Whatever you are writing, whether it is a research paper, book report, essay or some other assignment, you got to write a summary in the end. It is something that has to be essentially incorporated at the end of the piece. I look at it as the last opportunity in the document to impress the reader or maybe even motivate them.
There is a very common saying that is related to summaries and it has been used for years but still finds its applicability today:
"In a paper you say what you are going to talk about, then you talk about it and at the end you tell what you talked about."
In the summary of your document, you actually go over the major points that are there in your document. For instance, if you have five paragraphs and each one is correlated to the other then in the end you got to review them briefly so that your reader gets a recapitulation of the important points of the entire document. In addition to the brief of the document, a call to action also needs to be included in the summary so that you leave you reader in the end with not just something that is profound but also something that is powerful and challenging at the same time. A call to action could be so motivating and inspiring that it should spark up in the mind of the reader to take up some action or take a stand on some issue or even perhaps develop an opinion that was not there before. An action could be life changing or even thought process changing.
Never take writing the summary so lightly, as it is your last chance to throw your point of view before actually your reader puts down the paper. Tie up the loose ends in the summary so that in the end nothing remains unanswered and there is a sense of satisfaction in the mind of the reader as a well as the writer that a holistic document has been created. Most of the writers incorporate their thesis statement in the summary as they feel it is restating and reminding the reader about what is the most important thing to focus in the entire document.
Work around creating a good conclusion/summary for your written document ad it helps to leave an impression and create a positive image in the minds of the reader.