Speaker 1: In this video, we're going to explain exactly how to write up the results chapter for a qualitative study, whether that's a dissertation, thesis, or any other kind of academic research project. We'll walk you through the process step by step so that you can craft your results section with confidence. So grab a cup of coffee, grab a cup of tea, whatever works for you, and let's jump into it. Hey, welcome to Grad Coach TV, where we demystify and simplify the oftentimes intimidating world of academic research. My name is Emma, and today we're going to explore the results chapter, which is also sometimes called the findings chapter. Specifically, we'll be looking at the approach for qualitative studies. If your project uses a quantitative methodology, we've got another video specifically covering that. I'll include a link in the description below. If you're new to Grad Coach TV, be sure to hit that subscribe button for more videos covering all things research related. Also, if you're looking for hands-on help with your research, check out our one-on-one coaching services, where we help you craft your research project step by step. It's like having a friendly professor in your pocket whenever you need it. If that sounds interesting to you, you can learn more and book a free consultation at www.gradcoach.com. Okay, with that out of the way, let's get into it. Before we get into the nuts and bolts of how to write up the results chapter, it's useful to take a step back and ask the question, what exactly is the results chapter? And what purpose does it serve? If you understand both the what and the why, you'll have a much clearer direction in terms of the how. So, what's the results chapter all about? The results chapter in a dissertation or thesis, or any formal academic research piece really, is where you objectively and neutrally present and describe the findings of your qualitative analysis, or analyses if you use more than one qualitative analysis method. Present and describe are the key words here. This is not the place for interpretation. The results chapter is purely for presenting the findings of the analysis. It doesn't link them back to the literature or research questions, or interpret the broader meaning of the findings. That is all covered in the discussion chapter. A quick side note, the results chapter can sometimes be combined with the discussion chapter, where you interpret the data and discuss its meaning, depending on your university's preference. In this video, we'll treat the two chapters as separate, as that's the most common approach. But, be sure to double check with your university what their preference is in terms of structure. Right, as I mentioned earlier, the approach to the results chapter differs depending on your methodology. In other words, qualitative or quantitative. In contrast to a quantitative results chapter that presents numbers and statistics, a qualitative results chapter presents data primarily in the form of words. But, this doesn't mean that a qualitative study can't have quantitative elements. You could, for example, present the number of times a theme or topic pops up in your data, depending on the analysis method that you adopt. This is especially common when using content analysis as your primary analysis method. Adding a quantitative element to your study can add some rigor, which can strengthen your results chapter by providing more evidence for your claims. Keep in mind, though, that qualitative research aims to achieve depth and richness and to identify softer nuances. So, don't get tunnel vision by focusing on the numbers. They're just the cream on the top in a qualitative analysis. If you really want to bring numbers into your analysis, you might want to consider adopting a mixed methods approach. But, that's a completely different topic, so we won't cover that here. So, to recap, qualitative research aims to recap. The results chapter is where you objectively present and describe the findings of your qualitative analysis without interpreting them. Remember, you'll save that for the discussion chapter. Okay, with that out of the way, it's time to take a look at what you'll need to include in your results chapter. As I mentioned, your qualitative results chapter should purely present and describe your results, not interpret them in relation to the existing literature or your research questions. You need to save any speculation or discussion about the meaning and implications of your findings for your discussion chapter and conclusion chapter. So, then what goes into the results chapter? Well, in your results chapter, you'll need to talk about your analysis findings and whether or not they support your hypotheses, if you have any. And yes, it's okay if you don't. Every study is different. Naturally, the exact contents of your results chapter will depend on which qualitative analysis method or methods you use. For example, if you used thematic analysis, you need to detail the themes you identified in your analysis. And you'd use extracts from the interview transcripts or texts to support your claims regarding these themes. A quick side note, there are many different qualitative analysis methods you can use. Some of the most commonly used methods include content analysis, thematic analysis, narrative analysis, and discourse analysis. We cover all of these methods in detail on the Grad Coach blog. So, if you're not sure which analysis method to use, be sure to check those posts out. I'll include a link in the description. Anyhow, back to the results chapter. While you do need to present your analysis findings in some detail, you should avoid dumping large amounts of raw data in this chapter. Instead, focus on presenting the key analysis findings and use a handful of select quotes or text extracts that support each finding. The reams of data and analysis can be relegated to your appendices. While it's tempting to include every finding you uncovered in your qualitative analysis, it's important to make sure that you only report that which is relevant to your research aims, objectives, and research questions. Always keep these three components in mind as well as your research hypotheses, if you have any of course, when writing your results chapter and use them as a filter to decide what's relevant and what's not. Don't waste precious time and word count presenting data or findings that aren't related to your research aims, objectives, and research questions. Right. With that out of the way, it is time to look at how to actually go about writing the results chapter. Let's jump into it. Now that we've covered the basics, it's time to look at how to structure and write up your qualitative results chapter. Broadly speaking, the results chapter needs to contain three core sections, the introduction, the body, and the concluding summary. Let's take a look at each of these. Section one, the chapter introduction. The first step you'll need to take is to craft a brief introduction to your results chapter. This introduction section is vital as it provides context for your findings. In your intro, it's a good idea to begin by reiterating your problem statement and research questions and highlight the purpose of your research. This will be similar to what you covered in your introduction chapter, in other words, chapter one, but a lot more concise. The purpose of this section is just to remind the reader of the purpose and focus of your research, not to introduce them to the research project all over again. So, keep it clear and concise. The next step is to briefly outline the structure that you'll adopt for your results chapter. In other words, explain what you'll be including in the chapter and in what order. The aim here is to provide the reader with a basic roadmap of what to expect. In the results chapter, you want to tell a coherent story that flows logically and is easy to follow. So, you need to make sure that you plan your chapter structure out well and convey that structure in this introduction section. By doing this, you'll help your reader orient themselves so that they more easily digest the information. The introduction section of your results chapter shouldn't be lengthy. A few short paragraphs should be more than adequate. It is, after all, merely an introduction to, not a summary of the results chapter. Aim for one paragraph for the problem Aim for one paragraph for the problem statement, research questions, and purpose, and one paragraph for the structure outline. That should be ample. A quick tip, to help you structure your results chapter, it can be useful to set up an initial draft with section and subsection headings inserted so that you can easily arrange and rearrange parts of your chapter. Having a clear heading structure will also help your reader follow your results and give your chapter more coherence. In your results chapter, be sure to use clearly distinguishable level-based heading styles to help your reader differentiate between levels visually. For example, heading one, two, and three styles of different size. Microsoft Word has heading styles preloaded and formatted, so it's usually a good idea to use these. Adopting these styles will also allow you to make use of Word's automatic table of contents generator, which is a great tool. Using this functionality will save you a lot of time and ensure your table of contents is 100% accurate. I'll include a link in the description for more information about this. With the introduction section laid down, it's time to move on to the heart of the chapter, the body section. Section two, the body. The body section of your results chapter is where you present the key relevant findings from your qualitative analysis or analyses. In other words, the findings which relate to your research aims, objectives, and research questions. The structure of your body section is very important, so you should take the time to plan it out well before you start writing up. Be sure to systematically and consistently describe each portion of the results. Ideally, you want to adopt a standardized structure for each portion of analysis so that you achieve a high level of consistency throughout the chapter. For example, if you're discussing the themes that emerged from the data, you could adopt a theme-based structure in which you discuss each emergent theme using a standardized section structure covering the following. Number one, a brief, clear heading. Number two, an introductory paragraph explaining what the theme entails. Number three, a secondary paragraph outlining what the theme excludes. In other words, scoping the theme. Number four, a sample of three or four interview or text extracts supporting the theme. Number five, a closing section noting links to or contrast with any other themes. For qualitative studies, results chapters tend to be structured according to themes which makes it easier for readers to follow. However, keep in mind that not all results chapters have to be structured this way. For example, if you're conducting a longitudinal study, you may want to structure your chapter chronologically. Similarly, if you're using a theoretical framework, you might structure this chapter according to that. The exact structure of your chapter will depend on the nature of your study, especially your research questions. The important thing is to have some sort of logical, intuitive structure in place and to apply a consistent approach to how you discuss each section. As you work through the body of your chapter, make sure that you use quotes to substantiate every one of your claims. You can present these quotes in italics to differentiate them from your own words. As a general rule of thumb, try to use at least two interview quotes or text extracts for every claim that you make. Also, remember that you need to include all relevant results, not just the ones that support your assumptions, initial leanings, or the theoretical framework you're working with. Let the data speak, regardless of what it has to say. In addition to including quotes in the body section, you can also link your claims to the actual data set by using appendices, which you need to reference throughout your text. When you reference, make sure that you include both the name or number of the appendix, as well as the line from which you drew your data. This makes it easier for the reader to dig into the relevant data if they need to. Referencing styles can vary greatly. So, be sure to look up the appendix referencing conventions of your university's prescribed style. For example, APA, Harvard referencing, etc. And keep this consistent throughout your chapter. If you're unsure, check which style your university requires before you start writing, or you'll end up wasting loads of time doing double work. One final note regarding the body section. Remember that the results chapter needs to be completely objective and descriptive, not interpretive. So, be careful to not use words such as suggest or implies, as these types of words usually accompany some form of interpretation. That sort of activity is reserved for your discussion chapter. Once you've presented all of your analysis findings, all that's left to do is wrap up the results chapter. So, let's look at that. Section three, concluding summary. The final section of the results chapter is the concluding summary. The concluding summary is really important because it summarizes your key findings and lays the foundation for the discussion chapter, which comes up next. Keep in mind that some readers may skip from the introduction section directly to this section of the chapter. In other words, they may not read the body of the results chapter. So, it's a good idea to check that there is a smooth flow from the intro to the conclusion section, and that it all makes sense without having to read the body section. So, what goes into the concluding summary? Well, in this section, you need to remind the reader of the key findings, that is the results that directly relate to your research objectives and research questions, and that you will build upon in your discussion chapter. By this stage of the results chapter, your reader has likely digested a lot of information. So, you need to use this section to remind them of the most important takeaways. So, when you're crafting this section of your results chapter, start by revisiting your research aims, objectives, and questions, and use these as a foundation for your concluding summary. Importantly, the concluding summary should not present any new information. You should only describe what you've already presented in your results chapter. If you find that there's something new that you want to slide in here, go back and flesh out your results chapter so as to include that point. As with the introduction section, you need to keep your concluding summary concise. Remember, you're not summarizing the whole chapter, just highlighting the key takeaways. All right, so to recap, your results chapter structure should include a chapter introduction, a main body, and a concluding summary. While the main body is where the bulk of your word count will sit, and the vast majority of your marks will be earned, you need to make sure your intro and conclusion sections are well-developed and can tell a clear story even for readers who skip over the body. Now that we've covered the what, why, and how of the qualitative results chapter, I want to quickly share five simple tips slash reminders before we wrap up. Here we go. One, your results chapter should be written in the past tense. You've already done the work, so you want to tell the reader what you found, not what you are currently finding. So stick to the past tense and write using the active voice, unless your university specifically requests otherwise. Two, make sure that you review your work multiple times and check that every claim you make is adequately backed up by evidence. Aim for at least two quotes or extracts per claim and make use of an appendix to reference these. Ideally, you should ask a friend or colleague to review your work as well, as an outsider's perspective will be very useful. You could also consider our critical draft review service here at Grad Coach. I'll include a link below. Three, when writing up your results, make sure that you stick to only what is relevant. Don't waste time and word count on data and analyses that are not tightly linked to your research aims and objectives and research questions. Also, make sure you lay the data down to support all claims that you'll make in your discussion chapter. Remember, you cannot discuss findings in the discussion chapter that weren't covered in the results chapter. Four, use visually distinctive headings and subheadings to create an intuitive, easy to follow piece of writing. Make use of Microsoft Word's heading styles feature and be sure to use them consistently. And finally, five, when referring to numerical data, tables and figures can provide a useful visual aid. If you use these, make sure that they can be read and understood independently of your body text. In other words, they can stand alone. To this end, use clear, concise labels for each of your tables or figures and make use of colors to indicate differences or hierarchy. If you incorporate these five tips into your results chapter writing process and follow the structure we've discussed in this video, you can rest assured that your results chapter will be headed in a good direction. All right, so that wraps it up for today. If you enjoyed the video, hit the like button and leave a comment if you have any questions. Also, be sure to subscribe to the Grad Coach channel for more research-related content. If you need a helping hand with your research, be sure to check out our private coaching service where we work with you on a one-on-one basis, chapter by chapter to help you craft a winning dissertation, thesis or research project. If that sounds interesting to you, book a free consultation with a friendly coach at www.gradcoach.com. As always, I'll include a link below. That's all for this episode of Grad Coach TV. Until next time, good luck.