Recommendations Section
George Mason University’s white-paper guidance describes a Recommendations section as the place to present a recommended plan of action based on the available options, strengths, and weaknesses, with evidence for feasibility and effectiveness. Recommendations are appropriate in genres that call for action—such as policy, business, applied research, or some theses/reports—but are not a mandatory section in every academic paper.
A Recommendations section proposes a specific course of action and supports it with evidence about feasibility and likely effectiveness; it should be distinguished from merely summarizing findings.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Recommendations are appropriate in genres that call for action—such as policy, business, applied research, or some theses/reports—but are not a mandatory section in every academic paper.
Further guidance
Content
Translate analysis into an evidence-supported plan of action for the intended decision-making audience.
Practical Application
Write recommendations as specific actions that follow from the report’s findings or analysis, and give enough evidence or rationale for readers to judge feasibility and expected effect.
Purpose
State actionable recommendations, connect each one to the evidence or analysis that supports it, and identify important constraints, tradeoffs, or implementation conditions.
Reader Check
Check that each recommendation says what should be done, by whom or at what level when relevant, and why. A summary of findings alone is not a recommendation.
Worked Example
Finding: approval delays average three days. Recommendation: “Assign one backup approver to each region so requests can be cleared when the primary approver is absent.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- White Papers — George Mason University Writing Center (opens in a new tab)George Mason University Writing Center · University writing-center guidance that a Recommendations section states a recommended plan of action and supports its feasibility/effectiveness with evidence