Are you struggling to write your first research paper? Congratulations! Doing it all by yourself won’t be easy, but you will quickly get the hang of it. Subsequent papers will be a lot easier to write. However, the first research paper always proves to be difficult. You don’t have extensive experience with academic writing, so you may be wondering how to write various sections of it.
The discussion section of research paper is one of the most difficult sections of the essay. This is why we will do our best to explain what it is, what it is there for, and how to write it. We will help you write the research paper discussion section in just one hour – or less. Read on!
The Importance of Discussion in a Research Paper
The role of a discussion in research paper may not be evident from the start. After all, most students think that the main purpose of the essay is to conduct research and present the findings. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. You need to also be able to discuss your findings and draw the appropriate conclusions. Your professor wants to see that you’ve understood the research methods and know how to analyze the results.
Simply presenting a list of results won’t be enough, obviously. This is precisely why you need a discussion in a research paper. And remember, the research paper discussion will be under intense scrutiny by your professor. It weighs heavily on the final grade, so be very careful how you write it.
So, What Goes in the Discussion Section of a Research Paper?
By now, you are probably interested to learn what goes in the discussion section of a research paper. Our academic writers have offered us some insight into this complicated section of the essay. Most often, the discussion section is made up of several paragraphs, each one dealing with an important finding. You will basically be analyzing the underlying meaning of your research. You will try to prove that your research and findings are of great help to the scientific community; that they fill gaps in knowledge. Here is what the discussion section should include:
- An explanation of the results. You should make it clear to your audience whether the results were expected or unexpected. In case of unexpected (or very important results), discuss your findings in greater detail. Make sure you note any important patterns or information that you came across during the research phase.
- Previous research. Of course, the discussion part of research paper should take into consideration previous research. Try to link your results to other studies and, when possible, show the gaps in knowledge that your own work can fill. The literature review section already contains the studies you should discuss.
- The deduction. How can the results of your study be applied generally? Do you have some recommendations to improve some best practices? Or perhaps you can suggest a way to improve a certain condition or situation. Bottom line, you need to show your readers how your research can help the scientific community.
- The research hypothesis. You can include a hypothesis (a possible conclusion or a more general claim) in the discussion section in a research paper. Keep in mind that the hypothesis can be disproved by subsequent research papers.
How to Write a Discussion Section of a Research Paper
The things that can go into the discussion section of a research paper we have listed above can be used in any order you wish. You can start with the hypothesis, if you want to. However, you should be very careful to remain objective while you discuss your findings. We know that you need to support your thesis, but sometimes the results of your research simply disprove it. The discussion section of research paper should discuss accurate results and data, even if you don’t like the outcome of your study.
We realize you probably want to learn how to start the discussion section of a research paper right away. You don’t have much time at your disposal, after all. Here are the basic steps you need to take to write this section as fast as possible:
- We’ll assume you’ve done the research yourself and then wrote the paper. In case you’ve taken data from an original discussion section of a research paper example (like the ones you can get from our amazing team of writers), you should read the paper from start to finish at least twice.
- Summarize all of your most important findings. This should take just one paragraph, so be very concise and stick to the point. You don’t need to repeat all your findings.
- Interpret the results. If you want to learn how to write the discussion section of a research paper, you need to be able to analyze data. Even though you know what the data means, your readers don’t. Explain why it is significant and how. Are there any patterns in the data? Were your findings expected? Are there any other explanations for the results?
- Identify the implications and discuss them. You should link your findings to the other studies that you have listed in the Literature Review section. What does your data prove? How does it fill a gap in knowledge? Did your work disprove the hypothesis of another research paper?
- A key part of learning how to write a discussion section of a research paper is accepting the limitations. You need to acknowledge the limitations of your research and present them in an objective way. Were there variables you were unable to control? Was the sample size too small? Were there any problems with data gathering or analysis?
- Make the appropriate recommendations. The discussion and conclusion in research paper are not that different, so you need to end the Discussion section with some recommendations. Is there a need for future research? Does a situation or best practice need to be changed? State your recommendations clearly.
Get A Discussion Section of a Research Paper Example
Writing the discussion section shouldn’t be difficult. The advice you’re received above – as well as the guide – should help you write the section in less than one hour. However, we realize you need something more palpable. You need an excellent discussion section of a research paper example. By reading a well-written sample, you can understand how the writer discussed his or her findings. The problem is that finding a great example of discussion in research paper is not as easy as it sounds.
The Internet is full of badly written Discussion sections. An example of a discussion research paper writers would use is hard to come by. Get in touch with our seasoned academic writers if you need such a sample. They will gladly send you a well-written and well-organized example. And since the sample will be written just for you, it will be 100% original. In addition, our team of academics can show you how to write results and discussion in a research paper quickly for a top grade. You can rely on us for quick help.
