Writing a results section for literature reviews and research articles is the part of your paper where your hard-won data finally gets to shine! This is the sexy part of the article where key data lives; either you as the author are sharing what you found, or you as the reader are looking for findings.
Fellow PhD students who have weathered the storm of too many drafts, too little coffee, and a handful of existential crises will get it: writing this section can feel like squeezing blood from a rock. But fear not—your results section doesn’t have to be the academic equivalent of assembling IKEA furniture without instructions.
Preparing To Write A Results Section
Results may seem difficult to interoperate, but it should be pretty cut and dry; think of this as the “no-fluff zone” of your paper. It’s not about dazzling your readers with prose or waxing poetic about your groundbreaking findings (save that for the discussion section). It’s about laying out your data like a perfectly set table at a dinner party: tidy, clear, and organized in a way that your readers will recognize and be familiar with.
In this guide, we show you how to make your results section as sharp as your favorite statistical software output (minus the headaches). Whether you’re knee-deep in SPSS, R, or Excel—or just trying to make sense of what your advisor thinks “clean data” means—I promise you’ll leave here with tips that’ll take your results from meh to magnificent. Let’s dig in!
Key Take Aways
- Understand how to organize results logically and clearly
- Learn to use visuals effectively to enhance data presentation
- Identify and prioritize key findings for focused reporting
- Recognize the importance of objectivity in presenting results
What is Important About A Results Section
The results section is the heart of your academic article. It is the bridge between your research question and your discussion section. It’s where you share the outcome of your hard work in a way that is both clear and unbiased, allowing readers to see the evidence behind your discussions and conclusions before you dive into them.
A poorly written results section can make the discussion section nearly impossible to navigate. Research shows that doctoral candidates identified the discussion section as particularly challenging, primarily due to issues with interpreting and presenting data.
What Is Included In The Results Section
Unlike the methods section, which outlines how you conducted your study, the results section is where you present your findings clearly and concisely, ensuring they are accessible to readers while maintaining scientific rigor.
This is where the findings of your study are presented in a structured and straightforward way. While the specifics will be different for each research paper depending on discipline and design, you can expect to see certain elements in every single results section you read. This amount of uniformity and standardization is actual so helpful when reading a bunch of articles; that way you know exactly what to expect, what to look for, and where to find it!
What to look For In The Results
A great results section focuses on these things:
- Study Overview
An initial summary of the data, often presented as descriptive statistics (e.g., sample size, means, percentages). This gives you a snapshot of the dataset’s overall characteristics. - Key Findings
Identification of the major outcomes reported, usually aligned with the research questions or hypotheses. Pay attention to whether the findings are organized by experiment, variable, or other logical categories. - Visual Aids
Tables, graphs, and charts that illustrate the data. These visuals often highlight trends, relationships, or comparisons that may not be immediately clear from the text. - Statistical Results
Numerical outputs from statistical tests, such as p-values, confidence intervals, effect sizes, or regression coefficients. These figures are critical in determining the significance and reliability of the findings. - Negative or Unexpected Results
Authors will note any findings that don’t support the hypotheses or show unexpected trends. These can provide valuable insights or raise important questions for future research.
How to Interoperate The Results
Now that you know what is generally in a results section, let’s talk specifics about how to read and interoperate it. Reading and interpreting the results section can feel overwhelming if you don’t know what to focus on.
- Understand the Context
Interpret the findings in the context of the research questions or hypotheses stated earlier in the paper. Ask yourself: Do the results align with the study’s objectives? - Evaluate Statistical Significance
Pay attention to p-values and confidence intervals to assess whether the findings are statistically significant. A p-value less than 0.05, for instance, often indicates significance, but always consider the study’s methodology and context. - Assess Practical Significance
Beyond statistical significance, consider whether the results have real-world relevance or implications. For example, a small effect size might be statistically significant but may not have meaningful practical applications. - Look for Patterns
Use the visuals to identify trends or relationships in the data. For example, does a graph show a clear upward or downward trend? Do the results suggest a cause-and-effect relationship or just a correlation? - Identify Limitations
Keep an eye out for limitations in the results, such as incomplete data or results that are only partially conclusive. These details may influence how much weight you give to the findings. - Consider Alternative Explanations
Ask yourself whether the data could be interpreted in different ways. Sometimes, the results might suggest more than one plausible conclusion.
Write A Results Section for A Literature Review vs. A Research Article
While the results sections in literature reviews and research articles serve different purposes, both are critical for demonstrating the credibility and rigor of the work.
In a literature review, the results section synthesizes findings from selected studies, presenting a clear and balanced perspective on the topic. Transparency in how studies were selected and analyzed is key, ensuring readers can trust the conclusions drawn from the body of literature.
In a research article, the results section focuses on presenting the findings from the author’s original study. Detailed reporting of data, supported by clear analysis, reinforces the validity of the research and sets a foundation for replicability. Both formats emphasize clarity and thoroughness, ensuring the findings contribute meaningfully to the academic conversation.
Comparison of Results in Research Articles vs. Literature Reviews
| Aspect | Results in Research Articles | Results in Literature Reviews |
| Purpose | Present original findings from experiments or data collection. | Synthesize findings from multiple studies to identify patterns or gaps. |
| Content | Specific data and outcomes directly from the study conducted. | Summarized conclusions from existing research on the topic. |
| Focus | Demonstrates the validity and significance of the original research. | Focuses on trends, relationships, and overarching themes in the literature. |
| Transparency | Requires precise reporting of procedures and results. | Demands clear documentation of study selection and review methods. |
| Replication | Supports replicability by detailing the methodology and findings. | Replication is less emphasized but transparency in study inclusion is critical. |
| Interpretation | Does not interpret findings; interpretation is reserved for the discussion section. | Findings may be slightly interpreted to highlight trends or gaps. |
Key Components of A Results Section
Here’s what you typically include in a results section:
- Descriptive Statistics
Begin by providing a summary of your data, including sample sizes, means, standard deviations, or other relevant descriptive statistics. This helps readers understand the general characteristics of your dataset. - Findings Organized by Research Question or Hypothesis
Structure your results around your study’s research questions or hypotheses. This approach ensures clarity and keeps your writing focused on the objectives of your research. - Visual Aids
Incorporate tables, graphs, or charts to visually represent your data. Visuals are a powerful way to highlight key trends, relationships, and comparisons in your findings. Always accompany these with brief but informative captions. - Statistical Results
Report the results of any statistical analyses you conducted, such as p-values, confidence intervals, effect sizes, or regression coefficients. Be precise and transparent, specifying the tests used and their outcomes. - Key Patterns and Trends
Highlight significant patterns, trends, or relationships observed in your data. While this section should remain neutral, focusing only on the facts, you can point out findings that stand out or support your hypotheses. - Negative or Unexpected Results
It’s important to include all relevant findings, even if they don’t align with your expectations or hypotheses. Transparency in reporting builds trust and demonstrates the rigor of your research. - Segmentation of Results
For studies with multiple experiments, variables, or conditions, organize your findings into subsections to make them easier for readers to follow.
5 Tips for Writing A Results Section
1. Organize Results Logically
To make your results easy to navigate, structure them around your research questions, hypotheses, or objectives. Use clear headings and subheadings to group findings into categories or themes. For example, if your study includes multiple experiments or variables, dedicate separate subsections to each. This organization not only enhances readability but also allows readers to quickly locate specific pieces of information relevant to their interests.
2. Use Visual Aids Effectively
Visual representations such as tables, graphs, and charts can simplify complex data and make patterns or trends more apparent. When selecting a visual aid, think about what best communicates your findings:
- Tables work well for detailed numerical comparisons.
- Graphs are ideal for showcasing trends over time or relationships between variables.
- Charts can help summarize categorical data.
Always provide a brief explanation of each visual, clearly referencing it in the text (e.g., “As shown in Figure 1…”). Ensure that visuals are clean, labeled, and free from clutter, so they enhance rather than overwhelm.
3. Be Concise and Objective
Focus solely on presenting your data in the results section. Avoid unnecessary repetition or verbose descriptions. For instance, instead of restating every value in a table, summarize the key takeaways: “Group A demonstrated significantly higher scores (M=75.4, SD=4.2) compared to Group B (M=62.3, SD=5.1, p<0.01).” Objectivity is crucial—resist the urge to interpret or explain results here, as that belongs in the discussion section.
4. Highlight Key Findings
While all findings are important, some will be more central to your research questions. Draw attention to these key results using strategic placement or phrasing. For example, use topic sentences that immediately convey significance: “The analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between X and Y (r=0.78, p<0.001).” Clearly distinguish between statistically significant results and those that are not, ensuring readers understand which findings carry more weight.
5. Check for Accuracy and Consistency
Before finalizing your results section, thoroughly review it for errors in data reporting or analysis. Verify that numerical values in tables, graphs, and text match exactly and are consistent with the methodology described earlier. Ensure statistical terms and metrics are reported correctly (e.g., p-values, confidence intervals). Additionally, align your writing style with the conventions of your discipline, ensuring clarity and professionalism.
A Few Additional Notes On Presenting Data In The Results Section
Present Clear Data, Not Narrative
We can always be just a little more clear and a little more specific. Find ways to take out the extra stuff so that the results stand alone as a factual representation of your findings. It is easy to want to start on your interpretation early, but resist; instead focus on creating a good base so that you are set up for success in your discussion section later in your paper.
Present Data That References The Research Questions
Remember why you started this research in the first place. Make sure to present data that speaks to the questions you initially posed in your introduction. This ties in all the sections before and after the results for clarity and cohesiveness.
Present Evidence for Your Claims
Here is where it gets fun. After writing your discussion and conclusion, make sure that any claims you make actually have data in the results section to back it up. The results serve as the foundation for the arguments you will make in the discussion section.
Present Non-bias Data
On occasion we set out to answer a research question with an outcome in mind only to find that the data supports a different outcome. That does not make your research less valuable and does not mean you should manipulate the data to show otherwise. Proving a theory to be false is still an important and valuable finding. Be just as proud of that as you would be an expected correlation.
Review How Other Articles Present Data
The Listening App makes it easier to absorb and analyze large amounts of data by allowing users to listen to sections of research articles, reports, or case studies. This feature is especially helpful when reviewing how other authors present data, enabling you to identify trends, compare methodologies, and take note of effective data visualization strategies—all while multitasking. By converting dense text into audio, Listening.com helps streamline the process of learning from other researchers’ approaches, fostering insights for your own work.
Final Thoughts On The Results Section
So there you have it—everything you need to write a results section that’s clear, concise, and (dare I say) enjoyable to read. Whether you’re synthesizing a mountain of literature or wrangling data from your latest experiment, remember: the results section isn’t your enemy. It’s your opportunity to shine a spotlight on your work and show your readers why they should care.
Think of it this way: if your paper were a Netflix series, the results section is the plot twist you’ve been building toward. It’s where the action happens, where the data finally speaks for itself, and where your audience leans in, waiting to see how it all plays out. So, treat your results section with care, precision, and just the right amount of flair (but save the fireworks for the discussion).
Now, go forth and conquer your results section with confidence. And if you find yourself staring blankly at your data, drowning in tables, or muttering “p-values are a scam,” just remember: you’re not alone. Every PhD student has been there. And if I survived to tell the tale, so can you. Happy writing!
