how to write results and discussion in a research paper

Instead of making statements like “[The first result] was this…,” say, “[The first result] suggests [conclusion].”. If you encountered problems when gathering or analysing data, describe these and explain how they influenced the results. You've included all the important parts of the discussion. For example, one of your graphs may show a distinct trend, but not enough to reach an acceptable significance level. Do your conclusions line up with existing literature? When you organize information the same way in each of these related parts of your journal manuscript, we can quickly see how a certain result was interpreted and quickly verify the particular methods used to produce that result. Maybe the reason that you did not find a significant correlation is because your sampling was not random, or you did not use sensitive enough equipment. These results build on existing evidence of…, The results do not fit with the theory that…, The experiment provides a new insight into the relationship between…, These results should be taken into account when considering how to…, The data contributes a clearer understanding of…, The generalisability of the results is limited by…, The reliability of this data is impacted by…, Due to the lack of available data, the results cannot confirm…, The methodological choices were constrained by…. No problem, save it as a course and come back to it later. At the beginning of your Discussion section, you stated why. Ask yourself these questions: Your overall aim is to show the reader exactly what your research has contributed and why they should care. You should always put your findings into the context of the previous research that you found during your literature review. We develop a rhythm as we read and parallel structures facilitate our comprehension. You are free to copy, share and adapt any text in the article, as long as you give. The discussion section is not always about what you found, but what you did not find, and how you deal with that. That is it. Even the best research has some limitations, and acknowledging these is important to demonstrate your credibility. Do the results of the previous research help you to interpret your own findings? That is the main point of your discussion section, but the process is usually a lot more complex than that. Your suggestions should inspire other researchers to conduct follow-up studies to build upon the knowledge you have shared with them. 21 March 2019 Suggestions for further research can lead directly from the limitations. Describe the nature of the knowledge gap you were trying to fill using the results of your study. The meaning of the results might seem obvious to you, but it’s important to spell out their significance for the reader and show exactly how they answer your research questions. If so, what do they add to it? eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'explorable_com-box-4','ezslot_1',261,'0','0']));In an ideal world, you could simply reject your null or alternative hypotheses according to the significance levels found by the statistics. But in most cases, if you’re doing empirical research, it’s important to report the results of your study before you start discussing their meaning. Make sure to factor in all results relevant to the questions (even if those results were not statistically significant). If conflicting inferences can be drawn from your results, evaluate the merits of all of them. The practical and/or theoretical implications have been stated. If so, why might this be? There are many different ways to write this section, but you can focus your discussion around four key elements: There is often overlap between the discussion and conclusion, and in some dissertations these two sections are included in a single chapter. For most research paper formats, there are two ways of presenting and organizing the results. It is rarely clear-cut, and you will need to interpret your findings. Limitations: what can’t the results tell us? The first part of this post briefly described what to include in the introduction and materials and methods sections of a typical research paper written in the IMRaD format (Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, and Discussion). Reducing wordiness is important when you only have a few paragraphs to devote to the Discussion section! If your conclusions aren’t aligned with current literature, explain. You want to instill confidence in your readers that you have thoroughly examined your results and have objectively assessed them in a way that would benefit the scientific community’s desire to expand our knowledge base. Instead, focus on why. You don't need our permission to copy the article; just include a link/reference back to this page. Discuss whether your findings agree with current knowledge and expectations. Don’t just state that more studies should be done – give concrete ideas for how future work can build on areas that your own research was unable to address. In this critical part of the research paper, you start the process of explaining any links and correlations apparent in your data.. Published on How to Write the Results Section of a Research Paper. Learn how to construct, style and format an Academic paper and take your skills to the next level. Start this chapter by reiterating your problem statement and research questions and concisely summarising your major findings. The results are reported and reveals the analysis. Do your results agree or disagree with previous research? by The study demonstrates a correlation between…, Identifying correlations, patterns and relationships among the data, Discussing whether the results met your expectations or supported your, Contextualising your findings within previous research and theory, Explaining unexpected results and evaluating their significance, Considering possible alternative explanations and making an argument for your position, Contrary to the hypothesised association…, The results contradict the claims of Smith (2007) that…. Once writing the discussion section is complete, you can move onto the next stage, wrapping up the paper with a focused conclusion. You have already written the results for your paper and formatted and put together the figures, too. If you’re unsure of the best structure for your research, look at sample dissertations in your field or consult your supervisor. Recommendations: what practical actions or scientific studies should follow? Relevant recommendations have been made for further research or action. If you left few interesting leads and open questions in the results section, the discussion is simply a matter of building upon those and expanding them. Within each subpart of a Discussion, the information should flow as follows: (A) conclusion first, (B) relevant results and how they relate to that conclusion and (C) relevant literature. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'explorable_com-banner-1','ezslot_5',361,'0','0']));Unless you made so many errors that the results are completely unreliable, you will; certainly have learned something. For this purpose, you should criticize the experiment, and be honest about whether your design was good enough. Don’t repeat your Introduction. Like Explorable? Alternative explanations of the results have been considered. We develop a rhythm as we read and parallel structures facilitate our comprehension. For example, if your sample size was small or limited to a specific group of people, note that this limits its generalisability. Remind us why we should be interested in this research project. Embrace active voice because it eliminates the awkward phrasing and wordiness that accompanies passive voice. Based on the discussion of your results, you can make recommendations for practical implementation or further research. Whilst your results may not be enough to reject the null hypothesis, they may show a trend that later researchers may wish to explore, perhaps by refining the experiment. Shona McCombes. Answer each of the questions you asked in your Introduction and explain how your results support those conclusions. Address any limitations of your study and how relevant they are to interpreting your results and validating your findings. The most important findings have been concisely summarized. We want to focus on your findings. You should only mention limitations that are directly relevant to your research objectives, and evaluate how much impact they had on achieving the aims of the research. Occasionally, the results and discussion will be combined into one chapter. Limitations might be due to your overall research design, specific methodological choices, or unanticipated obstacles that emerged during the research process. Doing so might raise questions about your initial research design and protocols. In the discussion you should explain your results, how they relate to the literature and any implications they might have for future use. Either you have uncovered something new, or you may have made a major flaw with the design of the experiment. Writing the results section: The results section answers the question W-H-A-T. If your results are very different, why? Don’t just repeat all the data you have already reported – aim for a clear statement of the overall result that directly answers your main research question. This should be no more than one paragraph. How to write a discussion section. In some types of qualitative research, such as ethnography, the results are often woven together with the discussion.. The Aske Stables, Aske, Richmond, North Yorkshire, U.K. 10F, 205, Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2850, ShuBLDG, 2-28-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0013, Japan, 01-102, 1F, Building 25, Hanhe Garden, Haidian District, Beijing, China. Use the other checklists to further improve your dissertation. If you left few interesting leads and open questions in the results section, the discussion is simply a matter of building upon those and expanding them. There are a few common mistakes to avoid when writing the discussion section of your dissertation. When to write a results chapter. A good discussion will explain why your results and the whole paper is important. Use the present tense, which should also be employed in the Introduction. After noting the limitations, you can reiterate why the results are nonetheless valid for the purpose of answering your research questions. Revised on Revised on 2 September 2020. Stating that the results are inconclusive is the easy way out, and you must always try to pick out something of value. The importance of the results has been emphasized. If not, suggest any modifications and improvements that could be made to the design. Relevant literature and theory has been cited. The discussion chapter is where you delve into the meaning, importance and relevance of your results. Make sure your suggestions aren’t ones that should have been conducted during your research! The discussion is logically ordered to show patterns or themes among the data. Take it with you wherever you go. The discussion should show how your findings fit with existing knowledge, what new insights they contribute, and what consequences they have for theory or practice. This paper presents the likely results and findings of the proposed research on the social media selections and strategies of companies. Focus on the significance of the most noteworthy results. The analysis section is where the writer describes what was done with the data found. Try not to be too broad in your generalizations to the wider world - it is a small experiment and is unlikely to change the world. Do the results confirm or challenge existing theories? Are your findings very different from other studies? Finally, after saying all of this, you can make a statement about whether the experiment has contributed to knowledge in the field, or not. As well as giving your own interpretations, make sure to relate your results back to the scholarly work that you surveyed in the literature review. What types of MBA programs are available in 2020-2021? The next big step is to write the discussion. Clearly tell us what that piece of missing knowledge was. The results have been discussed and interpreted in relation to the research objectives. Most of these components can appear in both sections. When you organize information the same way in each of these related parts of your journal manuscript, we can quickly see how a certain result was interpreted and quickly verify the particular methods used to produce that result. Rather, discuss your findings in the context of answering your hypothesis. As there is not always a clear separation between the discussion and the conclusion, we have combined them into one checklist. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'explorable_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_4',340,'0','0']));In this critical part of the research paper, you start the process of explaining any links and correlations apparent in your data. You'll show that your results can … It should focus on explaining and evaluating what you found, showing how it relates to your literature review and research questions, and making an argument in support of your overall conclusion. Limitations: what can ’ t the results section begin to explain this in your field or your! Discuss whether your design was good enough about your initial research design, specific methodological,... Sprinkle with first person pronouns if needed, but what you said earlier in the context of answering your,! Significance level out, and you can reiterate why the results section: the results your! Combined them into one chapter voice because it eliminates the awkward phrasing wordiness! Describe the nature of the experiment, and be honest about whether your into..., Published on 21 March 2019 by Shona McCombes significance level describes was! 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