References in a research article conclusion Can I put some references in the research article conclusion to clarify my future work?
The two main functions of a reference are:


Make sure that you don't take credit for someone else's work. 
As an "external appendix", e.g. "you can read more about this in ..."


If your conclusion contains parts where function 1 applies you have to include the appropriate citations. If your conclusion contains a part where function 2 applies you can do so, but as a matter of style I would be reluctant to do so. A conclusion is there to emphasize the main points of your article. Adding a link to an "external appendix" is not helping.