Learn – Discussion and Conclusion Sections

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In this chapter, we will discuss the Discussion and Conclusion (D/C) section, which serves to deepen the readers’ knowledge on the research topic and to demonstrate the contribution, larger implications, novelty, and potential impact of the research. This section can be difficult to write because it requires the author to contextualize the key results, draw conclusions about their meaning, and discuss how the results expand on the knowledge generated by earlier, related research. Crucially, then, this section is not simply a summary of the research. It is important for researchers to extend analysis through an evaluative and interpretive angle.

Before we delve into the goals and strategies for achieving the key aims of the D/C section, let us start by reflecting on what is already known about this section.

The Purpose

The purpose of D/C sections is to provide an extended analysis of the research results. A summary of the study is simply not enough to clarify what the research means for the advancement of the field. Expanding the meaning of the results outside of the reported study centralizes how the results relate and add to existing knowledge in the field (often by making connections to previous research introduced in the Introduction and/or Literature Review).

The D/C is also important for outlining the value of new findings. Explicitly sharing why and how findings may be of interest or valuable for future research and/or applications can set up a convincing culmination of the scientific argument. This culmination should lead to the take-home messages of the study. A take-home message is a core idea that readers should understand after reading a study. The idea or ideas should be connected to the main claims presented at the beginning of the manuscript. Think about how you started your manuscript in the Introduction section. When starting the scientific argument, researchers should problematize the research territory (Review Chapter 2 for strategies to Indicate the Niche.) The take-home message in the D/C section should then demonstrate how the present study solves, or begins to solve, key problems, fills in gaps in knowledge, answers lingering questions, and/or provides evidence to address a hypothesis. The take-home message, therefore, may include two to four interrelated concepts that represent the essence of the study in a simple, straightforward idea or thought. While doing so, be sure to avoid peripheral topics that can distract the reader from this central focus of the study.

In the Results section, you may have commented on very specific findings to guide the reader through an understanding of your study contributions. In the D/C, you are expanding that discussion beyond individual results to a broader view of your study, placing your study within the context of previous work and discussing its potential impact.

The Format

Before discussing the overall format of the D/C section, choose a model article within your area of interest. A model article should represent strong research writing and ideally reflect a similar communicative intent to the manuscript you are writing. Note that your model article might have separate Discussion and Conclusion sections, or it might combine Results and Discussion and separate the Conclusion. These differences will be discussed throughout the remainder of this chapter. Once you have chosen a model D/C section, answer the following questions:

1. Where are the D/C sections typically located?
2. How are the D/C  sections and subsections in your discipline named?
3. How are the D/C  sections in your discipline organized
4. What is the average length of the D/C  sections in your discipline?

It is best to extend this analysis to all the articles in your Choose a Model Article and Compile a Corpus activity from Chapter One. In this way, you can get a general idea of patterns in your field rather than relying on knowledge from a single article.

Let’s turn now to the hourglass metaphor discussed throughout the book. The top (Introduction) and bottom (Discussion/Conclusion) are like mirror images of each other. Instead of a general to specific progression of information as seen in the Introduction, the D/C section moves from specific to general information by transitioning from the narrow details of the study to a broader understanding of the discipline. Here’s how:

1. The D/C section will often start with an interpretation of the study results, connecting that interpretation to principal findings and often to evidence from existing research.
2. The D/C section is likely to continue by broadening the discussion slightly and providing relatively detailed discussion demonstrating how the study supports or contradicts current thinking. This often involves specific reference to existing literature.
3. The D/C section commonly ends with indications of future directions for the field in light of the core strengths (and sometimes limitations) of the present study. The ending should add a final boost of confidence to the present study by highlighting the study’s significance.

Overall, the format of the D/C section may vary across and within disciplines, so here is some general advice that you might consider for when you draft your D/C section:

1. Reiterate the research problem. Remind the reader of your central argument and the niche you defined in the Introduction section (see Chapter 2.4.2). By doing so, you can better frame the D/C and segue into your take-home messages.
2. State the principal findings of the study. The D/C section is not the place for restating all of your findings. Again, each study may have between two to four take-home messages. Determining which findings are central to those messages will enable you to prioritize the principal findings in your D/C section.
3. Explain the meaning of the findings. Discussion of principal findings can take on many shapes. In the next section, we will discuss the strategies for achieving an expanded analysis of the findings. In brief, you should consider what the results mean, why the results occurred, and how the results relate to your expectations.
4. Relate the findings to those of similar studies. All studies are grounded to some extent in previous literature. Showing how your study extends from existing knowledge will emphasize the value added to the field.
5. Avoid over-interpretation and unwarranted speculation on the results. Have you ever heard the expression based on Aristotelian notions, “Let the data speak for themselves”? This expression, used in various contexts, suggests that researchers need to make data-centric interpretations rather than forcing data into an interpretation that fits a targeted narrative.
6. Reveal future direction of research. Research should never start and stop with just one manuscript. There is always more research to be conducted. Oftentimes, the details of future direction are vaguely construed in the D/C section to motivate independent thought and enable research teams to continue on their own paths forward while maintaining a collaborative spirit across research teams.
7. State value and contributions explicitly. Arguably the most important content in the D/C section is indication of the research value and contributions to the field. These statements should be made explicitly, using thoughtful word choices so that readers do not have to make their own inferences.

While this general advice is hopefully useful for gaining a bigger picture of what the D/C section should achieve, more specific advice will enable researchers to write these sections. Let’s turn now to our writer’s toolbox and the set of tools used to conclude the research argument.