The Results (or Findings) section follows the Methods and precedes the Discussion section. This is where the authors provide the data collected during their study. That data can sometimes be difficult to understand because it is often quite technical. Do not let this intimidate you; you will discover the significance of the results next.
Discussion
The Discussion section follows the Results and precedes the Conclusions and Recommendations section. It is here that the authors indicate the significance of their results. They answer the question, “Why did we get the results we did?” This section provides logical explanations for the results from the study. Those explanations are often reached by comparing and contrasting the results to prior studies’ findings, so citations to the studies discussed in the Literature Review generally reappear here. This section also usually discusses the limitations of the study and speculates on what the results say about the problem(s) identified in the research question(s). This section is very important because it is finally moving towards an argument. Since the researchers interpret their results according to theoretical underpinnings in this section, there is more room for difference of opinion. The way the authors interpret their results may be quite different from the way you would interpret them or the way another researcher would interpret them.
Note: Some articles collapse the Discussion and Conclusion sections together under a single heading (usually “Conclusion”). If you don’t see a separate Discussion section, don’t worry. Instead, look in the nearby sections for the types of information described in the paragraph above.
Conclusion
When you first skim an article, it may be useful to go straight to the Conclusion and see if you can figure out what the thesis is since it is usually in this final section. The research gap identified in the introduction indicates what the researchers wanted to look at; what did they claim, ultimately, when they completed their research? What did it show them—and what are they showing us—about the topic? Did they get the results they expected? Why or why not? The thesis is not a sweeping proclamation; rather, it is likely a very reasonable and conditional claim.
Nearly every research article ends by inviting other scholars to continue the work by saying that more research needs to be done on the matter. However, do not mistake this directive for the thesis; it’s a convention. Often, the authors provide specific details about future possible studies that could or should be conducted in order to make more sense of their own study’s conclusions.
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The discussion chapter 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 research questions, and making an argument in support of your overall conclusion. There are many different ways to write this section, but you can focus your discussion around four key elements:
- Interpretations: what do the results mean?
- Implications: why do the results matter?
- Limitations: what can’t the results tell us?
- Recommendations: what practical actions or scientific studies should follow?
There is often overlap between the discussion and conclusion, and in some dissertations these two sections are included in a single chapter. Occasionally, the results and discussion will be combined into one chapter. If you’re unsure of the best structure for your research, look at sample dissertations in your field or consult your supervisor.
Summarize your key findings
Start this chapter 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.
Examples
- The results indicate that…
- The study demonstrates a correlation between…
- This analysis supports the theory that…
- The data suggests that…
Give your interpretations
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.
The form of your interpretations will depend on the type of research, but some typical approaches to interpreting the data include:
- Identifying correlations, patterns and relationships among the data
- Discussing whether the results met your expectations or supported your hypotheses
- Contextualizing 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
You can organize your discussion around key themes, hypotheses or research questions, following the same structure as your results section. You can also begin by highlighting the most significant or unexpected results.
Examples
- In line with the hypothesis…
- Contrary to the hypothesized association…
- The results contradict the claims of Smith (2007) that…
- The results might suggest that X. However, based on the findings of similar studies, a more plausible explanation is Y.
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Discuss the implications
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. 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:
- Do your results agree with previous research? If so, what do they add to it?
- Are your findings very different from other studies? If so, why might this be?
- Do the results support or challenge existing theories?
- Are there any practical implications?
Your overall aim is to show the reader exactly what your research has contributed and why they should care.
Examples
- 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…
- While previous research has focused on X, these results demonstrate that Y.
Acknowledge the limitations
Even the best research has some limitations, and 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 the research process. 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.
For example, if your sample size was small or limited to a specific group of people, note that this limits its generalizability. If you encountered problems when gathering or analyzing data, explain how these influenced the results. If there are potential confounding variables that you were unable to control, acknowledge the effect these may have had.
After noting the limitations, you can reiterate why the results are nonetheless valid for the purpose of answering your research questions.
Examples
- The generalizability of the results is limited by…
- The reliability of this data is impacted by…
- Due to the lack of data on X, the results cannot confirm…
- The methodological choices were constrained by…
- It is beyond the scope of this study to…
State your recommendations
Based 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.
- Further research is needed to establish…
- Future studies should take into account…
What to leave out of the discussion
There are a few common mistakes to avoid when writing the discussion section of your dissertation.
- Don’t introduce new results – you should only discuss the data that you have already reported in the results chapter.
- Don’t make inflated claims – avoid overinterpretation and speculation that isn’t supported by your data.
- Don’t undermine your research – the discussion of limitations should aim to strengthen your credibility, not emphasize weaknesses or failures.