What you will achieve
Develop a first draft for your Discussion.
Prerequisites:
- Read 2–3 papers in your target journal to see how Discussions are written in your field: Analysing papers in your field.
- List your research questions and the corresponding findings, broader context, and study aims (e.g. by Drafting the Introduction and Drafting the Results).
Developing the first Discussion draft
Step 1: Draw conclusions by interpreting the findings
For each result, set a 10-minute timer, and use the Freewriting technique to answer this question:
If this finding or output is true beyond the constraints of your study (i.e. can be applied universally), how does this finding answer the research question?
About the word " universally"
This is a creative thinking exercise designed to push you beyond your own study constraints. While it’s unrealistic that results ever apply universally, this phrasing is deliberately provocative to nudge your brain out of the specific and into the general.
Step 2. Support your conclusions
For each conclusion, list literature that supports this conclusion.
Step 3. Critique your conclusions
For each conclusion, list evidence that does not support it:
- Contradictory results
- Conflicting literature
- Assumptions you made about the data
- Potential study limitations
Step 4. Explain why your conclusions still hold
For each conclusion that is weakened by conflicting evidence, either:
- Write a rebuttal explaining why the conflicting evidence does not invalidate your conclusion, OR
- Rewrite the conclusion in the “Updated conclusion” column to reflect the limitation.
Example table for steps 1-4
| Research question | Finding | Conclusion | Supporting literature | Conflicting evidence | Rebuttal/updated conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How does drought affect mangrove growth? | Growth fell 40% under drought | Drought impacts biomass allocation more than photosynthesis | Smith 2020; Lee 2021 | Jones 2019 found no effect in sandy soils | Jones studied seedlings; our mature trees may respond differently |
Step 5: Discuss your conclusions
For each research question, write ~1-3 paragraphs integrating these elements:
- (Updated) Conclusion
- Results & Supporting literature
- Conflicting evidence & Rebuttal
Study-level vs. research-question-level elements
Some elements of the Discussion—such as limitations—may apply to the entire study rather than to a single research question. If an element affects the whole study (e.g., overall design constraints, sampling choices, or methodological assumptions shared across all research questions), discuss it once in an overarching section instead of repeating it under each research question.
Step 6: Write the Implications
- Restate the broader problem the study aims to address.
- Discuss in 1-2 paragraphs how your study contributes to solving this broader problem.
Next steps:
- Get input from your writing team: Asking for feedback