Points to consider when writing the results section of a dissertation

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The primary purpose of each scientific research lies in obtaining results. As a rule, this part should be completed in the first place because it may be considered the base of the research. Writing up results for dissertation before everything else gives you an opportunity to focus on what you really have achieved/found out/examined and describe the outcomes of your experiments, investigations, or surveys before you go into theoretical details.

The best way to present your findings is to use both text and graphic elements, such as graphs, tables, and figures. The main aim here is for your readers to comprehend the context of your work and become interested in the research question you investigate, which is why you have to understand that plain text or a lot of tables at once are difficult to process. In order to clear things up, it is best to use graphic elements when they are necessary so you could create a perfect results section of a dissertation that is able to catch your audience’s attention.

What to include in the findings section of a dissertation?

Basically, if you have conducted any kind of scientific investigation, this is the chapter to write about what you have found out and spare no important detail. The result chapter should necessarily include:

• the list of your key experimental results;
• proofs of their significance;
• statistical analysis;
• the list of scientific sources, which support your research premise and results.

Of course, you don’t have to pay a lot of attention to everything you did in course of the investigation, since a dissertation is a bulky paper and there is no need to overload it with unnecessary details. If you are hesitant about including some specific results, it is better to go back to your research question and see whether those results are relevant to it so that you could choose which ones to add and which ones to skip.

After making up your mind about how to write the findings section of a dissertation and the content of your work, you have to think about the method of presentation. The best options are chronological (from the earliest to the latest findings) or by importance (from the most to the least important as to answering your research question).

How to write the results section of a dissertation?

This section might seem to be the easiest one to write because this is basically a direct review of the observed and analyzed data. In fact, it may be rather tricky due to the temptation to include too much information and, therefore, chuck away the essential findings. To avoid unnecessary information in this chapter, bear in mind that the ultimate purpose is to narrate what you have observed and found and direct the reader to the discussion section.

If you want to know for sure how to write results section of dissertation properly, consider the type of the results: either quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative type deals with the statistical or mathematical data and presupposes a considerable usage of tables and graphs. Qualitative type of data, on the other hand, is represented in a form of summary where you are to analyze and evaluate your findings. You may first analyze them from your individual point of view and then proceed to the overall interpretation of what you have obtained.

When writing results for dissertation attention must be paid to the accurate structure of the section. The first sentences must refer to the introduction so that you remind what the initial goal of your project was. Then:

• sum up the previous findings you have covered in the literature review;
• describe your results and compare them to those of the reviewed sources;
• include is the comments on the comparison made.

Also, make sure to present only the key results relevant to the research question posed in the introduction chapter of your work.

Tips from experts

Meet our advisors

1. Expect everything to take longer than you thought.
2. Write a catchy title in 10-15 words. Do this last.
3. Use primary sources (e.g. peer-reviewed journals, books, etc.).
4. Important information goes at the beginning of each paragraph in the sections.
5. Don’t use jargon or cliches. Use industry words sparingly.
6. Follow the assigned formatting style.
7. Make an outline with the number of chapters/sections.
8. Write First, Support Later. Anytime you feel that a pesky reader will say, “What’s your support for this?”, CITE it.
9. Use a Speech Dictation application.
10. Mix figures, charts, graphs in with text. This both gives clarification to the reader and a chance to get a break from reading your text.
11. Find a proofer who is neurotic about your dissertation’s weaknesses.
12. Use an editor – pay someone.

Penny J. Larsen

College professor with 30 years of teaching experience

Simple tricks you should remember if you don’t know how to write a findings section of a dissertation

Here is a checklist that you have to go through before you start writing a findings section of a dissertation. You should decide on every point and only thereafter you can proceed to the writing itself.

• Choose the method of presentation. The findings may be presented either in chronological order, or in order from the most to the least significant in relation to the research question.
• Decide upon the way of data presentation: graphs, tables, figures, or text. Graphical representation of findings will promote a better understanding of the material if you have a lot of quantitative data. Try to put the tables and graphs wherever possible and only supplement them with text. Do not forget that each figure, graph, or table should have a heading and a number.
• Select only the most important findings and pay attention to presenting them correctly.

And the last important thing to bear in mind is the accuracy of information presented. Thus, proofread the paper several times when it is done.

Who can help with writing a findings section of dissertation?

If your findings are not presented how they should be, it will be really difficult for your audience to understand their importance and therefore you will have to undertake substantial revisions. Of course, it is not as easy as it seems since you have to choose carefully what you need to write about and how exactly you are going to present the information. After several improvement sessions your work starts to seem totally out of line with the initial research objective and the thought “when will I get my dissertation results section done already?” will cross your mind more and more often. But all you need here is a fresh perspective.

There is still a chance to solve all your problems though. We provide proofreading and editing services and we will gladly help you polish your paper. Our service exists to help people who struggle with writing results section of dissertation, any other part, or the whole work in general.

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Dissertation abstract Dissertation chapter Dissertation conclusion Dissertation discussion Dissertation hypothesis Dissertation introduction Methodology