Results and Discussion

The Results and Discussion section serves two purposes: (1) to present the results (data) and (2) to put those results into context with a thoughtful discussion about whether the results were anticipated, how they compare to previous work, and how they can be explained using models, theories, general knowledge, and reasoning. Note that the results section should be a logical argument based on evidence, not a chronological description of the experiment.

Evidence does not explain itself. The purpose of the Discussion section is to explain the results and show how they help to answer the research questions posed in the introduction. This discussion generally passes through the stages of summarizing the results, discussing whether results are expected or unexpected, comparing these results to previous work, interpreting and explaining the results (often by comparison to a theory or model), and hypothesizing about their generality. [1]

You must present results supporting every conclusion you draw; likewise, you must use sound logic when interpreting the results to draw conclusions. Similarly you must not withhold results that don’t support your hypothesis or conclusions; all results must be reconciled, whether they agree or not.

Style tips (see the writing guide for more info):

Write in past tense.
Be specific.
Avoid faulty and incomplete comparisons.
All tables must have a title above the table and be numbered sequentially.
All figures (images or graphs) must have a caption (that includes a title and brief description of the figure) below the figure and be numbered sequentially.
All tables and figures should be referred to in order. If you do not discuss a table or figure it’s not worth including!
Use tables to convey specific, exact data. Use figures to convey trends and large amounts of data where the exact values do not need to be known exactly by the reader.

Please see [1] for more information.

Results and Discussion

Further Reading