If you’re reading this post, chances are you’re currently writing the discussion chapter of your thesis and need some guidance. Well, you have landed on the perfect page!

We understand many of you must be in a hurry to complete your write-up. However, rushing an assignment may result in incomplete and unimpressive work. Therefore, in this post, we have revealed some crucial steps to follow to write an effective discussion chapter.

However, before jumping on to the steps, you must understand the purpose of a discussion chapter. So, what are you waiting for? Dig in because you have a discussion chapter to finish.

What Is a Dissertation Discussion Chapter?

The discussion chapter is an essential part of any dissertation or thesis, usually considered the most difficult and, at times, the longest part. In this section, students interpret and explain their findings.

Although many students make this mistake, a discussion chapter shouldn’t be confused with the results section. The results chapter state and describe the research findings objectively, while in the discussion section, you analyse and explain the results with relevance to your thesis statement.

Therefore, in the dissertation discussion chapter, you need to situate your research findings in relation to your research hypotheses or questions. Furthermore, you link these findings to existing studies and literature (which you might have covered in your literature review chapters).

You’ll also have to consider how relevant and significant your findings are to your area of study, and you’ll argue for the conclusions you reach based on your evaluation. Simply put, the discussion chapter is where you can interact with and discuss your research findings in depth and comprehensibly.

15 Steps to Write a Compelling Discussion Section

Now you know what a discussion chapter is, the next question is how to write an effective discussion chapter. Therefore, here are the 15 essential steps you need to follow to write this section of your dissertation.

1.      Think Critically When You Start Writing

The entire point of your dissertation discussion chapter is to utilise critical thinking. Therefore, you will do yourself a disservice if you don’t include the analytical component in the equation.

After all, this section aims to present and demonstrate ideas, arguments, and consequences related to your research findings. Therefore, the analysis and discussion chapters give more weightage to your dissertation and consequently affect your grades.

Several students struggle to find the difference between critical thinking and descriptive analysis when writing their opinion on the research topic. Therefore, they sometimes fail to add the appropriate component in their write-ups and please their supervisors.

In simple words, unlike the usual descriptive writing, critical thinking builds over time. Therefore, it is often difficult to grasp the concept of critical thinking and its application in your analysis. Nevertheless, even if you are not an analysing expert, you must give it your best and write your dissertation.

2.      Rewrite Your Research Question and Problem

When you write an effective discussion chapter, it is a good idea to remind your reader of your research goal(s) and questions. If you have hypotheses, you can briefly discuss them as well.

This “reminder” is essential because the reader may have overlooked your original research statement, or they could be distracted after reading dozens of pages. It’s also possible some readers jump ahead to your discussion chapter after reading the introduction. Therefore, ensure your research objectives and questions are evident in all sections.

3.      Sum Up the Key Findings

Remember, you should summarise all the significant points from your results section, whether it’s your Master’s thesis or PhD discussion chapter. This may differ between quantitative and qualitative research. While qualitative research report on ideas and themes, quantitative research touch on correlation and causality.

Irrespective of methodology, you must emphasise the overall findings with your research questions in this section.

4.      Assemble Findings in Few Paragraphs

This section usually requires one or two paragraphs based on your research questions. Aim for brevity here, as you will assemble these findings in greater depth in the next chapter. Therefore, a few lines here (directly addressing your research questions) are enough for the time being.

Here are some examples of the type of language you should use:

• According to the data…
• The data support/contradict the theory that…
• The investigation identifies…

These are just a few dissertation discussion chapter examples. But, of course, what you’ll write heavily depends on your original research questions.

5.      Don’t Over Interpret

When you write a discussion chapter, subjective interpretation is a big no-no. So, make no argument unless supported by the data you’ve gathered.

You should avoid mentioning any findings and interpretations that lack reliable evidence. Your research will be considered unauthentic if you write anything without sufficient proof. Furthermore, your supervisor will question you about it, which might affect your final grade. Therefore, you should always interpret your results objectively.

6.      Consider the Interpretation Points

The interpretations vary depending on the type of research. However, some popular methods to data interpretation include:

• Evaluation of data patterns, correlations, and relationships
• Testing whether the results meet your anticipations and back your hypotheses
• Setting your findings in the context of prior research and theory
• Explanation of unpredictable outcomes and assessment of their importance
• Consider substitute explanations and make a case for your point of view

You can structure your discussion around central issues, hypotheses, or research questions in the same way you did in your results section. Usually, students get stuck in this step and seek dissertation writing service to write their chapters.

7.      Avoiding Content Duplication

Students make another common mistake reiterating the point the graph/chart has already explained. You must remember writing out the exact details as shown in the graph undermines the effectiveness of your research.

As a result, you need to conduct detailed research and apply your subject knowledge to establish your arguments and opinions based on the research data. Finally, avoid just inserting a graph without any reasoning. Keep in mind; there is no particular right or wrong number of charts/figures in a thesis discussion chapter. Therefore, you need to decide and strike a balance.

8.      Acknowledge the Limitations

In this step, you need to acknowledge the study’s limitations. These constraints can apply to any aspect of your research, including the scope, evaluation method(s), and sample.

For instance, if you’ve collected data from a small sample with distinct characteristics, you should not generalise your findings to a larger population.

9.      Keep Your Discussion Consistent

When you aim to write an effective discussion chapter, try to keep everything consistent, matching the other chapters of your dissertation. For example, some readers sometimes skip the introduction chapter and directly read the discussion chapter. Therefore, your discussion should use the same tense as your introduction and the same key terms.

Moreover, use well-written and consistently formatted headings to ensure your reader can easily navigate the sections and understand the flow of chapters coherently and logically.

10.  Make Recommendations for Future Researches

Now that you already have unpacked your results and acknowledged the limitation, the next step is to focus on two factors in your chapter:

• Your findings’ practical implementation
• Recommendations for additional research

First, always discuss how your research outcomes are practical with relevant implementations.  This part can be fun, as it will demonstrate real-life instances. Furthermore, your reader will find out why and where these contributions are applicable.

The other point to raise in this part is to show future research opportunities. In this step, you’ll also discuss how others can build studies based on your findings. You must also investigate if your results match the previous research findings.

11.  Relate Previous Chapters

As a pupil, it can be challenging for you to produce your own analysis and discussion of the findings. A well-written discussion chapter should demonstrate your ability to connect previous studies with your research findings.

Repetition of the same information is discouraged. Unfortunately, several students fall into this trap, which has a negative impact on the overall grade of your dissertation. Precise and to-the-point information will assist you in effectively communicating your standpoint to the readers.

Eventually, you should show how your results are related to previous research and ensure you are not simply rewriting what’s already mentioned in the introduction and literature review sections. The top approach is to postulate an argument using examples from previous chapters.

12.  Use Hyperlinks to Connect Chapters

We recommend using hyperlinks so the reader can jump from one section to another. This is particularly important when submitting electronic documents such as Word or PDF files. Hyperlinking can be a tedious and time-consuming task for some. However, you must include it in your dissertation timeline to avoid forthcoming issues at the end.

13.  Use Subheadings and Subsections

Always structure the section to write an effective discussion chapter. Therefore, you should create sub-sections under your main heading of discussion. However, it is necessary to keep subheadings and subsections brief and to the point. If possible, use a layer of subsections.

For instance, subsection 3.1 of Chapter 3 discussion can be divided into smaller segments 3.1.1 and 3.2.2. Therefore, subheadings don’t need to appear in the contents table after three numeric layers (3.1.1, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3).

All subsection headlines will appear in your dissertation’s content table. So, be firm with your wordings. A title that is too long or too short may perplex the reader. Meanwhile, a subheading of one or two words will not give the reader enough knowledge to understand the part.

Similarly, using a research question or long sentences in the subheading is not advised. Instead, it may be beneficial to examine how other writers and researchers establish these subsections or subheadings.

14.  Look for Dissertation Discussion Chapter Examples

Look at other dissertations and thesis from your institution or online. Pay particular attention to the discussion sections to understand your university’s standards and conventions. It will also show you how others have structured their discussion chapters, helping you along your dissertation-writing journey.

15.  Write Concluding Summary

Finally, you’ve arrived at the climax. This section includes a summary of the key findings – as the research results directly address your research questions or problems. Essentially, your conclusion should cover the gist of your study. Open at the close and give your readers the main takeaways of your research report.

When writing your final summary, remember some readers may proceed directly to this section from the beginning of each chapter. As a result, ensure this section streams well and has a simple but strong connection to the dissertation’s opening chapter.

Furthermore…

We believe you can write an effective discussion chapter with all the information we have provided thus far. However, if time is short and the deadlines are approaching, you can always come to us with your dissertation discussion chapter.

At British Dissertation Home, we provide dissertation proposal service (or dissertation in general). So, feel free to take our help and secure good grades.