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Thesis Discussion Writing Guide For All Levels

thesis discussion

A thesis discussion is the framing section of this paper. When writing this section, the author delves into the importance, meaning, and relevance of the results. The focus of this section should be on the explanation and evaluation of the findings. Here, you should show how your findings relate to the research questions and literature review. Your discussion should also make an argument that supports the overall conclusion.

The results and discussion in thesis form one of the most difficult parts to write. That’s because this section requires the author to think about the meaning and implication of their research. To be effective, the discussion chapter of a thesis should tell readers more about the meaning of the study and its importance. It should be well-written and organized to make it easier to read and understand.

Importance of Thesis Discussion

A discussion in thesis writing is a section that includes the interpretations and declaration of the writer’s opinions. It’s also the section where the writer explains the effects of their findings while making predictions and suggestions for future research. Here are some of the major reasons why the discussion section is important:

  1. It answers the questions posed in the thesis introduction
  2. It shows how the results of your research supported the answers to these questions
  3. It explains how those answers fit in the existing knowledge body about your research subject

A Ph.D. thesis discussion chapter can be maybe considered very important. Therefore, you might have to make several attempts when writing this chapter. Our thesis writers can help you out if you got stuck.

How to Write a Discussion Chapter in a Thesis

There are different ways of writing discussion for thesis. But, this chapter should start with the reiteration of the research problem and a summary of the major findings. All reported data should not be repeated in this section. However, the section should include a statement of the results that answers the research question. This introduction should not exceed a paragraph.

When writing a discussion, make sure that the introduction of your discussion chapter in thesis tells the readers what the results indicate or demonstrate. You can also tell your readers what the findings suggest or whether they support a certain theory. The discussion section of a thesis should essentially be focused on the following key elements.

  • Interpretations
    Your discussion should interpret the findings of your research. Tell your readers what the results of your study mean. Although this might be obvious, make sure that you spell out the significance of your findings to the readers. Your interpretation should depend on your research type. However, a typical approach is to do the following:

    • Identify patterns, correlations, and relationships of the data
    • Discuss whether the findings supported the expectations you had or your hypothesis
    • Contextualize the results within the existing theory or research
    • Consider alternative explanations while arguing for your stance
    • Explain the unexpected results and evaluate their significance

    The discussion in a thesis can be organized around research questions and key themes. The same structure that is followed by the results section can also be used for the discussion section. Unexpected or the most significant results can be highlighted first.

  • Implications
    In addition to giving interpretations, you can also relate the findings to the existing scholarly work that was surveyed when performing the literature review. Your discussion in thesis should demonstrate how the findings fit in the existing knowledge, the contribution they make, and their consequences for practice and theory. Answer these questions when discussing the implications:

    • Do your findings agree with the previous research and what addition do they have?
    • Are your results different from those of previous studies and if so, why?
    • Do the findings challenge or support the existing theories?
    • What are the practical implications of your study?

    The overall aim of a master’s thesis discussion section is to demonstrate the contribution of your research and why it should interest them.

  • Limitations
    Acknowledging the limitations that you encountered when conducting your research will enhance your credibility. It’s crucial to note that limitations are not errors. They paint an accurate picture of your study can and can’t conclude.

    The methodologies and research design that you use can cause limitations to your study. Unanticipated obstacles can also limit your study. Nevertheless, mention limitations only if they have direct relevance to the objectives of your research. Also, evaluate the impact of those limitations on the achievement of your research goals.

    Good results and discussion thesis example can highlight a limited or small sample size as a limitation. This is a relevant limitation because it hinders the generalization of the findings.

    Similarly, a discussion section can explain the problems encountered when analyzing or gathering data and how this influenced the findings. The effects of possible confounding variables that can’t be controlled should also be acknowledged in this section.

    The discussion section can also include a reiteration of what makes the results valid despite the stated limitations. It should show how the findings answer the research questions nonetheless.

  • Recommendations
    In some cases, the results and discussion sample thesis can feature recommendations for further research or practical implementation. However, there are cases where recommendations are featured in the conclusion.But, you can suggest further research immediately after stating the limitations of your study and their impact. Instead of just stating that further research is necessary, provide concrete ideas for future work. Show the readers how future studies can be built on the areas that your study couldn’t address.

What to Discuss in Discussion Thesis Chapter

Many learners want to know how to write discussion chapter in Ph.D. thesis because they don’t know what to discuss. Some learners are even confused between the discussion and conclusion chapters of a thesis. But, these chapters are different and they should have varying content.

Here’s what the discussion chapter should cover:

  • Interpretation of the research results
  • Comparison of the results with those of the previous studies
  • Contributions of your research to the existing knowledge body
  • Limitations of the study
  • Unexpected results
  • How the results support or refute a certain theory or findings of the previous studies

On the other hand, a conclusion should mainly restate the hypothesis and the most important results. It should also highlight the limitations and significance of the study while suggesting a future direction.

How to Make Your Discussion More Effective? Avoid These Things!

Your discussion chapter should look like an inverted pyramid. Ideally, you should start from a general perspective and then narrow down to the specifics. But, make sure that your findings are linked to the literature, theory, and practice if possible. However, many learners don’t know how to do this. This is one of the major reasons why they want to learn how to write discussion thesis section.

For even better discussions, follow these tips to help with dissertation or thesis and to make it the best it can be:

  1. Restating your findings
    If you must remind your readers of the results of your study, use bridge sentences. For instance, tell your readers what a certain finding suggests instead of just re-stating it.
  2. Repeating recommendations
    Do not include recommendations in both the discussion and the conclusion parts of your paper. Instead, include recommendations either in the conclusion or discussion section of your thesis.
  3. Introducing new results
    Be careful to avoid introducing new results or information when trying to interpret a finding.
  4. Over-using first person
    This is one of the most important things to note when learning how to write a thesis discussion. You can use the first person in your thesis. However, using it excessively will distract your readers from your major points.

Learning how to write discussion section of thesis can make all the difference in terms of the grade that you graduate with from college or university. Stylistically, this section should read like bulleted points that have been written in paragraph form. Subheadings can be used if that makes sense. And, the length of this section should also depend on the scope of the study.

Get Thesis Discussion Help Right Now

Now that you got all the rules, you have to write your thesis discussion. It might take awhile, and perhaps you have a lot of other things to take care of. Let us help you! Our professional custom dissertation services include some of the best writers in the biz. They are experts in their respective fields and help you succeed in your thesis writing. Research, editing, writing, whatever you might need, we can help you.

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