As an academic writing coach, here are the 5 most common mistakes I see researchers make when they write their Discussion sections.
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Mistake #1: Providing paragraphs of background information
📝 The Introduction section is meant for context. In the Discussion section, any mentioned background info needs to be *discussed* together with your own findings.
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Mistake #2: Expecting the reader to have read all previous sections
💡 Tell the whole story by restating the problem you are solving with your study so that readers understand the motivation for your research.
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Mistake #3: Describing the purpose and result of each experiment
🔬 This should be provided in the Results section. The Discussion is for actually *discussing* your findings, i.e. how your study has changed the state of the art and what the potential implications are.
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Mistake #4: Too general implication statements
🌍 Avoid too broad statements that could mean everything and nothing. Be specific when you describe the potential implication of your findings even when some of them are speculative.
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Mistake #5: Skipping the discussion altogether
🚫 Discussion sections are helpful for fellow researchers, journal editors and also journalists! If you have a combined Results & Discussion section, don't forget to include the discussion part!
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TL;DR: The 5 most common mistakes in the Discussion section:
#1: Providing too much background info
#2: Not restating the motivation of your study
#3: Describing the purpose of each experiment
#4: Too general implication statements
#5: Skipping the discussion altogether