4.10 Discussion (APA style)

The discussion is a critical section of the research paper and is typically 10-pages minimum. In the discussion the student provide the following:

  • A summary of the proposed hypotheses and rationale.
  • A review of the results in narrative form without the presentation of any statistics.
  • A discussion of the implications of the results for each hypothesis.
  • A discussion of future steps for each hypothesis.
  • A discussion of the limitations of the study in addressing each hypothesis.
  • Similar to the introduction, please consider culture and diversity in your discussion of the findings.

The discussion section demonstrates the student’s ability to place their study in the context of the larger literature and think more philosophically. It is a space for creativity and ingenuity.