Goals of an Effective Results Section

The use of a separate Results section varies by discipline (field) and journal. Some disciplines utilize a section for presenting results and another section for discussing those results while others integrate the findings with an interpretation of those findings, which is called the “Discussion.” In this book, we have separated those two sections so that the goals and strategies can be more easily explained, clarified, and exemplified.

As Wallwork (2011) points out, when the two sections are separate, the Results section tends to be one of the shorter sections of the paper. This is because successful research writers present only the findings that are the most representative. Those findings are then organized according to the research questions or hypotheses outlined in previous sections of the manuscript. Results can be reported as text, tables, figures, or all three.

The Results section aims at achieving four main communicative goals:

1. Approaching the niche
2. Occupying the niche
3. Construing the niche
4. Expanding the niche

The use of the word niche probably seems familiar to you because you learned about it in Chapter 3: The Introduction Section. The meaning of that word is exactly the same in this chapter as it was earlier in the book. The niche is the area of the research where you have identified a need, problem, or gap. Your Introduction identified and addressed the niche, your Methods section provided the procedures for investigating that niche, and now, in the Results section, you’re going to provide the answers to your questions by reporting your findings.