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Topic 4.5 of Writing Up Research

Presenting Results and Writing the Discussion

Reporting a finding is describing what the data show. Interpreting it is explaining what it means — why a result came out the way it did, how it connects to prior work, and what its limits are. Conflating the two is the most common error in a results chapter.

~30 min total·4 quadrants of structured content

By the end of this topic, you will

Distinguish a results statement from a discussion statement and keep them separate in a report
Choose the right table or figure for a given finding and label it so it can be understood without reading the surrounding text
Write a discussion paragraph that connects a finding to the literature review, offers an explanation, and acknowledges an alternative interpretation
Avoid overclaiming: use hedging language that matches the actual strength of the evidence

Quadrant 1 · e-Tutorial

Video lectures and walkthroughs

Quadrant 2 · e-Content

Articles and case studies

research-methodology

Presenting Results and Writing the Discussion

Reporting a result is saying what the data showed. Interpreting it is explaining what it means. Mixing the two in the same paragraph is the most common structural error in a results chapter, and examiners are trained to catch it.

11 min read

Quadrant 3 · Web Resources

Downloadable material and curated external links

Web resources coming soon.

Quadrant 4 · Self-Assessment

Test your knowledge — earn a certificate on first pass

Assessment coming soon.