RW – Session 8

WRITING DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Discussion
 Report on results (don’t have to relate all the results have found)
 Commentary on results (positive/ disappointing/…)
 Interpretation if results (result – It shows that…)
 Comparison with other research (relate to other studies you mention in the lit rev)
 Explanation for results (a possible reason for this is that…)
 Evaluation of results (value of your study)
>>>>>> Choose the field to focus on
Should include the discussion chapter in the result chapter => Combine together
No generic language in the discussion
Heading of discussion based on the results
Strategies for organizing the Discussion section
 Write down all the things you know now that you didn’t know when you started the
research
 Sort them into some sort of grouping
 Give headings to each of these groups
How to begin the Discussion
1. Remind the reader of your goal (1 sentence)
One of the main goals of this experiment was to attempt to find
2. Prefer back to the research questions (hypotheses, predictions) posed in the Introduction
3. Refer back to the paper cited in LR (most used)
Previous studies conflict with the data presented in the Results: it was more …
4. Briefly restate the most important points from the Results
If you give the explanation for the results that is opposed to our study (appear to run counter to
…) >>>> give at least 2 explanations
Making claims and hedging
Stance:
Hedge: perhaps, maybe, admittedly, might, possibly, likely, probably, presumably, seem, appear,
may, to some extent, suggest, roughly, fairly
Boosters: certainly, indeed, undoubtedly, in fact, clearly, actually, obviously, prove,
conclusively, definitely, evidently
RW – Session 8

Language: making claims and hedging: do not confirm strongly; booster: refer back to previous
studies, results
Attitude markers: obviously, apparently, clearly, unfortunately
Self-mentions: I, we, the author
Engagement >> use of language to attract learner’s attention
Providing background information – reference to literature
 Several reports have shown that
 As mentioned in the literature review, …
 In reviewing the literature, no data was found on the association between X and Y.
Findings in the discussion >> MUST be APPEAR in the literature review
Discussion: result of your study >> previous studies
Providing background information – reference to question
 The first question in this study sought to determine…
 With respect to the first
Indicating an unexpected outcome
 This finding was unexpected and suggests that …
 Contrary to expectations, this study did not find a significant difference between …
 However,
Commenting on the findings
Conclusions
 Preview
 Overview of the study – one section for the overview
 Contributions of the study
 Research implications – ý nghĩ nghiên cứu
 Limitations of the study
 Suggestions for future research
 Concluding remarks (optional) – briefly share what you feel throughout the process
Contributions of the study
 Refer to the statement of the problem
 Write from general to specific contribution
 Contribution to theory & methodology
We can focus on the methodology – ex: learn a new method >> a change in the process >> your
contribution
RW – Session 8

Contributions (2-3 paragraphs within 1 page, “step back”)

Limitations
o Be upfront about limitations (budget, time, difficulties, …)
o Avoid losing credibility (using impersonal form/ passive voice)
o Refer to similar problems in other studies

Language use in conclusions

Contributions of the study
 This thesis has provided a deeper insight into…
 The findings reported here shed new light on…
Research implications
 The evidence from this study suggest that…
 Overall, this study strengthens the idea that…
 The principal theoretical implication of this study is that…
 The current data highlight the importance of …
Limitations of the study
 A limitation of this study is that …
 The small sample size did not allow …
 The most important limitation lies in the fact that …
 Since the study was limited to X, it was not possible to …
 The study is limited by lack of information on …