size.

To recognize the limitation and amplify the significance, we can reverse the order of information.

Example 2.2

Although the small sample size limits the generalizability of the study, our findings support that the new intervention could improve the prognosis of women with breast cancer.

This phrasing acknowledges the limitation of the study and shifts the reader’s focus to the significance of the work.

Let’s look at one more example.

Example 3.1

In this study, we identified a mitochondrial stress signature that is an important hallmark of immune cell activation. Future work is needed to understand the mechanistic connection between mitochondrial stress and immune cell activation.

The first sentence states the compelling conclusion of what the authors accomplished (identified a signature). Then the second sentence states that more work is needed in a way that highlights what the authors have not accomplished (understanding the mechanism). This order focuses reader’s attention on what was not accomplished in the study, draining the persuasion from the significance of what was accomplished.

To make this phrasing more compelling and persuasive, we need to reverse the order of information to acknowledge the unanswered questions and highlight the value of the findings.

Example 3.2

Although we do not fully understand the mechanism that connects mitochondrial stress to immune cell activation, we identified a mitochondrial stress signature that is an important hallmark of immune cell activation.

Endings are powerful. And in papers, endings are the most powerful position. Craft your final words to make a lasting, persuasive impression on your readers by acknowledging the limitations and amplifying the significance of the work.