If you are reading this post, chances are that you have reached the discussion chapter of your dissertation. Well, congratulations that you have completed the analysis of the results and now going to discuss the results. Writing a dissertation discussion chapter is not an easy task. It takes time and effort to craft. However, if you know the rules for writing this chapter, no one can stop you from creating an amazing discussion chapter. Keeping this in mind, in today’s post, we will demystify the 8 rules that you must follow. Before that, let’s explain what a dissertation discussion chapter is.
What Is The Dissertation Discussion Chapter?
The dissertation discussion chapter is the section of your dissertation where you delve into the meaning of your research results. This chapter focuses on explaining what you have found, showing how the results relate to your research questions, and making an argument about your research results. Writing a dissertation discussion chapter serves the following 4 purposes:
- Explain and interpret the results
- Answer your research questions
- Justify your approach toward the research
- Critically evaluate the study results
8 Rules You Must Follow When Writing A Discussion Chapter
Writing a dissertation discussion chapter is not an easy task, especially for students who lack essential analysis and writing skills. However, by following the rules for writing this chapter, you can easily craft a good discussion chapter. What are those 8 rules to follow? A brief description of the 8 rules you must follow is as follows:
1. Restate The Research Problem
The first rule for writing a discussion chapter is that you should restate the research problem and research questions. It is necessary because after coming this far, the reader might have forgotten about the actual research purpose. If you have formulated a research hypothesis, you must mention that hypothesis instead of the problem statement.
2. Summaries The Key Findings
Before discussing the results, it is important to summaries the key findings of your dissertation. This section may look different for different kinds of results. For example, the qualitative results will have a different way of writing the findings, and the quantitative way will have a different way. Whatever the case is, follow the rule and summaries the primary findings.
3. Interpret The Results
The next rule after summarising the results in this chapter is to interpret them. To do this, you look deep into the data and locate any themes and patterns hidden in the data. Interpreting means you disclose the real meaning of the patterns and themes hidden in your data. It is important to remember that you must not include anything new in this section.
4. Discuss The Implications Of Your Results
The next rule for writing a dissertation discussion chapter is that you must disclose the implications of your research results. It means relating your results to the scholarly work that has been done in the past in your field. The implications should show how your study fits into the previous research work and why it matters.
5. Do Not Forget The Limitations
Even the best of the best research studies has some limitations. As a researcher, you must acknowledge your limitations and discuss them in the dissertation discussion chapter. When you acknowledge the limitations of your research, in fact, you make your research study more credible and authentic. Therefore, do not forget them at any cost.
6. Make Recommendations
As you have discussed the limitations of your study, it is also necessary that you now make recommendations. The recommendations will be about future research that can be carried out in your research field. When you are making recommendations, it is important to highlight any future research opportunities that lie in your research field.
7. Provide A Concluding Summary
Finally, you have reached the end of your discussion chapter. In the end, you must give a concluding summary of your results and interpretations. In this summary, you must not include each and every detail. In fact, here, you should only discuss the main points that you have made in your discussion chapter, and that is it. If you cannot do it, hire dissertation proposal writing services.
8. Do Edit And Proofread
The last rule, and in my view, the most important one to keep in mind, is that you must not forget to edit and proofread the discussion chapter. When writing a dissertation discussion, making grammatical mistakes is not a new thing. Therefore, you must edit and proofread it before submitting it. Otherwise, you will lose marks.
Conclusion
Conclusively, writing a dissertation discussion chapter is a challenging task. However, by following the 8 rules stated above, you can create a very good chapter. The most important thing is that you must not forget to edit and proofread the chapter.
