GUIDELINES
FOR WRITING THE DISCUSSION
The Discussion
chapter is normally towards the end of your FYP, after you have presented
your Results and before the Conclusion. If your explanation is already
in the Results chapter, the Discussion and Conclusion can be combined
into one chapter. This is where you take a wider look at your study as
a whole, contextualising it in a larger overall context, perhaps highlighting
the implications or extrapolating from the findings. The methodology/procedure
and the presentation chapters have reported specific information; now
you may be attempting to indicate the 'bigger picture'.
The information you include in
your discussion depends greatly on your findings and the nature of your
project. However, one common way of laying out a discussion section is
as follows:
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To recap on the original hypothesis
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To briefly reiterate or summarise the findings
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To give an analysis of and/or an explanation of
the findings
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To mention any limitations
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To comment on the implications of the study (generalising
from the results)
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To comment on the need or direction of further research
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The Discussion chapter is also
where you can air your own opinions on any of the above.
Language
used in the Discussion chapter
1.Verb
tense usage
The first part of the Discussion
chapter usually refers to your findings. The past simple
is the most common tense to use for this purpose.
e.g.
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Data was collected at the core
centre and all cells originated in the same environment.
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The result indicated that the ventilation
system was not effective since the concentration varied
from 1.23pCi/l to 3.05pCi/l.
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At the explanation stage,
the past or present perfect tense is most commonly
used if your explanation is limited to your own study.
e.g. |
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The survey findings demonstrated that most
of the respondents preferred to see more local-designer
labels on the market. However, they did not imply
that clothing advertisements or promotions could
affect consumers purchase decision.
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First, the indoor thermal comfort of a typical office
floor was evaluated to check the performance of the VAV system. Second, the
effect of energy set-points, which were collected
from the BMS System, was analysed.
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A 10-minute logging interval has been used
to record the sampling rates of the data.
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Energy leakage has become a serious problem
all over the world in the last decade.
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This project has attempted to examine the
discrepancy between opportunities in different locations.
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For general conditions, facts or statements,
and some implications, the present tense
is used.
e.g. |
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Admission is free on Wednesdays
and $10 every other day.
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The movement of the cars induces the high
flow rate of air.
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It seems that there is a tendency to expansion in these sectors.
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It is likely that viral activity is responsible
for most of the symptoms.
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To compare your findings with those of other
researchers, the present tense is also common.
e.g. |
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Our results largely support those by Da
Silva et al.
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The parameters and participant numbers of the U.S
trial are far wider than those of Hong Kong.
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For speculation, implication
or hypothesis, perhaps at the later stage of
your discussion section, modal auxiliaries are commonly used.
e.g. |
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Marketers could possibly segment
the market by demographic variation such as age, sex and income.
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In fact, accurate segmentation might
put retailers in a much more profitable position in the next decade.
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If the VAV system was properly applied, it could
achieve an electricity reduction of c.15%.
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The study highlights the energy savings that
could be achieved if the control parameters were
carefully adjusted.
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Similar results may be found in other fields.
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This approach could be applied on a wider
scale.
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2.
Presentation
of an opinion
Phrases you can use to make it
clear you are giving an opinion include the following:
We accept/acknowledge (that)¡K
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Obviously/clearly/naturally/probably/possibly¡K.
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It can (not) be assumed (that).. |
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One possible explanation/reason is (that) ¡K |
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The findings suggest/imply/provide evidence/lead
us to believe (that)¡K..etc.
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These phrases usually come at
the beginning of a sentence (main clause) and are followed by 'that'
plus a noun phrase which gives the information (noun clause), thus forming
complex sentences.
e.g. |
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It is unlikely that
the social class of the participants influenced their opinions.
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We anticipated that students
would fall into the first category.
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Links
This
website, from the Asian Institute of Technology, covers the purpose and
organisation of the Discussion section, what it includes, common problems
and an example.
http://www.languages.ait.ac.th/EL21DISC.HTM
(Accessed 6 February 2003)
Click here to see a sample FYP discussion
chapter. (Adapted from FYP from Faculty of Health and Sciences.)
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