Practical vs Research Recommendations
Dissertation recommendations typically fall into two categories, and understanding the distinction is essential:
Practical Recommendations
These suggest actions that practitioners, organizations, or policymakers should consider based on your findings. For example: "Based on the finding that employee recognition significantly impacts retention, organizations should implement structured recognition programmes as part of their HR strategy."
Practical recommendations are especially important in professional doctorates (DBA, EdD, DNP) and applied research where real-world impact is valued.
Research Recommendations
These suggest future studies that could build on your work. They typically address limitations of your study or questions that emerged during your research. For example: "Future research should explore this phenomenon across different cultural contexts to test the generalisability of these findings."
Research recommendations demonstrate that you can see the bigger picture of your field — a quality examiners specifically look for.
Linking Recommendations to Findings
The golden rule of recommendations: every recommendation must be grounded in your findings. Examiners will immediately flag recommendations that appear out of nowhere or aren't supported by your data.
- Be specific: "Organizations should improve communication" is vague. "Organizations should implement monthly feedback sessions between line managers and team members" is actionable.
- Reference your findings: Explicitly state which finding supports each recommendation
- Be realistic: Recommendations should be feasible within real-world constraints
- Prioritize: If you have multiple recommendations, order them by importance or impact
Common Mistakes
- Recommendations disconnected from findings: Making suggestions that your data doesn't support
- Being too vague: General statements like "more research is needed" without specifying what, how, or why
- Too many recommendations: Overwhelming the reader with a long list — focus on 3–6 well-developed recommendations
- Repeating the discussion: Recommendations should be forward-looking, not a rehash of your interpretation
- Ignoring your limitations: Good research recommendations directly address the gaps and constraints you acknowledged
How to Write Impactful Recommendations
- Start with the finding: "This study found that X..."
- State the recommendation: "Therefore, it is recommended that..."
- Explain the expected impact: "This would likely lead to / address..."
- Acknowledge constraints: "Implementation would require / consideration should be given to..."
This structured approach ensures each recommendation is evidence-based, actionable, and demonstrates academic rigour.
If your conclusion chapter needs stronger recommendations, our academic writing team can help you develop focused, impactful suggestions grounded in your research. Every piece includes a Turnitin plagiarism report for your confidence.
Summary
Strong dissertation recommendations are specific, evidence-based, and clearly linked to your findings. Include both practical and research recommendations where appropriate, limit yourself to the most impactful suggestions, and always connect each one back to your data. If you need support, our expert team is ready to help.