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HOW TO WRITE A GOOD DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS FOR THESIS PROJECT

September 7, 2018. IMPERIAL WRITERS

The discussion of findings is often considered one of the most important part of thesis project/research work in the sense that, this is where the researcher of a project topic presents the underlying findings of his research. Discussion of findings for thesis project should contain the explanation of result of your project/research work: showing how your respondents responded to the questions asked. You could get the particular number of your respondents that indicated both positive and negative interest in the question you asked in your research questionnaire; then make references to the previous research works done by other researchers (i.e their findings) to backup your claim for affirmation,

When writing the discussion section, you should carefully consider all possible explanations for the study results, rather than just those that fit your hypothesis or prior assumptions and biases. This is especially important when describing the discovery of significant or unanticipated findings.

Make a consistent effort to stick with the same general tone of the introduction. This means using the same key terms, the same tense, and the same point of view as used in your introduction. Start by rewriting your research questions and re-stating your hypothesis (if any) that you previously posed in your introduction. Then declare the answers to your research questions – make sure to support these answers with the findings of your dissertation. Continue by explaining how your results relate to the expectations of your study and to literature.

Clearly explain why these results are acceptable and how they consistently fit in with previously published knowledge about the subject. Be sure to use relevant citations. Make sure to give the proper attention for all the results relating to your research questions, this is regardless of whether or not the findings were statistically significant. Don’t forget to tell your audience about the patterns, principles, and key relationships shown by each of your major findings and then put them into perspective as this will enhance a good project work.

The sequencing of this information is important: state the answer, show the relevant results and cite the work of credible sources. When necessary, point the audience to figures and/or graphs to ‘enhance’ your argument. Make sure to defend your answers. Try to do so in two ways: by explaining the validity of your answer and by showing the shortcomings of others’ answers. You will make your point of view more convincing if you give both sides to the argument. Also make sure to identify conflicting data in your work.

Make a good point of discussing and evaluating any conflicting explanations of your results. This is an effective way to win over your audience and make them sympathetic to any true knowledge your study might have to offer. Make sure to include a discussion of any unexpected findings. When doing this, begin with a paragraph about the finding and then describe it.

Also identify potential limitations and weaknesses inherent in your study. Then comment on the importance of these limitations to the interpretation of your findings and how they may impact their validity. Do not use an apologetic tone in this section. Every study has limitations. Conduct a brief summary of the principal implications of your findings (do this regardless of any statistical significance). Make sure to provide 1-2 recommendations for potential research in the future.

Show how the results of your study and their conclusions are significant and how they impact our understanding of the problem(s) that your dissertation examines. On a final note, discuss everything this is relevant but be brief, specific, and to the point.

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