Published on August 21, 2022 by Shona McCombes. The discussion section is where you delve into the meaning, importance, and relevance of your results. It should focus on explaining and evaluating what you found, showing how it relates to your literature review, and making an argument in support of your overall conclusion. It should not be a second results section. There are different ways to write this section, but you can focus your writing around these key elements:
If you’re unsure about your field’s best practices, check out sample dissertations in your field or your departmental guidelines. What not to include in your discussion sectionThere are a few common mistakes to avoid when writing the discussion section of your paper.
Step 1: Summarize your key findingsStart this section by reiterating your research problem and concisely summarizing your major findings. 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. Many students struggle with the differences between a discussion section and a results section. The crux of the matter is that your results sections should present your results, and your discussion section should subjectively evaluate them. Try not to blend elements of these two sections, in order to keep your paper sharp. Examples: Summarization sentence starters
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See an example Step 2: Give your interpretationsThe meaning of your results may seem obvious to you, but it’s important to spell out their significance for your reader, showing exactly how they answer your research question. The form of your interpretations will depend on the type of research, but some typical approaches to interpreting the data include:
You can organize your discussion around key themes, hypotheses, or research questions, following the same structure as your results section. Alternatively, you can also begin by highlighting the most significant or unexpected results. Examples: Interpretation sentence starters
Step 3: Discuss the implicationsAs well as giving your own interpretations, make sure to relate your results back to the scholarly work that you surveyed in the literature review. 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. Ask yourself these questions:
Your overall aim is to show the reader exactly what your research has contributed, and why they should care. Examples: Implication sentence starters
Step 4: Acknowledge the limitationsEven the best research has its limitations. Acknowledging these is important to demonstrate your credibility. Limitations aren’t about listing your errors, but about providing an accurate picture of what can and cannot be concluded from your study. Limitations might be due to your overall research design, specific methodological choices, or unanticipated obstacles that emerged during your research process. NoteYou should only mention limitations that are directly relevant to your research objectives. Then, share how much impact they had on achieving the aims of your research.Here are a few common possibilities:
After noting the limitations, you can reiterate why the results are nonetheless valid for the purpose of answering your research question.
Step 5: Share your recommendationsBased on the discussion of your results, you can make recommendations for practical implementation or further research. Sometimes, the recommendations are saved for the conclusion. Suggestions for further research can lead directly from the limitations. 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. Examples: Recommendation sentence starters
Discussion section exampleHere is an example of how you can introduce your discussion section. Note that it includes everything mentioned above: notably research outcomes, limitations, interpretations, and avenues for future research. Frequently asked questions about discussion sectionsIs this article helpful?You have already voted. Thanks :-) Your vote is saved :-) Processing your vote... In which section of a research article would the following sentence most likely appear the sampling plan called for?In which section of a research article would the following sentence most likely appear: "The sampling plan called for the recruitment of 150 mother-infant dyads from an inner-city neighborhood"? The method section.
In which section of a research report or study would a study's sampling technique be presented quizlet?The introduction to a research article acquaints readers with the research problem and its context. The method section describes the methods used to answer the research questions including the sampling plan. The results section presents the findings that were obtained by analyzing the study data.
Which section of a research article includes the interpretation of a study's findings?The results section of the research paper is where you report the findings of your study based upon the information gathered as a result of the methodology [or methodologies] you applied. The results section should simply state the findings, without bias or interpretation, and arranged in a logical sequence.
What is a sample in a research study quizlet?Sample. A subset of elements from the large population. Sampling Frame. A list of the elements of a population from which a sample actually is selected.
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