Writing the Discussion Section

1
Writing the Discussion Section

• Interpret and discuss the implications of the
  results

2
Beginning the Discussion

• Begin by telling what you learned from the study
• Open with a clear statement of the support or
  nonsupport for your original hypothesis

3
Discussion

• A good discussion goes well beyond summarizing
  the results It relates your results back to why
  you originally did the study, and makes clear the
  meaning of what you found out (Sternberg, 2000,
  p. 205).

4
Discussion

• Tell why this problem is important
• Explain why readers ought to pay attention to
  your findings

5
Help the Reader Understand the Problem

• Dont repeat points already summarized in the
  results section
• Each new statement should contribute to your
  position and to the readers understanding of the
  problem

6
Explore the Data

• Explore the data to find out what they have to
  say and not just what you expected them to say
• Make sure that your conclusions follow from your
  data

7
Briefly Review the Methods

• Remind readers of the characteristics of your
  participant sample and how it might differ from
  other populations to which you might want to
  generalize
• Discuss characteristics of your methods that
  might have influenced the outcome or atypical
  factors

8
Relevance of Literature

• Compare your results with those reported by other
  investigators
• Show similarities and differences between your
  results and the work of others
• Use literature to clarify and confirm your
  conclusions

9
Implications

• Explain the practical applications of the
  research
• Explain what implications the research has for
  the applicable theory

10
Acknowledge Limitations

• Address alternative explanations of your results
• Discuss possible shortcomings of your study
• Consider unanswered questions

11
End the Discussion

• Add commentary when justified on the importance
  of your findings
• Anticipate likely objections to your
  interpretation of the data

12
Suggest Additional Research

• What questions have been addressed
• What questions does the research at hand address
• What questions might future research address

13
Helpful Hints

• Do NOT dwell on every flaw
• Accept unexpected results without a tortured
  attempt to explain them away

14
Helpful Hints

• Write in the present tense, except when findings
  are discussed
• Findings are always referred to in the past tense

15
Helpful Hints

• Each paragraph must begin with a clear topic
  sentence that provides an overview of the entire
  paragraph
• Carefully assess the type of results necessary to
  support your conclusions

16
Helpful Hints

• Adequately discuss confounds
• Dont simply recommend that future researchers
  avoid your mistakes

17
End the Discussion

• End with a bang, not a whimper