What does scholarly discussion mean

Consider Alternative Explanations of the Findings. It is important to remember that the purpose of research is to discover and not to prove. When writing the discussion section, you should carefully consider all possible explanations for the study results, rather than just those that fit your prior assumptions or biases.

Describe the generalizability of your results to other situations, if applicable to the method chosen, then describe in detail problems you encountered in the method s you used to gather information. Note any unanswered questions or issues your study did not address, and Make Suggestions for Further Research. Although your study may offer important insights about the research problem, other questions related to the problem likely remain unanswered.

Moreover, some unanswered questions may have become more focused because of your study. You should make suggestions for further research in the discussion section. NOTE: Besides the literature review section, the preponderance of references to sources in your research paper are usually found in the discussion section.

If a study that you cited disagrees with your findings, don't ignore it--clearly explain why the study's findings differ from yours. Analyzing vs. Department of English Writing Guide. George Mason University; Discussion. Department of Biology. Bates College; Hess, Dean R. How to Write an Effective Discussion. Respiratory Care 49 October ; Kretchmer, Paul.

University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Summary: Using it Wisely. The Writing Center. Writing the Discussion. Writing in Psychology course syllabus.

University of Florida; Yellin, Linda L. A Sociology Writer's Guide. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Interpretation is a subjective exercise. Therefore, be careful that you do not read more into the findings than can be supported by the evidence you've gathered. Remember that the data are the data: nothing more, nothing less. Don't Write Two Results Sections! One of the most common mistakes that you can make when discussing the results of your study is to present a superficial interpretation of the findings that more or less re-states the results section of your paper.

Obviously, you must refer to your results when discussing them, but focus on the interpretion of those results, not just the data itself. Azar, Beth. Discussing Your Findings. Avoid Unwarranted Speculation! The discussion section should remain focused on the findings of your study.

For example, if you studied the impact of foreign aid on increasing levels of education among the poor in Bangladesh, it's generally not appropriate to speculate about how your findings might apply to populations in other countries without drawing from existing studies to support your claim.

Though scholars often present initial work at a conference or other venue, traditionally the conversations consist of written products, such as published academic papers or books.

Scholarly conversations go on for years and, just as mass media information changes over time, so do scholarly findings. You may ask, What does that have to do with me? College research is built, generally, upon the academic research of scholars. Understanding the nature of scholarly conversations will allow you to utilize current research to formulate and add your own ideas to an ongoing conversation!

Watch the video, Joining the Scholarly Conversation to find out how to join the scholarly conversation. As you learned in the video, before you add your voice to a conversation write your paper, give a presentation, or posit an opinion , it behooves you to find out what has already been said and what is currently being discussed.

You will then be more prepared to make your own informed argument. In this module you will learn strategies to research and join into current scholarly conversations. When scholars converse, what do they say? How is that conversation different from other conversations? Watch the video to learn more about research as a conversation.

The video, Inform Your Thinking: Episode 1—Research is a Conversation presents several descriptions of scholarly conversation. Which item is NOT a good description? Who are the speakers in a scholarly conversation? How will you follow their conversation once you find them? Perhaps you have a list of references from an excellent journal article that was published five years ago.

You can use these references to go back to earlier research, but how do you find out what research has been published in the intervening five years? All excellent questions! Here is where the authors summarize what they found, why they think their research is significant and, if appropriate, make recommendations about future actions or future research that needs to be conducted. In some cases, the conclusion is part of the discussion section. Services for Persons with Disabilities.

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