Discussion Part in Thesis
Students are often confused about what and how to write thesis in a more effective and convincing way. Seeking advice from expert might help but real experience can be different at the time when you sat on desk and start write up. All the components of thesis are somehow clear in such a way that you know what to write in literature review, methodology, etc. The section where most of the people stuck is discussion chapter. Students confused this chapter with results and introduction and nothing is left to add in this section. This is the wrong approach of writing a thesis and that’s the main reason of rejection.
Purpose of Discussion section
Discussion chapter is the important part of thesis or dissertation where you interpret the results in details by connecting it with the theories you write it in introduction part. To write a good discussion, you need to read the introduction part several times. This is the part where you openly explain how significant your results are and relationships of your results with past research work either it will be in support, against, or relate to it.
Following are five things that need to remember while writing discussion section of thesis:
- Give answers to your stated questions
You might have already written introduction part and if not, then better to write it first. The questions you mentioned in first chapter likely needs to be answer when you got your results. First answer those questions on basis of your findings and elaborate how these pieces of information will make a big picture of solving research problem. You need to at least write not less than 2 paragraph with solid and logical reasoning.
- Verify your hypothesis
As you know, you need to write hypothesis in introduction chapter. In discussion section, this the part where you will explain whether your results are in support of your hypothesis or against it. Corroborate your findings to hypothesis and do critical analysis in terms of differences and similarities with previous research studies. For instance, if you stating that “x is greater than y”, then you can relate it as, “x is related to y and better of it but both of them inversely proportional with each other and vice versa” this will reflect that your findings do relate with your predicted hypothesis.
- Highlight unexpected results
Sometimes you might have observed things that are usually not obtain from the study. Most of the people discard those results and think it of less valuable. However, adding those small unexpected results might lead to big discoveries in future. It would be better if you mention them in discussion part and compare it with previous research whether it occur due to human error or have significant value in the field of study. You can also restructure your scientific claim based on these unexpected results if it holds significant value.
- Explain practical implementation of your findings
Most of the people hate writing thesis because it has no practical value. With the given solution of a problem in thesis, the results are sometime theoretical and not implemented in real society. Give your reader a model that can be use to encounter a problem in the society. Develop your findings and establish a model to represent your study and research.
- Discuss any limitation and suggest future aspect
Not all research is perfect and those with perfect research has always something wrong with it. Be honest in explaining your results and discuss any limitation you face while conducting research of a topic. Sometimes the participants are not enough to conduct the study but somehow you will manage to get results with the minimum. Validate your reasons with strong arguments. Also, you need give future perspective of your research about how your model or product can be further used in the process and what changes it bring when used in conjunction with another device.