The Results Section of a Study
In the results section of a study, you will
summarize the results obtained from that evaluation process.
The chapter should begin with a brief introduction. Following the introduction, organize the chapter
by hypothesis. Present the results of your data collection plan evaluation as they relate to each of the
hypotheses you identified. You will want to make it clear whether or not the objective was supported
and why or why not. Treat each hypothesis as a separate section of the chapter.
Begin each section with a restatement of the hypothesis and indicate the nature of the instrument
used to measure whether or not it was supported. Continue with a presentation of the actual data
you collected. Only data pertinent to the hypothesis under discussion is presented.
Data presentation can be complex or lengthy and, as such, is usually done in a suitable graphic
format: table, chart, or figure. Be sure to clearly label your graphics and to identify in your discussion
which graphic you are referring to. Be sure to calculate and report the level of significance of each
statistical test you applied to the data and indicate whether it exceeded the criterion level you
established for determining significance.
If the volume of raw data collected would make its detailed presentation cumbersome, put the
complete data in a table in an appendix. In your discussion, in this chapter, make reference to the
appendix and highlight the specific key or unusual findings. Your chapter reference might read
something like, The data summarizing the effect of training on employees are presented in Table 2.
The raw data on which this summary is based appear in Appendix B.
So that the reader can quickly make comparisons between the visual and verbal presentations, place
your graphics as close as possible to the discussion of their contents.
Advice on the Results Section
Don't attempt to claim more for your results than what they can really support. Present only conclusions that can be supported ÂÂÂwith data, information, or observations gathered during the Project or from the literature you reviewed.