DISCUSSION 3rd AMDI Scientific Writing Noorsuzana Mohd Shariff

Specially Crafted by | TAQI’UDDIN HAMZAH

It main functions are… To answer the questions posed in the introduction. To explain how the results support the answers. To explain how the answers fit in with the existing knowledge on the topic.

COMMON ERRORS IN WRITING DISCUSSION… Repetition of data presented in the Results section. Incorrect interpretation of the findings. Importance of results inadequately discussed or omitted. Irrelevant and faulty discussion points Obscure interpretation. Failure to identify any weaknesses. Omission of key and relevant references. Preferential quoting of references. Explanations are too long or verbose.

Components of discussion

Components Of The Discussion Section Highlighting the findings Interpreting and elaborating the results Corroborating with previous work Summarizing the implications of current work Identifying contradicting and unexpected findings Stating the limitations of the methods used Providing concise conclusion

Highlighting new and important findings Stress on the newness of the data obtained (original and have not been conducted in other studies) Explore possible mechanisms or explanation for the new findings Be careful- do not repeat in detail data or other material that has been presented in the Introduction or Results sections.

Presenting the principles, relationships and generalisations derived from the results Describe the principles and relationships drawn from each major finding. Discussion of each finding should be logically organised. First stating the answer Relevant results Citing the works of others with similar findings Cite studies in agreement and then any that might be in disagreement. Give priority to papers with same methodology (same system, model, organ, or cell) then other systems, model, organs or cells.

Corroborating with previous work Conduct thorough literature search. Compare and contrast your results and interpretations with previous major and relevant work of others. Highlight conflicting findings and possible reasons for the differences. A text paragraph without references is not discussion! Cite studies in agreement and then any that might be in disagreement. Give priority to papers with same methodology (same system, model, organ, or cell) then other systems, model, organs or cells.

Summarizing the implications of the current work Summarize the main implications of the findings regardless of statistical significance. Discuss any possible clinical and scientific applications for the findings and their implications. By all means speculate but let the reader know that you are speculating !- weight of evidence determines the level of certainty Cite studies in agreement and then any that might be in disagreement. Give priority to papers with same methodology (same system, model, organ, or cell) then other systems, model, organs or cells.

Identifying contradicting and unexpected findings Discuss and evaluate any contradicting and unexpected findings. Explain the discrepancies. Cite studies in agreement and then any that might be in disagreement. Give priority to papers with same methodology (same system, model, organ, or cell) then other systems, model, organs or cells.

Stating the limitations of the methods used It is important to identify the potential limitations and weaknesses of the study methodology. Comment on how they affected the accuracy in the interpretation of the results. State honestly how these limitations may have influenced the validity of the findings and their interpretations. Cite studies in agreement and then any that might be in disagreement. Give priority to papers with same methodology (same system, model, organ, or cell) then other systems, model, organs or cells.

Providing a concise conclusion Summarizing the main points and linking them to the objectives of the study Should be carefully written as many readers will read this part first. Readers would more likely to read if the ‘take home message’ is clear and interesting. Cite studies in agreement and then any that might be in disagreement. Give priority to papers with same methodology (same system, model, organ, or cell) then other systems, model, organs or cells.

Typical ‘discussion’ flow chart 1st paragraph Synopsis of the new findings 2nd paragraph General findings Fit/non-fit with the literature 3rd /4th… paragraph Specific findings Final paragraph Overall conclusion

Take home message… Do thorough literature search prior to your discussion. Give a lot of attention and effort to writing this section well. Use same key terms, same verb tense, and the same point of view that was used when posing the questions and hypotheses in the Introduction. Avoid any redundancy between Results and the Discussion. Keep it brief and clearly written. Your message should be clear and your sentences unambiguously and concisely constructed to state, support, explain and defend the results provided as well as to discuss other important and relevant issues. Specially Crafted by | TAQI’UDDIN HAMZAH