How To Write Discussion And Conclusion Chapter Of Dissertation & Thesis
Why is it important to include discussion and conclusion chapter? When you were writing the introduction to your dissertation, you told the audience that your study matters and that they should care. At the end of the paper, they expect to find your promise —a new understanding of the issues you raised in your discussion. The readers need to feel that you delivered on your promise and that reading your paper was a good use of their time. That is what makes writing discussion and conclusion chapter so challenging. Therefore, you need to get a discussion chapter writing service that knows how to write discussion and conclusion chapter of dissertation.
Difference Between Discussion And Conclusion
Sometimes, discussion and conclusion are presented as two distinct sections of a dissertation. Other times, they are presented together. It is also right to call this part ‘Interpretation’. Your discussion includes the conclusion, but it is not the inclusion itself.
How To Write Discussion And Conclusion Chapter of Dissertation: Structure
Writing the discussion and conclusion can be difficult, and can leave you feeling immobilised for days, unable to finish your paper. But a dissertation without this section is still work-in-progress and is not much use to anybody. How are you going to organise this part so that the reader feels smoothly transitioned from the promises of the introduction to the fulfilment of the discussion and conclusion? Here are some practical steps to guide you along the way:
Voice and tone
Use active voice as it helps you eliminate wordiness and awkward phrasing usually associated with passive voice. The tone needs to be analytical and objective. As much as possible, use short, grammatical sentences.
Remind the audience why the study matters
The goal of the discussion and conclusion section is to use the results collected during the research to fully answer the questions you have raised in the introduction section. Do not make the mistake of repeating the introduction. Describe succinctly, using the results obtained, the nature of the knowledge gap your work attempts to address. Show the reader why there was a need to fill the gap in the first place. Remind the reader how your study will result in increased knowledge and how it leads others to do further research.
Describe the knowledge gap you need to fill
All the questions asked in the introduction of your dissertation should be answered in the discussion and conclusion section. Factor in every result you obtained, no matter how statistically insignificant, so long as a result has relevance to the questions. Elaborate on the significance of the most important findings. If the results lead to conflicting inferences, present an evaluation of the merits of each. Note: you are not copy-pasting the content you had written in the results section. Your job here is to show how the results answer your hypothesis.
Discuss whether your conclusions agree with existing literature
The reader needs to know whether your findings are in agreement with existing knowledge and the expectations that arise from such knowledge. Here is where you need to bring your persuasion skills to bear upon the argument you present. Show how your arguments are stronger than those of others who are of contrary views. Explain any unexpected results. If the conclusions arrived at are not in alignment with existing literature, explain.
Highlight limitations of your research
Discuss the limitations of your study, if any, and their relevance to the interpretation of the results. Explain the significance of these limitations to the validity of your findings, too. The tone needs to be critical and unapologetic. The reader needs to feel confident that you have done a thorough examination of the results. Make them conclude that your assessment of the results promotes the desire of the scientific community to expand the existing body of knowledge.
Include recommendations
The suggestions you make in the discussion and conclusion section should inspire other seekers of knowledge to carry out relevant studies that build upon the new knowledge you have presented. Keep the list brief — in fact, do not include more than two recommendations.
Maintain the same flow as you lead the reader through the sections that contain the results, the methods, and the discussion and conclusion. Use parallel structure in these sections as it helps the audience to build up a rhythm as they read and also brings them to a place of comprehension. Using parallel structure enables you to avoid a lot of narration in this section since the reader can anticipate the flow of ideas based on how you wrote the results section.
Summarize The Dissertation
End the paper with a brief, concise summary that explains the big-picture impact of your research. Show how the study enhances the understanding of the subject matter. It is time to show how your work filled the knowledge gap you talked about in the introduction.
Assuming you handled every other section well, there is no reason your dissertation should fail. It should succeed and gain you acceptance into the scientific community.