The dissertation results chapter can be written once data has been collected and analyzed. In this section, the main findings of the research are reported and their relation to hypotheses or research questions are observed briefly. This chapter is among the most crucial parts of a study. It is here that statistical analysis is accurately performed, findings reported and explained, and assumptions examined. After this analysis, results are presented in a manner that shows non-support or support of the stated hypothesis.
Writing a thesis results section requires statistical expertise to present and defend the findings effectively. What’s more, the core findings should be presented logically without interpretation or bias from the writer. This section should set up the read for evaluation or interpretation of the findings in the discussion chapter.
When writing the thesis results chapter, the author should break down the findings into simple sentences. Essentially, this section should tell readers what the author found in the research.
What to Include in the Dissertation Results Chapter
The results chapter of a dissertation should include the core findings of a study. Essentially, only the findings of a specific study should be included in this section. These include:
- Data presented in graphs, tables, charts, and figures
- Data collection recruitment, collection, and/or participants
- Secondary findings like subgroup analyses and secondary outcomes
- Contextual data analysis and explanation of the meaning
- Information that corresponds to research questions
It’s crucial to consider the scope of your research when writing up dissertation results. That’s because a study with many variables or a broader scope can yield different results. In that case, only the most relevant results should be stated. Any data that doesn’t present direct outcomes or findings of a study should not be included in this section.
What are the Five Chapters of a Dissertation?
Traditionally, a dissertation has five major chapters. The results section is one of the most important chapters because it summarizes and presents the collected and analyzed data. The major chapters of this paper are:
- Introduction
- Literature review
- Methodology
- Results
- Conclusion
The methodology section can vary depending on whether the author conducted qualitative research or quantitative research or a mixed study. However, the methodology section is also very important because the used methods can influence how the gathered results will be presented. For instance, you can use a questionnaire to gather information. If you don’t know how to analyze questionnaire results dissertation paper might not impress your readers. Therefore, choose your research methods wisely to make writing the findings or results section easier.
How to Write a Dissertation Results Chapter
Every research project is unique. As such, learners should not take a one-size-fits-all approach when writing results for a dissertation. The layout and content of this chapter should be determined by your research area, study design, and the chosen methodologies. Also, consider the target journal guidelines and editors.
But, when writing the results section dissertation authors can follow certain steps, especially for scientific studies. Those steps are as follows.
- Check the Target Journal’s Instructions or GuidelinesDifferent journals outline the requirements, instructions, or guidelines that authors should follow when writing the findings or results section. A journal can also provide a dissertation results section example to guide authors. It’s crucial that you note the content length limitations, scope, and aims that the journal requires dissertation authors to consider.
- Consider How Your Results Relate to the Catalogue and Requirements of the JournalConsider your findings or experimental results that are relevant to the research objectives or questions. Include even the findings that don’t support your hypothesis or are unexpected. Also, catalog the findings of your research using subheadings to clarify and streamline your report. That way, you can avoid peripheral and excessive details and make your findings easy to understand.It’s important to decide on the results structure. For instance, you can match the hypothesis or research questions to the results. You can also arrange them the way they are ordered in your Methods section. Alternatively, use the importance hierarchy or chronological order. Most importantly, consider your evidence, audience, and objectives of the study when deciding on the dissertation structure for the results section.
- Design Tables and Figures for Illustrating Your DataNumber your figures and tables in the order that you use to mention them in main the paper text. Make sure that your figures have self-explanatory information. Also, include the necessary information, such as definitions in the design to make the findings data easy to understand. Essentially, readers should understand your tables and figures without reading the text.Additionally, make your figures and tables the focal point of this section. Ensure that they tell an informative and clear story about the study without repetition. However, always remember that figures should enhance and clarify your text, not replace it.
- Draft the Results Section with Organized Figures and FindingsWhat makes the results section one of the most important dissertation chapters is that it communicates complex information precisely and clearly. Therefore, use compact and precise sentences or phrases when writing this section.The opening paragraph of the results should restate the research aims or questions. This focuses the attention of the readers on what the section will try to show. Additionally, key findings should be summarized at the end of this part to show a logical transition to the discussion or interpretation that follows.
Active voice and past tense should be used to write this section to convey the findings. That’s because when writing the results chapter dissertation authors have done their research already. Therefore, using an active voice and past tense makes the explanations logical and clear. Also, make sure that specialized abbreviations and terminologies are clarified and defined in the introduction if you use them when presenting your results.
- Review the DraftOnce you have composed the results section, revise and edit it until you feel that it reads the way you want to report your research findings to the audience. Double-check every sentence or phrase for consistency and accuracy of the data. Also, make sure that you have included accurate visual elements.Read the draft aloud so that you can detect language errors like spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as, mechanics. Be keen to notice missing transitions and awkward phrases. Make sure that you have presented your results in the most appropriate order while focusing on the study objections. This section should also prepare the readers for valuations, interpretations, and recommendations that follow in the discussion.
Go back to the introduction section while anticipating your discussion, as well as, the conclusion section. This will enable you to ensure that you have presented your study results effectively and consistently. Essentially, this section should be coherent with the other chapters of the dissertation.
Checklist for the Results Chapter
Once you have written this section, go through it carefully to ensure the following:
- All findings that are relevant to the research questions have been included.
- Each result has been reported objectively and concisely, including relevant inferential statistics and descriptive statistics.
- You have stated whether the study findings refuted or supported every hypothesis.
- You have used figures and tables to illustrate your results appropriately.
- All figures and tables are referred to and labeled correctly in the text.
- The presented results do not include speculations or subjective interpretation
You may come across many tips on how to write the results section of a dissertation. However, the most important tip is to ensure that the results that you present in this section are relevant to your study questions or hypotheses. If this sounds too complicated, you can ask us “do my thesis for me“, and we’ll take care of it. Anyways, you have to remember that relevance is the most important thing regardless of whether the results support or do not support the hypotheses. Also, decide on the order to use when presenting the results of your study. This is very important because it makes it easier for your readers to understand them. Including figures, tables, and graphs makes the information in this section easier to understand.