If you are here reading this post, chances are that you have reached the discussion chapter of your dissertation. Well, a discussion chapter is where you dive into your results and explain their meaning, importance, and relevance to the research study. Doing this is not an easy task, as you already have written the results chapter, which many students take similar to it. To write a discussion chapter, you should know the effective guidelines. Therefore, in today’s article, we will only discuss the guidelines for writing this important chapter. Before that, let’s explain what this chapter is.
What is a dissertation discussion chapter?
The dissertation discussion chapter is where you explain the meaning and relevance of your research results to the research study that you have carried out. This chapter contrasts with the results chapter, where you only present the findings in the form of lines, graphs, and charts. In the discussion chapter, you elaborate on those charts and graphs and explain their meaning. For example, if the line on your graph is constantly moving upwards, you explain why this line is following this trend. Hence, this is what a discussion chapter is all about.
Top Guidelines to write a discussion chapter
In some studies, and research fields, the discussion and results chapters are combined. This depends mostly on the type and field of study. However, whether you write a discussion chapter combined with the results chapter or separately, the guidelines are going to be the same. Hence, a brief description of all the guidelines is as follows:
1. Restate the research problem and questions
The first step in writing a great discussion chapter is to remind your reader of the research problem that you are trying to investigate. As the writer, you also need to restate the research questions because it refreshes the memory of the reader and allows him to remember what he is reading and what it is about. It is also important because some readers jump straight from the introduction to the discussion chapter.
2. Summarise the key findings
The next step asks you to summarise the key findings of your research study. Yes, only the key findings. As it is a discussion chapter, there is no room for detailed results. The way of doing this is different for different research methodologies, i.e., qualitative and quantitative. However, the common point is that you must present the key results that you have obtained and not introduce anything new to write a discussion chapter. Typically, this section of a dissertation discussion chapter requires a space of one to two paragraphs.
3. Interpret the results
After restating the research questions and summarising the key results, it is time to unpack the true meaning of your findings, i.e., interpreting the findings. When interpreting the findings, only discuss the findings, which are discussed in the results section. To write a discussion chapter from the structural point of view, its structure must be the same as the results chapter’s structure. It means the results which are discussed first must be interpreted first. Hence, complete the discussion chapter this way.
4. Discuss the implications of your study
Interpreting the results right is compulsory, but it is not an end to your discussion chapter. As the writer, you also have to talk about the implications of your study to completely write a discussion chapter. Implications are the theoretical and practical consequences of your research study. These explain how your research study can be used to solve the issue being discussed in the study. Writing this section is difficult for students due to their limited knowledge. Therefore, as a student, you can get dissertation help online to write this section.
5. Acknowledge the limitations
Even the best research from the best researcher in your class has its limitations. There is not a single study which you can say that it is perfect and has answered all the questions related to the research. There is always room for future research. Therefore, to write a good dissertation discussion chapter, you must acknowledge the limitations. These are the shortcomings of your research study, which are not in your control.
6. Share your recommendations
Lastly, when you have written the limitations of your study, the only thing now left to do is the sharing of recommendations. Based on the limitations, you must recommend the prospects of future research in the study that you have just carried out. In this section, do not just state that more study is required on the topic. Give concrete reasons for this and identify the areas that need improvement.
Conclusion
In this guidepost, we have discussed what a dissertation discussion chapter is and what it should include. Along with this, we have also discussed the top steps to write a discussion chapter, which is perfect in all ways. Hence, follow all the steps mentioned and write this chapter accordingly.