1、The heart of the paperDiscussion1/14/202311/14/2023It may seem obvious that a scientific document is incomplete without the interpretation of the writer;it may not be so obvious that the document cannot exist without the interpretation of each reader.G.D.Gopen and J.A.Swan1/14/202321/14/2023Discussi
2、onAlways write the discussion for the reader the focus should be to help the reader understand the study and the highlight should be on the study data.1/14/202331/14/2023Discussion:The Elements1.State the studys major findings2.Explain the meaning and importance of the findings3.Relate the findings
3、to those of similar studies4.State the theoretical or practical relevance or implication of the findings5.Acknowledge the studys limitations6.Make suggestions for further research7.Give the“take-home message”in the form of a conclusion1/14/202341/14/2023State the major findingsIn the first paragraph
4、：Begin(with a statement of the major findingsA direct,declarative,succinct proclamationShould not include any dataBegin:Our results confirm that Our findings suggest that The data show that In this study,we found that.1/14/202351/14/2023Explain the meaning and importance of the findingsNo one has th
5、ought as long and as hard about your study as you have.As the person who conceived,designed,and conducted the study,the meaning of the results and their importance seem obvious to you,but the findings might not be so clear for the readers who read your paper for the first time.What do the findings m
6、ean?Why are they important?“That make perfect sense!”(Why didnt I think of this?)1/14/202361/14/2023Always remember:IntroductionBroadSpecificDiscussionSpecificBroadMoves from the narrow specific focus of the research to a more general view1/14/2023Your findingsYour goals/objectivesYour conclusions/f
7、uture worksThe importance/significance of Your findingsLimitationsRelate to expectations and to literatureProve the hypotheses/Answered questionsMake explanations completeDiscuss the results in the same order as in the“Results”one by oneExplain how your results relate to expectations and to literatu
8、re cited in your IntroductionGive evidence for each conclusion.Discuss possible reasons for expected and unexpected findingsWhether the experiments prove the hypotheses with evidence(results).Do they agree,contradict,or are they exceptions to the rule?1/14/202381/14/2023Relate the findings to simila
9、r studiesIs your study so novel?(no relation to other studies?）No！Then,relate your findings to others.Previous findings:Stimulated yours to Fill a gap,Correct their errors,invent a new method,Support yours strength the importance of your studiesOur finding/result is associated with/similar to,differ
10、ent from(others)1/14/202391/14/2023Alternative Explanations of the FindingsRemember that the purpose of research is to discover and not to prove.Dont fall into the trap to prove Carefully consider all possible,alternative explanations for your results1/14/2023101/14/2023Acknowledge the studys limita
11、tionsStudies:flaws,fatal flaws?Even the best studies in the most prestigious journals have limitations!Should know the limitations in your studies that might cause problems and possible explanationDo not hide weak results behind bad writingBe sure to explain why results are weaker than you expectedW
12、e used only.Future research should include/do (differently,use different,use more)1/14/2023111/14/2023Suggestions for Further ResearchYou only answered some questions,others related to this subject may remain unansweredYou should make suggestions for further studies and give a future perspectiveMake
13、 recommendations,discuss future workOur subject that remain to be explored is how to More studies in are needed 1/14/2023121/14/2023Take-Home Message:ConclusionsWhat is the“take-home message”?What do you want the reader to remember from your study?The take-home message should be the first sentence o
14、f the conclusions section.1/14/2023131/14/2023DiscussionThe same information can have different meanings or significances to different people -brainstorming 1/14/2023141/14/2023DiscussionHow do your results fit into a broader context?Suggest the theoretical implications of your results.Suggest pract
15、ical applications of your resultsExtend your findings to other situations or other speciesGive the big picture:do your findings help us understand a broader topic?1/14/2023151/14/2023Free to explain what the results mean or why they differ from what other workers have found.Should interpret your res
16、ults in light of other published results,by adding additional information from sources you cited in the Introduction section as well as by introducing new sources.Relate your discussion back to the objectives and questions you raised in the Introduction section.Limit your conclusions to those that y
17、our data can actually support.You can then proceed to speculate on why this occurred and whether you expected this to occur,based on other workers findings.Suggest future directions for research,new methods,explanations for deviations from previously published results,etc.Discussion:summary1/14/2023
18、How to Cite Sources in the Discussion SectionIt is important to cite sources in the discussion section of your paper as evidence of the claims you are making.There are ways of citing sources in the text so that the reader can find the full reference in the literature at the end of the paper.1/14/202
19、3The Bully Pulpit-AvoidDont criticize or attach other studies or researchersContrast your findings to others professionallyRemember,they may be reviewing your paperAvoid offending people,unless you must1/14/2023181/14/2023Over interpretation of the resultsUnwarranted speculation that cannot be teste
20、d in the foreseeable futureInflating the important of the findingsConclusions that are not supported by the dataDont leave the reader thinking So what?.Watch out for symptoms of“megalomania”1/14/2023191/14/2023Potential pitfallsIncluding too much information-wordy arguments.Not focused,meandering,et
21、c.Failure to follow arguments set up in the introductionFailure to focus on the current resultsSpeculating too much or not enoughImproper tense(largely in present tense)1/14/2023201/14/2023End Many a paper loses much of its effect because the clear stream of the discussion ends in a swampy delta.And
22、erson and Thistle(1947)1/14/202321QuotationBetter to say little clearly than saying too much unclearlyForget who1/14/202322Language:generalization100%|0%all/every/each mosta majority(of)many somea number ofseverala minority ofa few/a littlefew/littleno/none/not anyalwaysusual(ly)normal(ly)general(ly
23、)as a ruleon the wholeoftenfrequent(ly)sometimesoccasional(ly)rare(ly)seldomhardly everscarcely evernevercertain(ly)definite(ly)undoubted(ly)clear(ly)presumablyprobably/probablelikelyconceivablypossibly/possibleperhapsmaybeuncertainunlikelywillis/aremust have toshouldought tocan couldmaymightcould n
24、otwill not cannotis/are not231/14/2023Language:probability24Itisfairlyvery quiteratheralmost quitecertainlikelyprobablepossibleseemsappearsunlikelycertainInthe(vast)majoritya large numberofcases,.mostsomea few(+other quantity words)1/14/2023Language:degree of certainty is not will not must not.certa
25、in(ly)definite(ly)clear(ly)undoubted(ly)1/14/202325can/cannotshould(not)probably(not)presumably(not)could(not)likely/unlikelymay(not)might(not)possibly(not)perhaps(not)It is said that appears that X reports that There is evidence to suggest that Language:make recommendationStrong recommendation|Weak
26、 recommendation must be done.is needed.is necessary.There is a continuing need for It is strongly recommended that should be done.is strongly recommended.It is recommended that.should be considered.It is advisable to could/might/may be considered.1/14/202326Language:conclusionTherefore,/Thus,/On thi
27、s basis,/Given this,it may/can be concluded/shown/estimated/inferred/seen/deduced/that 27In conclusion,Finally,we may say that it can/may be said that From the data/resultsit may/can be concluded/shown/estimated/inferred/seen/that It is generally/widelyaccepted/argued/held/believed that In short,/In brief,/To sum up,/To conclude,/To summarize,/In conclusion,/On the whole,/Altogether,/In all,1/14/2023HomeworkFind ONE paper of your choice(a good paper)Read and dissect the discussionExplain the function of each section,paragraph or key sentencesPrepare a presentation1/14/202328
