Written by Bess Chan

In many dissertations, the results/findings chapter immediately follows the research methods. Depending on disciplinary practices, this chapter is sometimes combined with the discussion. However, the results/findings chapter is fundamentally different from the discussion: the former presents what your study found, while the latter explains what those findings mean, how they relate to the existing literature and theories, and the wider implications of the research. To keep these chapters separate, focus on this simple division of labour:

• Results/findings chapter: Present the results, themes, or patterns derived from analysing your own dataset.
• Discussion chapter: Connect those findings to existing literature and theories, or explain why you got those specific results.

In practice, the results/findings chapter may still contain a small degree of analytical commentary, such as noting how prevalent or significant a finding is, but it remains comparatively more descriptive than the discussion.

Here are a few tips to help you produce a strong results/findings chapter in your dissertation:

Choose a clear organisational structure for your results/findings

Before planning your structure, you need to understand the difference between data and results/findings. While data refers to the information collected during the study, results are the patterns, themes, relationships, or statistical outcomes derived from analysing that data. Therefore, you shouldn’t report every single piece of data, because too much of it will distract your readers, making them confused about the critical data needed to answer your research questions.

You’re strongly advised to organise your results or findings according to your research questions, hypotheses, theoretical/conceptual framework, or themes. Start each section in this chapter with a heading that relates to one of the questions, hypotheses, or themes. Then, present your finding, provide specific data points, such as statistics or quotations, as evidence, and comment briefly on its prevalence, strength, or relationship to other patterns within your dataset. Here is an example:

Research question: How do postgraduate students perceive the usefulness of assessment feedback?

4.2 The Importance of Actionable Feedback (Theme related to the research question) A prominent finding was that students valued feedback most when it provided clear guidance for future assignments. (Key finding) Most interviewees emphasised the importance of actionable comments. For example, one student explained that “feedback was only useful when it told me exactly what I could improve next time.” Similar views were expressed across nine of the twelve interviews. (Evidence) This theme was the most prevalent across the dataset, appearing primarily among students who had been out of formal education for more than five years. (Analytical comment – pattern identified in the data) The next section examines another factor influencing perceptions of feedback usefulness: the timeliness of feedback provision. (Link)

Demonstrate alignment with earlier chapters

In dissertations, you want to make sure that there is clear coherence throughout. To achieve this, you’ll need to repeatedly connect this chapter back to research objectives, questions, and/or hypotheses. You should also make sure that the results or findings align with the research methods. For example, if you state in your research methods that your study uses thematic analysis to analyse interview data, you can present a set of clearly labelled themes and subthemes drawn from the data and use them as section headings in the current chapter. Where relevant, findings may likewise be organised in ways that reflect the conceptual or theoretical framework introduced earlier in the dissertation.

Use visuals strategically

Students often either overload this chapter with visuals or avoid them entirely. If your data is so complex that a table or figure can help simplify it, you should include one. Remember that every table or figure should be discussed in the text. You don’t have to restate every individual number from the tables or figures in your text, but you’re encouraged to highlight trends, prominent pieces of information, or critical anomalies. Also, don’t forget to make the visual titles informative – simply naming one as “Figure 1” doesn’t help your readers understand what the visual is about and how it is related to your study.

Find out more about including figures and tables in your written work in this interactive presentation.

Prioritise coherence and signposting

Chapters in your dissertation tend to be long, and your markers will get tired. To help them navigate this chapter more smoothly, you need to use a lot of signposting. Try to start each section with a mini-introduction and end it with a brief summary. You should also add transition sentences to show how data is connected.

Find out more about writing clearly and making connections between chapters in this interactive presentation.

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Lastly, if you’d like to learn more about the writing the results/findings chapter, please access this interactive presentation on findings or results. Also, if you have any questions about this chapter, I encourage you to book 1-2-1 meetings with me, Bess Chan, your London-based EAP Tutor, via email or the booking form.