{"id":129,"date":"2020-08-24T10:59:06","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T10:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/postgradproofreader.co.uk\/blog\/?p=129"},"modified":"2021-06-17T16:38:29","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T16:38:29","slug":"six-steps-to-the-perfect-discussion-section","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgradproofreader.co.uk\/blog\/2020\/08\/24\/six-steps-to-the-perfect-discussion-section\/","title":{"rendered":"Six steps to the perfect discussion section"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve passed\nethics, recruited participants, collected your data, analysed and written up your\nfindings \u2013 phew! What a marathon. The hard work is basically over, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, sadly\nnot, because there is one more hurdle to jump; the dreaded discussion section. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where\nyou compare your work to the existing literature. Sounds simple, but this can\nbe the hardest chapter to write. I have a theory (entirely untested, I should\npoint out) that these chapters are especially hard for women, who have\ngenerally been socialised not to brag about their achievements, something you\ndefinitely need to do here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for\nsix tips on how to leap over this final hurdle and write a devastating\ndiscussion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Read around your findings <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will already have done plenty of reading for your lit review, but before you start writing, do some more, especially if you are doing qualitative work. In quantitative research, you shouldn\u2019t discuss any papers you haven\u2019t already bought up in your intro, but this is not the case for qualitative explorations, where the researcher will have been expecting the unexpected. Now that you have your unexpected findings, search for similar papers and make notes on the relevant points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find it helpful to start a new document listing each of my key findings, and to make notes of any existing findings which confirm, contradict or add to my own, along with a note of which paper the new findings have come from. Include the key findings from the key papers from your intro or lit review on this list as well. You might want to highlight findings which back yours up in one colour and those which don\u2019t in another. This list document comes in really handy once you start to write. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Immerse yourself in the relevant reading

Photo by Siora Photography<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Look for work from the same or similar methodologies to you, as well as work from other areas. Find and read papers that are cited in useful studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top tip: if your university doesn\u2019t have access to a paper you need, email the author, or look for them on ResearchGate or Twitter. They will probably be happy to share their work with you. (I am always happy to share my papers, just get in touch via the form below to ask.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Think about format <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The format of your discussion section should mirror that of your findings. This helps your reader to logically follow your train of thought; especially vital if your reader is a PhD examiner, for whom you want to make life as easy as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with your first finding. Briefly recap it. A common problem I see with PGPR clients is that they spend too much time reminding the reader of findings. The findings chapter is the one before the discussion; try to trust that your work is interesting enough that the reader won\u2019t have forgotten it already. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Think carefully about your format before you start writing
Photo by The Creative Exchange<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here is an\nexample of a recap from a discussion section in my PhD, which was about the\nexperience of living with and being treated for renal failure: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven of the participants talked about the impact that\nill health made on their lives. Some found that ill health was a wearing\nintrusion, dragging them down and restricting them. Others had found ways to\ncome to terms with living with their chronic conditions. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this, you might want write a brief summary of the existing literature, after which you can start comparing your work to what’s out there already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Look for areas where your research confirms other findings <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next step is to demonstrate how your findings concur with existing work (if they do). This is where the list document you made earlier will come in useful. Look for findings that are similar to yours and tell the reader about those similarities. If you don\u2019t have anything on your document which backs up your findings, have another look, just to be sure. However, don\u2019t force similarities if they\u2019re not there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How similar does your work look to existing work?

Photo by Chan<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Look for areas where your research builds on existing work <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This step is similar to the previous one but can be trickier. Your work might appear to contradict existing work. Novice researchers may panic that this means their findings are \u2018wrong\u2019. However, is there a reason your findings are different from Professor Big-Brain\u2019s? Did you speak to different participants? Has the political climate shifted? Perhaps participants reacted differently to you \u2013 an Asian female \u2013 than to Professor Big-Brain \u2013 a white male. If further research would be beneficial, point that out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps\nyour findings add a new dimension to a model or set of guidelines. If so,\nclearly demonstrate this and give yourself a gold star. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might have an entirely novel finding \u2013 something no-one has found before. Again, check the literature carefully so that you can be confident you\u2019ve not missed anything, but if so, use clear language to tell your reader that you have found something new and important. Don\u2019t be shy about this! These are the kinds of findings you might include in bullet points about \u2018what this adds to existing research\u2019 when you\u2019re submitting papers for publication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Don\u2019t let your brilliant new ideas sink without trace  

Photo by Kristopher Roller<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

5. Think carefully about what your reader needs to know <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PGPR clients\u2019 discussion sections are often overly long. We don\u2019t need every detail of the papers you\u2019re comparing your work to. Consider your examiners or the reviewers of your paper as you write. These people tend to be overworked as it is \u2013 and reviewing\/thesis examination is extra work which they have to fit into their busy day. Do they really need to know exactly how many people Dr Finickity interviewed, or do they just need to know what those participants experienced? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is another example from my PhD, demonstrating a succinct comparison: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several participants talked about a loss of freedom via the restrictions placed on them by their illness, either in terms of being too fatigued to live life to the full, or in terms of more practical concerns such as diet restrictions. Authors of previous qualitative work on ill-health have found similar themes. The restricting impact of ill health in terms of both social life and diet spoken about by Charlotte is reflected in findings by King et al. (2002)<\/a>, in which dietary restrictions and ill health were both found to have a major impact on the diabetic renal patients.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Ask PGPR for feedback <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussion sections are difficult \u2013 but the PGPR team has plenty of experience writing, marking and examining these chapters. We are happy to offer feedback on how to get your discussion chapter just right, so fill in the form below if you would like some extra support. <\/p>\n\n\n

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