A good discussion section should encompass a comprehensive review of the research results, including a critical analysis, along with establishing connections to existing literature and addressing any limitations. A list of 13 excellent academic phrases sourced from real published papers, which can assist you in crafting your own discussion.
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Contents
Academic phrases to interpret results in the discussion section
These results suggest that…
Example: “These results suggest that the institutional paradigms may not be so influential in determining how individuals think.” (Blandon et al. 2019, p. 9)
The analysis showcases that…
Example: “The analysis showcases that to move from a general nexus thinking to an operational nexus concept, it is important to focus on data availability and scale.” (Laspidou et al., 2020, p. 1)
The results of the conducted experiments show…
Example: “The results of the conducted experiments show that the products of methane pyrolysis can be strongly influenced by a change in the used catalyst.” ( (Scheiblehner et al. 2023, p. 6241)
Contrary to our expectations, the results…
Example: “Contrary to our expectations, the results from our European survey show that clustering of shoots by establishing S. anglica patches was universally observed across sites, despite widely varying environmental conditions.” (Van de Ven, 2022 et al., p. 1345)
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Academic phrases discussing how findings relate to previous research in the discussion section
Confirming previous evidence…
Example: “Confirming previous evidence (Frick 2012; Moffitt 2006), the three problem trajectories were exposed to high levels of socio-economic disadvantage and family risks from infancy and high levels of child risks during early childhood.” Gutman et al. 2019, p. 193)
This study identified similar patterns as established in previous studies…
Example: “This study identified similar patterns of conduct problem trajectories as established in previous studies using international community samples (e.g., Broidy et al. 2003), differentiating between a low problem group (58%) and persistent (7%), childhood-limited (23%) and adolescentonset pathways (12%)“(Gutman et al. 2019, p. 193)
Our results are generally in line with the literature and confirm…
Example: “Looking at other control variables, our results are generally in line with the literature and confirm the importance of foreign investors’ characteristics as mediating factors on the extent of local sourcing.” (Amendolagine and Prota, 2021, p. 180)
Despite the similarity between our results and those of…
Example: “Despite the similarity between our results and those of Regehr et al. (2010) and Bromaghin et al. (2015), there are some important differences between both the data and the methods used among the
investigations.” (Bromaghin et al., 2021, p. 14262)
These results are similar to those reported by…
Example: “When analyzing the two nozzles (AIXR flat-fan and TTI), there was a 7% junglerice reduction in control using the TTI nozzles (Table 2). These results are similar to those reported by Carter et al. (2017) who observed a 5% to 6% reduction in grass control.” (Perkins et al., 2021, p. 422)
Academic phrases discussing the contribution in the discussion section
This study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, …
Example: “This study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, we simultaneously accounted for possible positive and potential negative effects of telework on employees’ work-home conflict…” (Delanoeije et al., 2019, p. 1862)
The contributions of this study are twofold/threefold/…
Example: “The contributions of this study are threefold. First, by examining daily role transitions as mediators in the relationship between telework and work-to-home and home-to-work conflict, our study helps to understand through which mechanisms telework affects thework-home interface…” (Delanoeije et al., 2019, p. 1845)
Academic phrases discussing limitations in the discussion section
In interpreting the findings, a number of limitation should be considered.
Example: “In interpreting the findings, a number of limitations should be considered. First, …” (Gutman et al. 2019, p. 195)
It is worth pointing out…
Example: “It is worth pointing out that this paper only analyzes the challenges and paths to achieve carbon neutrality from a theoretical level. Specific measures to achieve a carbon-neutral target are too broad to be covered by a theoretical paper. In the future, scenario analysis or integrated assessment models can be used to analyze the specific practice path of carbon neutrality goal.” (Zhao et al. 2022, p. 3)
