How To Write A Perfect Discussion Section Of A Research Paper

A discussion section of a research paper is the most important part of your research process. During this section, you will determine the stance and scope of your research. Not to mention that the quality of the discussion will also influence your supervisor’s perception of your work. Writing it can be as hard as it is important. If you are still getting cold feet about this, worry no more!

Our experts have shared their opinions on how to write a discussion section. They have years of experience offering research paper writing service, so we are confident that you will find their ideas the most helpful.

Steps To Writing The Best Discussion Section In A Research Paper

You must prepare for your discussion section diligently. You should first make sure that you have a clear understanding of your paper and its contents. Then, it would help if you practiced summarizing your paper to different audiences. It will help you gauge how well you can articulate your ideas and explain your work. Here are all the ingredients you need to make your discussion section rock.

Introduce Your Idea/Topic

When you’re writing the discussion section in your research paper, the best part is the introduction. This part is filled with all the originality and basic ideas. You are forming the basis of your thesis, and you get to put the main points of everything you will discuss in your research paper ahead.

However, remember to be precise in your introduction and ensure that your focus is clear. It is normal to get distracted from your central idea when you love your research topics and are super excited about them. You would want to share more and more thoughts of yours. That can be tricky. So staying precise and focused is the goal that you want to achieve here. For example, if you are writing your paper on some historical research topic, a great introduction comes with a historical perspective of your topic.

Define The Problem

Defining the problem is the most important part of the discussion section of a research paper. A problem is a deviation from the expected condition or an obstacle that prevents something from occurring. It is the first step in your research writing process. Gather some facts on context and background information. What existing knowledge and subsequent studies say about your problem matters a lot.

Address The Problem

A research problem is identified as a gap in the body of knowledge that needs to be addressed. It is important to spend time identifying the research problem because this is what the study will aim to solve. It is important to be as clear and concise as possible when addressing the problem and research question because this will guide the remainder of the study. We can take the problem of the environment and the requirement of sustainability in business.

Asking The Questions

You have introduced your idea to your audience, or in our current sense, your reader. What’s the plan ahead? That’s right! Start with a question. The right question follows every great project. In the discussion section of a research paper, you lay down all the questions regarding your research and prepare the reader for what is to come. After defining the problem, this is the most important part. You ask all the questions that are present in society regarding your research topic.

For example, you will take your issue and apply the 5-WHY formula to find the root problem. Let’s assume you are writing on an autism research topic. The right questions could be like this: What are the genetic causes of autism? Can autism be cured? How can we enable autistic children to do well in their lives? You could include questions from your psychology course syllabus as well.

Preparation of The Data

After you have asked all the right questions, the next step is to collect and prepare data for your research paper. It can involve various tasks, such as conducting surveys and interviews, collecting data from existing sources, or performing experiments. Once you have collected your data, it is important to prepare it for analysis. It can involve cleaning and organizing the data, ensuring that it is accurate and complete, and designing appropriate analysis methods. A deep look at the data can also lead you to further research and improve your topic.

Forming Hypothesis

One of the most interesting phases in the discussion sections of a research paper is forming a hypothesis. You form a hypothesis based on your data, make some initial conclusions, and share your understanding of the problem. Why does this problem exist? How much is further research required? How long has it existed? What are the causes and the effects, and where does this situation lead us? It is like the intermission of your research paper.

Comparative Analysis

It would be great to run a comparative analysis of your problem with other present issues and previous studies in the discussion section of a research paper. To provide a comprehensive analysis of your problem, it is important to compare it with other aspects of your research or the issues in the discussion section of your research paper. It will allow you to identify the key issues and develop a well-rounded argument.

Additionally, this comparative analysis will provide valuable insight into how your problem fits into the larger conversation surrounding it. A comparative analysis would also provide further research ideas and insights. We can take an example right here from the word analysis. If you are writing research about the Middle East benefitting from data analytics, you can also compare it to the scope of data analytics in Europe and the Americas.

Interpretation of Results

After countless hours conducting research and writing your paper, it is time to discuss your results. That is where you get to analyze and discuss what your research found and what it means for the topic at hand. You can start by describing lessons learned and what they tell us. The results part is where you can add your insights and perspective to the discussion. So take your time and think about what you want to say. Your results are the most important part of your paper.

Comparison With Previously Published Research

According to a great philosopher, we only mimic existing things. Knowledge is never created; it always evolves. That is what research is all about. Comparing your research to the existing works would be a great idea. It can give the impression that you know what you are discussing and the roots of your subjects.

Comparison of your idea to the previous research would add more value to your ideas and increase their worth. It will also tell your reader why further research questions need to be asked and how we can compare them with other problems.

Limitations And Implications

An honest researcher would always know and would not hesitate to express the limitation of their hypothesis. Human knowledge is limited, after all. No matter how far we go, we can never reach the end of the universe. The same is the case with our research and case studies. Limitations would always bind us.

Writing limitations of your research would make your discussion section of a research paper perfect. It would also be great to state the practical implications of the subject to make your stance clear and precise.

Conclusions

After discussing the research topic, analyzing the problem and limitations, and how you conclude the outcome of your discussions, the conclusions should be based on the research findings and supported by evidence. The conclusions should be clear and concise. Typically, the conclusions of a discussion section of a research paper are between 1-3 pages. However, the size of the conclusion depends on the size and scope of your research paper.

The conclusion should summarize the paper’s main points and explain the research’s significance. It is important to restate the research question and answer it based on the study’s findings. The conclusion should also discuss the implications of the findings and make recommendations for future research.

Recommendations

The final step in the discussion section of a research paper is usually to provide recommendations. In this part, you take what you have learned from your research and suggest what should be done with that information. For example, if you were studying a new philosophical idea. We recommend further research and analysis before introducing it as a phenomenon.

Conclusion

This blog will help you write a brilliant discussion section for a research paper. Could you do your best and make us proud? If you still hesitate or need clarification, contact Paper Perk for a consultation. We are always happy to help.