Writing Discussion Sections

You may, or may not, have a particular section of your dissertation or thesis entitled 'Discussion'. The term 'discussion' encompasses various meanings. In the context of academic writing, however, it typically denotes two primary activities.

1.  Considering research findings and their implications (i.e. interpreting evidence)

2. Examining different sides of an issue or question before arriving at a conclusion (i.e. providing a novel interpretation).

When it comes to dissertations and research articles, the discussion sections are arguably the most intricate parts due to their multifaceted components. They are the part of your writing where you refer to experimental data, findings, literature reviews previously discussed in your study and, most importantly, provide a unique but informed interpretation. These sections often revolve around a 'statement of result', claim or a significant 'discovery.' Given that there are usually multiple results, or interpretations, discussion sections in longer texts are commonly structured as a series of discussion cycles. Below, we have outlined the most prevalent moves within one of these cycles and provided examples of the academic language typically found within them.

Discussion Moves and Associated Academic Phrases

 

From Paragraph to Discussion

Discussing and arguing are fundamental to all forms of academic writing, and you will likely focus on these in many of the written texts you produce. In order to understand how to 'construct' an academic discussion in any type of text, it is important to first review the fundamentals of paragraphing. This is because well-structured paragraphs are the building blocks used to create insightful and convincing discussions. 

Once you have an understanding of the mechanics of paragraphing, you are able to focus on how paragraphs work together within discussion sections. First, let us explore the necessary transition that takes place in all discussions from individual claims or statements of result (on a paragraph level) to the discussion's overarching Key Point. Let us first consider a Model for Discussions

Discussion sections are constructed in academic writing by proposing one or more key points. A ‘key point’ can derive from either your research or through the exploration of secondary sources (i.e. literature) and is the direct culmination of the paragraph ‘claims’ preceding it. In the natural sciences, in the place of claims, the writer puts forward a number of ‘statement of results'.

Please consider the graphic below:

 

 

Oxford Literature Review Examples

Discussion Example - Social Science

Consider the Social Science (Law) example below. Pay particular attention to how the claims found in the individual paragraphs lead towards the Key Point in the last paragraph:

II.Traditional fundamentals
.
According to the ABGB, section 1296, in case of doubt, it shall be presumed that damage has occurred without the fault of someone else. This means that the injured party has to prove that the defendant unlawfully and culpably caused their damage. Thus, in principle, a claim for compensation will be dismissed if other explanations for the plaintiff's damage than the defendant's conduct cannot be ruled out. Such other explanations can be actions of a third party, or mere coincidence.
.
However, the law lowers the standard of proof for the injured party in some cases. According to section 1302, if individual responsibility of several perpetrators for definable parts of damage cannot be determined, they are jointly and severally liable. This applies not only to cases where several perpetrators jointly cause damage. It is commonly accepted that this provision also opens the door to compensation claims without proof of causation against individual defendants. If it is not clear which one of several perpetrators, who all conducted themselves hazardously, ultimately caused the damage ("alternative causation"), they are jointly and severally liable according to section 1302.1
.
In the classic textbook case of alternative causation, two hunters negligently endanger a beater by shooting in his direction. One of the bullets actually hits the beater, while the other bullet misses him, and it remains unclear which hunter's bullet hit. Under general rules, both hunters could avoid compensation claims, because the injured party can neither prove causation by the one nor causation by the other and would therefore walk away empty-handed. The commonly accepted interpretation of section 1302 avoids this unsatisfying result.
.
Therefore, it can be said that the joint liability of all potential tortfeasors in alternative causation cases is justified as follows: On the one hand, there is no doubt that the injured party is entitled to damages; it is just unclear from whom. On the other hand, it is clear that all perpetrators culpably contribute to the injured party's adverse situation. In the example, the hunter whose bullet actually does not hit the beater still acts unlawfully and hazardously, and he at least causes the unclarity for the injured party regarding the actual tortfeasor.
.
III.Case law regarding alternative causation with contingency...

Discussion Example - Humanities

Consider the Humanities (English Literature) example below. Pay particular attention to how the claims found in the individual paragraphs lead towards the Key Point in the last paragraph:

Not all acting is however reprehensible or ridiculed in Pride and Prejudice. The novel addresses its necessity by introducing the paradox that even sincere feelings require acting. This question surfaces in the novel’s discussion of women’s agency in courtship, an issue Elizabeth and her friend Charlotte Lucas address in relation to Jane’s restrained affection for Bingley. If Elizabeth ‘consider[s] with pleasure it was not likely to be discovered by the world in general’, Charlotte on the other hand argues such a discovery is strategic:

...it is sometimes a disadvantage to be so very guarded. If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him. […] In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better shew more affection than she feels. (PP, 23-24)

Female characters, such as Charlotte, implicitly argue for the necessity for women to act: the idea of ‘showing more’ feeling than really experienced implies first of all an outward display of feelings, and secondly a projection of sentiments that do not completely mirror the individual’s feelings, thus involving deception and ‘acting’, however honest its intent. This conversation moreover takes place at the Netherfield ball, a social event which, as already noted, bears a strong theatrical dimension, illustrating Charlotte’s point. While Charlotte does not deny the sincerity of Jane’s feelings, her observation argues that even the truth must be acted out. It is an instance of the Real-love politics she practises throughout the novel.

Events unfortunately for Jane prove Charlotte's point to be a valid one. This is highlighted when Darcy later confesses that Jane’s lack of emotional display convinced him of her indifference towards Bingley. While Darcy admits that his personal objections to the match coloured his interpretation of Jane’s feelings, he underlines in his confession-letter to Elizabeth that Jane’s outward show of feeling had a greater influence (pp. 219-20).

Darcy presents his situation as that of detached spectator, underlining his active gaze. This is suggestive of the position of theatrical audiences, and illustrates ‘the widespread social network of vigilance and visibility’, which Litvak identifies as characteristic of the theatrical in the novel.179 Jane is the object of Darcy's observation, thereby inserting her in a theatrical framework. The opposition between ‘received’ and ‘participation of sentiment’ implies that courtship is a dynamic exchange and requires action: the externalisation and therefore ‘acting’ of feelings are necessary. ‘Countenance’ and ‘airs’ emphasise the importance of the character’s external appearance in determining his or her inner feelings, confirming Charlotte’s point. It is thus seen that the necessity of externalising feelings infuses sincere feelings with acting, and vice versa, a paradox that Austen later develops in Mansfield Park.

Discussion Example - MPLS

Consider the MPLS (Materials Science) example below. Pay particular attention to how the claims - or statements of results - found in the individual paragraphs culminate in the Key Point in the last paragraph:

In contrast to the high-T measurements, the data acquired from the low-T samples shows higher levels of deformation (Figure 7). Both samples 340-CT1 and 320-CT1 exhibited high levels of deformation near the crack tip (on the colour temperature spectrum shown in yellow, orange and red). For instance, the average MO map of sample 340-CT1 (Figure 7a) indicated that these areas of high local deformation corresponded to the pile-up of a number of slip- or deformation bands. Furthermore, the strain concentration around the crack tip in sample 320-CT1 (Figure 7d) appeared to be particularly high. The extent of the PZ in most low-T samples studied is significantly higher 15 than in the high-T samples. While sample 340-CT1 reaches MO plateaus of 6.0 and 9.1 (error ~ 1.6), the extent of the PZ in sample 320-CT1 is even higher in the bottom grain (10 ± 1.7) ...

In addition to the misorientation measurements, Figure 9 illustrates the geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density distribution in samples 360-CT1 and 340-CT1. This method uses high-resolution, cross-correlation-based [19] data for the evaluation of the lattice curvature, which is linked to the dislocation content using the Nye’s tensor [21], and to calculate GND densities [22].

Figure 9a and b show the total GND distribution around the crack tip in the high-T sample (360C) and the low-T sample (340C), respectively. Based on both average misorientation maps (Figure 6a and Figure 7a) and the GND distribution (Figure 9a and b), it is noticeable that the misorientation tended to be higher with the lower temperature, indicating that more dislocations are contained around the crack tip. In addition, quantitative assessment of the GND density via frequency histograms, constructed using all valid measurements points within each map (Figure 9c), also indicated a slight increase in the GND density as the temperature decreases. Finally, the extent of the plastic zone (and therefore level of deformation) was averaged for each temperature, considering all misorientation measurements in both top and bottom grains of all samples, and plotted against the SCC test temperature (Figure 10, red line).

This curve shows a similar progression as the CGR-T graph, although the trend in the deformation slows down for the higher temperatures.

 

Further Language Considerations

Despite their importance, there is no one way in which to signal to the reader that a key point is forthcoming. There are however a number of language patterns that are used within all academic disciplines. The most typical is to use a ‘reporting verb’ formulation where the subject of the sentence is either a personal pronoun or a specific noun (e.g. Extract 1). However, as you can see in the graphic below, there are alternative constructions that serve the same purpose.

Factors that Strengthen or Weaken Key Points

  1. Sentence

Stronger: Key Point has its own sentence

  • These results clearly indicate how dietary biochemical components are used in the body.

Weaker: Key Point is part of another sentence

  • The two results show why APBs are good nucleation sites for second layer islands, and indicate that a small amount of strain energy can have a large effect in growth processes.
  1. Clause type

Stronger: Key Point introduced by a main clause

  • These results clearly indicate how dietary biochemical components are used in the body.

Weaker: Key Point is part of another sentence

  • The two results show why APBs are good nucleation sites for second layer islands, and indicate that a small amount of strain energy can have a large effect in growth processes.
  1. Main Clause or Participle Clause

Stronger: Main Clause

  • It is therefore evident that neorealism cinema directly stemmed from the suffering of the world war period.

Weaker: Participle Clause

  • …suggesting that…
  1. Reporting Verb Form and Tense

Stronger: Present Tense

  • We therefore conclude that…

Weaker: Past Tense of Passive

  • This thesis therefore suggested that
  • It is therefore argued that…
  1. Grammatical Subject

Stronger: Personal Pronoun or Specific Noun

  • We… (natural science); I… (social science/humanities)
  • These results indicate (natural science); This chapter argues that (social science/humanities)

Weaker: Non-Specific Noun

  • This suggests that…
  1. Choice of Verb

Stronger: Non-Hedged

  • We conclude that…

Weaker: Hedged

  • We suggest that…