Post #14: Results, Discussion, Conclusion and How To

• The purpose of the results section is to display your data in an understandable way for your reader/audience.
• All data in the form of charts, graphs, tables, etcetera should be displayed as well as an explanation for each presentation of data collected.  The reader should be able to go through independently and understand what is shown.
• Common problems include repetitions of data, or inclusion of too much data or data that is not meaningful.
• When giving results, they can be displayed in full and then commented upon in discussion, or displayed in part with a discussion included by sections.
• Organization of data largely depends on the methods used in research.
• Any references to other parts of the paper or any additional information should be included in the appendix with “(See Appendix__)” included (“Writing up research,” 2003).

 

• When writing the discussion session, keep in mind not only the new data, but also what was already known about the topic under experimentation.
• Going back to the introduction to discuss the original hypothesis, and whether or not it was upheld or disproved by the data is necessary.
• Inquiring about how the data has pushed the boundaries of information of the topic further may also add strength to a discussion section.
• While writing this section, use the active voice.
• Discuss each part of the results, in the order in which you presented them.  It is not necessary to repeat them, but if a writer wishes to they may use “bridging sentences” that inquire about previously stated data (2008).
• Relate the data and research done in the present to what has been done before.  The results of the study now hold weight with other studies, and it is necessary to relate them to make the new research more valid.
• Never give new results or data in this session.  No data that is not previously mentioned should be brought to light later in the discussion section (“How to Write,” 2008).

 

• Conclusions let  readers know what they are supposed to remember, or what is supposed to matter to them about the paper.
• The conclusion gives the opportunity to refocus thoughts, points made, important information stated, etcetera.  It is a final chance for the author to say what they need to say.
• The conclusion is a chance to add your topic to the broader spectrum by tying it into other documents.
• If all goes well, a conclusion should make the reader feel happy about having spent time reading the paper.
• A strategy to writing an effective conclusion is to ask yourself “so what?”  This makes an author focus in and answer any questions a reader might have left.
• It is important to maintain the strategies and writing styles that were used in the introduction, because it makes the entire paper have good flow.
• Include possible extensions to the project : i.e., further questions, actions that could be taken, or solutions to possible problems in the present study (“Conclusions,” ).

 

• To write a results section, one must completely omit subjective findings.  The data included should be completely objective, and the discussion sections includes interpretations of the data or the subjective data.
• Be sure to summarize the data, and if possible use tables, charts, etc.
• There should include a section with descriptions of what each data section means.
• Avoiding interpretting results in this section; this is for the discussion part of the paper.
• Never repeat data.
• When discussing results, the past tense should be used.
• Each table or chart of results should be titled, numbered, and contain a heading (Caprette, 2007).

 

• The entire purpose of the results section is to shape what you found in relation with what is already known about the subject.
• The discussion should directly relate to the hypothesis is terms of hypothesis or questions posed.  This is where the hypothesis adressed in the intro are either upheld or disproved, and the questions either answered or not.
• Be concise; these sections can become way too wordy and drawn out, and it is important to keep the reader throughout the entire paper.
• There should be discussion for each result named earlier.
• In a discussion, it is not unlikely to use “findings of others” to interpret the results of the current study.  Those references should be included and cited in text as well as in the work cited (“Discussion section,” ).

 

• If a paper’s argument has many angles, and could be considered complex, it may be necessary to summarize the argument and the main points in this part of the paper.
• Reiterate the significance of the findings from the data.
• Explain generally how the research done is important to the topic as a whole.
• Suggest what could be done in later research, or how the research done could be improved upon in later experimentation.
• This is the last chance to wow the reader, but also make sure that the conclusion is written similarly to the introduction in the effects of style (“Planning and writing,” 2009).

 

Work Cited

 Caprette, D.R. (2007, August 20). Writing research papers. Retrieved from http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/tools/report/reportform.html

Conclusions. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/conclusions.html

Discussion section. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://psych.hanover.edu/Classes/PSY220/ResultDisc.htm

How to Write a paper in scientific journal format. (2008, September 25). Retrieved from http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWsections.html#discussion

Planning and writing a research paper. (2009). Retrieved from http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/PlanResearchPaper.html#conclusion

Writing up research results. (2003). Retrieved from http://www.languages.ait.ac.th/EL21RES.HTM

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