Discussion

The discussion section of your paper should reiterate your main findings but in the context of furthering knowledge or impacting on patient care, public health policy, or future research. This is the time to be honest about any limitations of your study, to explain how your findings fit in with established knowledge, and to explain any inconsistencies. In science, we are continually trying to chip away at parts of a very large jigsaw. The discussion section gives you an opportunity to explain which part of the jigsaw you have put in place.

The discussion can be the most daunting section of a paper to write. If you have a broad knowledge of the literature and of the various opinions in your research field, it can be hard to limit yourself only to the parts that are particularly relevant to your paper. A good trick is to make notes as you analyze your results and read the literature. Jotting down the major ideas that you will need to discuss as they come to mind will help
you to organize your discussion section. Also, make notes about which literature supports your findings and which is at odds with your results as you progress. These concept ideas often translate into topic sentences and help to keep each paragraph in focus. The paragraphs can then be ordered from the most to the least important topics. This will help to create a discussion that flows naturally and sensibly.