Drafting Results and Discussion

You’ve collected data and run your analysis. Now you need to tell the story of what you found (Results) and what it means (Discussion). These two sections are where many papers succeed or fail — clear data presentation and insightful interpretation are what reviewers look for.

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you wrote a methodology section describing your research design, participants, and analysis approach. The Results section reports what that analysis produced.

Writing the Results Section

The Golden Rule: Facts Only

The Results section answers one question: “What did you find?” No interpretation, no comparison to other studies, no speculation about causes.

Good Results writing: “Participants in the AI-assisted group scored significantly higher (M = 85.2, SD = 7.1) than the control group (M = 78.4, SD = 8.3), t(98) = 4.42, p < .001, d = 0.88.”

Bad Results writing: “Participants in the AI-assisted group scored impressively higher, proving that AI tools are effective.” (This interprets — save it for Discussion.)

Using AI to Present Results Clearly

AI can transform your raw analysis output into polished academic prose:

I have these statistical results from my study. Please write them
as a Results section paragraph in APA format:

- Test: Independent samples t-test
- Groups: AI-assisted (n=50) vs Control (n=50)
- DV: Test score (0-100)
- AI group: M=85.2, SD=7.1
- Control: M=78.4, SD=8.3
- t(98) = 4.42, p < .001
- Cohen's d = 0.88

Rules:
- Report facts only, no interpretation
- Include effect size and confidence intervals
- Follow APA statistical reporting format

✅ Quick Check: Your AI-generated Results paragraph says “the difference was highly significant.” Is this appropriate Results language? (Answer: No. “Highly significant” is interpretation. Report the exact p-value and let readers judge. Correct: “The difference was statistically significant, t(98) = 4.42, p < .001.” Avoid qualitative judgments in the Results section.)

Organizing Multiple Results

Present results in the same order as your research questions or hypotheses:

I have results for 3 research questions. Help me organize them:

RQ1: [question] → [finding + statistics]
RQ2: [question] → [finding + statistics]
RQ3: [question] → [finding + statistics]

Structure them with clear subheadings and logical flow.
Report significant and non-significant results equally.

Tables and Figures

AI can help design effective data presentations:

I need a table to present these results:
[Paste your data]

Create an APA-formatted table with:
- Descriptive statistics (M, SD) for each group
- Test statistics and p-values
- Effect sizes
- Clear column headers and notes

Rule: Every table and figure must be referenced in the text. Don’t just drop a table — write a sentence directing the reader to it and highlight the key finding.

Writing the Discussion Section

The Structure

A strong Discussion follows this pattern:

1. Restate key findings (1-2 sentences)
2. Interpret in context — connect to your literature review
3. Explain unexpected results — why did something not match expectations?
4. Acknowledge limitations — be honest about weaknesses
5. State implications — practical and theoretical
6. Suggest future research — what should come next?

AI-Assisted Discussion Drafting

I'm writing the Discussion section for my paper on [topic].

My key findings:
1. [Finding 1 with statistics]
2. [Finding 2 with statistics]
3. [Finding 3 — this one was unexpected]

Previous literature I reviewed:
- [Author, year]: Found [related finding]
- [Author, year]: Found [contradicting finding]
- [Author, year]: Found [supporting finding]

Help me draft the Discussion:
- Connect each finding to the existing literature
- Explain why Finding 3 might have been unexpected
- Be honest about limitations (I'll provide these)
- Suggest 2-3 directions for future research

✅ Quick Check: Your AI-generated Discussion paragraph says “This conclusively proves that AI improves learning outcomes.” Is this appropriate? (Answer: No. Academic writing avoids absolute claims. Better: “These findings suggest that AI-assisted approaches may improve learning outcomes in this context.” Research supports or suggests — it rarely “proves” anything, especially from a single study.)

Handling Non-Significant Results

Don’t skip them. Discuss possible explanations:

My study found a non-significant result for [variable]:
[Exact statistic, p-value, effect size]

Help me write a Discussion paragraph that:
1. Reports the finding honestly
2. Explores possible explanations (insufficient power, genuine null
   effect, measurement sensitivity)
3. Notes what this adds to the literature (null results are informative)
4. Suggests what future research could do differently

Writing the Limitations Subsection

Every paper has limitations. Acknowledging them demonstrates maturity and actually increases your credibility with reviewers:

My study's limitations:
- [List your limitations honestly]

For each limitation, help me write a sentence that:
1. States the limitation clearly
2. Explains how it might affect the interpretation
3. Suggests how future research could address it

Common limitations to address: sample size, population generalizability, measurement tools, study duration, confounding variables.

The Introduction and Abstract (Written Last)

Counterintuitively, many researchers write the Introduction and Abstract after Results and Discussion:

• Introduction frames the problem — you know the full story now
• Abstract summarizes everything — you can’t summarize what isn’t written yet

Based on my complete paper, write an abstract (250 words max):
- Sentence 1: Background and research gap
- Sentence 2: Study objective
- Sentence 3: Method (brief)
- Sentence 4-5: Key results with main statistics
- Sentence 6: Conclusion and implications

Practice Exercise

1. Take real or practice data and write a Results paragraph using the AI prompt template
2. Remove any interpretive language — keep only facts and statistics
3. Write a Discussion paragraph connecting one finding to two studies from your lit review
4. Draft a limitations paragraph with at least three honest limitations
5. Write a 250-word abstract summarizing your entire paper

Key Takeaways

• Results = facts only (what you found). Discussion = interpretation (what it means)
• Report non-significant results honestly — hiding them is reporting bias
• Every table and figure must be referenced in text
• Discussion structure: restate findings → connect to literature → limitations → implications → future research
• Write the Introduction and Abstract last — they summarize the completed paper
• AI helps with formatting and structure, but your interpretation must be genuinely yours

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll learn to manage citations properly, cite AI-generated content correctly, and ensure your paper meets academic integrity standards.