RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In many research papers, the presentation of the results and discussion of their significance are separated into two distinct sections. Papers differ greatly in style, general nature of content, and objectives so that no general rule can be given. At this stage you should be particularly careful to avoid introducing information that should have been presented earlier or making conclusions of which you have laid no foundation.

You should include only relevant data. Do not give a history of your research. Equations, figures, and tables should be introduced when necessary for clarity and conciseness. In general, the same data should not be reported in both figures and tables. All numeric data should be reported in metric units based on the SI system. Check with your teacher for help.

In the discussion of the significance of your results, it is essential that you be objective. The features and limitations of your work should be pointed out, and the results should be interpreted, compared, and contrasted. The discussion is the most difficult part of any paper. Anyone can make measurements, but to try to explain what those measurements mean is often quite difficult. Work with your teacher on this section. Do not expect him or her to know all of the answers immediately. Even if they do know, they may delay in telling you so that you can learn how to think about the results and propose possible explanations.