ABSTRACT
The final section of a research article is the Discussion/Conclusions. This is where researchers interpret their findings, make practical applications, and try to fit them into the big picture to answer their research questions. This chapter explains what the discussion/conclusions section is supposed to do, and summarizes a number of concerns to which the consumer should give attention. To illustrate these principles, the chapter provides two examples from two different types of research designs. Researchers vary in the format they use to wrap up their studies. Some will only have a discussion section. Others will have both discussion and conclusion sections. Regardless of the format they use, they usually include six ingredients in the discussion/conclusions section of their paper. They are: an overview of the study, overview of the findings, relation of findings, attention to limitations, possible applications, and future possibilities.
