The issues discussed in a conclusion are rarely newly introduced. Instead, the discussion reaffirms the core of the discussion. Examine your occasion; it gave the reason for caring about the thesis you wrote. The occasion also attracted your audience and perhaps gave a little information to bring the readers to your central claim. Reread your thesis; be sure it accurately and strongly asserts your position. By returning to your occasion and thesis, you can remind the reader of those important ideas. You will want to leave the reader with the strongest possible impression that you have explained your thesis and shown that its claim is valid. You won't do that if you stray far from the core issues in your essay.

You can also give a brief review of your reasoning. Try to restate the ideas using different terms. Or join them in new ways to form interesting sentence structures that make strong statements that stay with the reader long after he or she has finished reading the essay. Sometimes writers want their readers to generalize from their essays, to take the issues outside the essay and apply them to a wider field. Widening the conclusion beyond the scope of the paper can serve your purpose, but be careful that you don't lose the reader. Try to read your essay as your audience reads it. What conclusion do you receive, and what should you do with it?