How do you write a strong discussion?

You’ve nearly completed your thesis, and now it’s time to write the discussion. While you might consider the conclusion and discussion to be straightforward and quick to compose, this final section requires significant attention. It serves as the culmination of your thesis, where all the elements converge. For numerous students, the discussion proves to be the most demanding part of the report. It entails comparing your findings with those of other researchers, necessitating in-depth knowledge and comprehension of both your results and pertinent theories and prior research.

When a reader skips directly to the last chapter of your thesis, they should obtain a clear overview of your research, including the answer to your research question and the methods employed. Hence, the final chapter must be of high quality, accurately and concisely depicting the primary results of your study.

Why write a discussion?

Including a discussion in your thesis is essential for several reasons:

Analysis of results: In the discussion, you can delve deeper into the results of your research, interpreting, explaining, and comparing them with previous studies or theoretical frameworks.
Meaning and relevance: The discussion allows you to emphasize the meaning and relevance of your research results, showing how your findings contribute to the understanding of the research area and their implications.
Connection with literature: You can compare the results of your research in the discussion with the existing literature, seeing how your findings fit within the broader framework of previous studies and theoretical models.
Critical reflection: The discussion offers you the opportunity to critically reflect on your own research, evaluating the methodological approach, discussing any limitations, and considering possible alternative explanations for your findings.
Recommendations for further research: Finally, in the discussion, you can make recommendations for future research based on the findings and limitations of your own study.

In brief, the discussion is an integral part of your thesis as it allows you to delve further into your research findings, interpret their significance, and highlight your contribution to your field.

Is the discussion a mandatory part of your thesis?

If you have conducted scientific research at the university, the discussion is usually a compulsory part of your thesis. In this section, you can delve deeper into the results of your research. It is particularly important to support the validity of your research, describe its limitations, and offer suggestions for further study. However, it is not always necessary to include the discussion as a separate chapter in your thesis. Sometimes, this section is incorporated as a paragraph within the conclusion. For certain higher professional education courses, you may not need to include a separate discussion in your thesis. It is recommended to confirm whether this applies to you by carefully reviewing the graduation manual.

How do you write a good discussion?

Here are some steps for writing a strong discussion for your thesis:

Summary of results: Begin by providing a clear overview of the most significant findings from your research. Specifically describe what you have discovered.
Comparison with existing literature: Compare your results with what is already known in the literature. Explain how your findings align with or diverge from previous studies, and whether they support, complement, or contradict existing findings.
Interpretation of results: Present a comprehensive interpretation of your results. Explain their significance within the context of your research question and how they contribute to a broader understanding of the topic.
Limitations of the study: Honestly and transparently discuss any limitations in your research. These may include methodological restrictions, such as a small sample size or limitations in the methods employed. Highlight the potential impact of these limitations on the interpretation of your results.
Recommendations for further research: Offer suggestions for future research based on your own findings and the limitations encountered. How can other researchers build upon your work?
Conclusion: Ultimately, draw a conclusion based on your results and the discussion you have presented. Address your research question and highlight the broader implications of your findings.
Ensure that your discussion is logically structured and consistent with the introduction and methodology of your thesis. Utilize clear and concise language, avoiding jargon or unnecessarily complex sentences.

Tips for writing the discussion of your thesis

When writing your discussion, it is important to focus only on the specific elements associated with this section. Avoid overlapping with the conclusion and recommendations. Here are some tips for writing a strong discussion: Begin by summarizing the main results (conclusion) and explaining how they relate to your research questions.

Interpret the results: Elaborate on the interpretation of your findings and provide possible explanations for the results you achieved.
Reflect on your expectations: Discuss whether the results match your initial expectations and if they do, explain why. If the results do not match your expectations, discuss the implications for your research.
Describe limitations: Identify and discuss the limitations of your research methods as well as any limitations of your sample or data.
Assess validity and reliability: Evaluate the validity and reliability of your research and explain how these factors influence the interpretation of your findings.
Make recommendations for further research: Suggest possible future research directions that can build on your findings and fill gaps in the existing literature.
Emphasize causes and consequences: Establish connections between your findings and other aspects of your thesis and clearly explain the implications of your research.
Be clear and accessible: Ensure that your discussion is understandable to readers who have not gone through the entire research process.

Do you want help with writing your conclusions, discussion, and recommendations?

Writing the conclusion, discussion, and recommendations chapter can be challenging for many students. However, we are delighted to offer our assistance in crafting this section. Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation.