Speaker 1: So, one of the really important things that you've got to do in a thesis or in a research paper is to discuss the results. But how do you actually do that? Is there like a universal formula that you could use, you know, regardless of the field that you're in, that's going to work for you? Well, the answer is yes, and I want to present you with that formula in today's video. So, let's dive right into it. If you're new here, just before we start, my name is Marek Pichkovic and I run Academic English Now, where I help university students, especially PhD students, help them accelerate their PhD journey, write an excellent thesis and research papers for high-impact journals. If you enjoyed this video, then definitely hit the subscribe and the like button so you don't miss future videos. And in this one, I want to focus on a very important section of a research paper or your thesis, which is the discussion section. So this happens, you know, once you've presented your results, then you need to discuss them. But what does that actually mean and how can you structure the discussion section so that it flows really well, is coherent, and, you know, is there a structure, a universal paradigm that you could follow regardless of what your field is, regardless of whether you're doing, you know, second language acquisition, or you're doing quantum physics, or biology, or something else, right? And the answer is that there is a universal paradigm and a universal structure that you can follow and implement in your thesis or in your research paper. So what is that structure? Well, the first element is to restate the main result. So what happens first is that you've got to state the result or restate that result that you're going to discuss, right? And you know, if we look at it on the level of a paragraph, that's going to be the first sentence of the paragraph. We restate the main result that we're going to discuss. And then the second thing that we do is we compare that result with the literature. In other words, we want to show the similarities and the differences between our result and the results that previous researchers have obtained, right? So you know, you basically want to show us how your results fit into the larger field. Now after you've compared your results, this, you know, if we look at the level of the paragraph, this can be like two sentences or something like this in a paragraph typically. What we're going to do next is explain our results. So what you might do is, let's say, if there are differences between your results and the results of previous researchers, then you want to explain those differences and tell us why they might have occurred. Maybe they occurred because you used a different method or maybe you had other participants or you studied other materials or something like that, right? You've got to give us an explanation for that difference. If there is no difference, then you could also focus on explaining why you obtained a particular finding. So if you've got an interesting, maybe an unexpected result, then as a reader, I want to know why, you know, why you obtained this interesting finding. So that's the third aspect, explanation. Now the fourth aspect is to interpret the findings. In other words, in here, you want to tell us basically what your findings mean, right? What is the main takeaway message? And this is something that I find, you know, a lot of PhD students forget to do. You know, they write a paragraph and then they forget that they should tell us what these findings mean. Like, you know, sometimes I read a paragraph in the discussion or the results section and, you know, and I kind of think to myself, and so what? You know, what does all this mean, right? And that's the interpretation aspect, you know? Think, you know, for example, how can these findings be applied in practice? How should we see those practice? How should we see those results? How should we read them? What should the reader think, right? So organizing the discussion section, you know, regardless of what field you're in, it's very simple. You know, you start with restating your main results and then you compare your results to the literature. And then number three, you explain your results or the differences with literature. And number four, you interpret your results. And you can do that in a single paragraph as well, or that can be a framework for, like, organizing, you know, a larger chunk of your discussion section. So if you've enjoyed this video, if you found it valuable, then definitely hit the subscribe button, hit the like button. But also I'd encourage you to schedule a free one-to-one strategy session with me. And you might be wondering, you know, what is a strategy session? Why should I schedule it? Well, it's going to be a one-to-one meeting between you and me. And during that session, we're going to first identify what is holding you back. And then we'll pinpoint exactly what you want to achieve. And then we'll outline a plan, a strategy that will help you achieve these goals faster. And then if it sounds like it's a good fit for both of us, then we can talk a little bit further as well, you know, how we could work together and how specifically I could help you to achieve your goals. So if you want to do that, then the link to book the free one-to-one strategy session is somewhere around this video in the description either below or above.