Writing the discussion and conclusion

1. Writing the Discussion and
Conclusion

2. Learning Outcome
1. Identify components of an effective research discussion and
conclusion

3. The objectives of your discussion section should
include the following:
I. Reiterate the Research Problem/State the Major Findings
 Briefly reiterate the research problem or problems you are investigating and the methods
you used to investigate them,
 then move quickly to describe the major findings of the study.
II. Explain the Meaning of the Findings and Why They are Important/Result
Interpretations
 Systematically explain the underlying meaning of your findings and state why you believe
they are significant.
 After reading the discussion section, you want the reader to think critically about the
results [“why didn't I think of that?”]. You don’t want to force the reader to go through the
paper multiple times to figure out what it all means.
 If applicable, begin this part of the section by repeating what you consider to be your
most significant or unanticipated finding first, then systematically review each finding.
Otherwise, follow the general order you reported the findings in the results/body section.

4. The objectives of your discussion section should
include the following:
III. Relate the Findings to Similar Studies
 No study in the social sciences is so novel or possesses such a restricted focus that
it has absolutely no relation to previously published research.
 The discussion section should relate your results to those found in other studies,
particularly if questions raised from prior studies served as the motivation for your
research.
 This is important because comparing and contrasting the findings of other studies
helps to support the overall importance of your results and it highlights how and in
what ways your study differs from other research about the topic.
 Note that any significant or unanticipated finding is often because there was no
prior research to indicate the finding could occur. If there is prior research to
indicate this, you need to explain why it was significant or unanticipated.

5. The objectives of your discussion section should
include the following:
IV. Acknowledge the Study’s Limitations
 It is far better for you to identify and acknowledge your study’s limitations than to
have them pointed out by your professor!
 Note any unanswered questions or issues your study did not address and describe
the generalizability of your results to other situations.
 If a limitation is applicable to the method chosen to gather information, then
describe in detail the problems you encountered and why.

6. V. Make Suggestions for Further Research
 You may choose to conclude the discussion section by making suggestions for
further research [this can be done in the overall conclusion of your paper].
 Although your study may offer important insights about the research problem,
this is where you can address other questions related to the problem that
remain unanswered or highlight previously hidden questions that were
revealed as a result of conducting your research.
 You should frame your suggestions by linking the need for further research to
the limitations of your study.
The objectives of your discussion section should
include the following:

7. Developing a Compelling Conclusion
Strategies to help you move beyond merely summarizing the key points of your
research paper may include any of the following strategies:
1. If your paper deals with a contemporary problem, warn readers of the possible
consequences of not attending to the problem.
2. Recommend a specific course or courses of action that, if adopted, could address
a specific problem in practice or in the development of new knowledge.
3. Outline the implications of your research for academic understanding.
4. If your discipline encourages personal reflection, illustrate your concluding point
with a relevant narrative drawn from your own life experiences.
5. Close with a logical opinion formed by evidence.

8. Checklists
Discussion
1. Does it reiterate the research
problem/state the major findings?
2. Does it explain or interpret the
meaning of your findings or results?
Why are they important?
3. Does it relate the findings to similar
studies?
4. Does it acknowledge the study’s
limitations?
5. Does it make suggestions for further
Conclusion
1. Does it speculate for possible consequences
if the problem is not addressed?
2. Does it provide recommendations or course
of actions?
3. Does it outline the implications of the
research for academic understanding, for
one’s chosen area of study and personal life
or a reflection?
4. Does it close with a logical opinion formed by
evidence?

9. Evaluate the discussion paragraph below using the checklist.
The hospitality industry is a vast one, comprising of everything ranging from
different lodging types to restaurants and even theme parks. Therefore the industry is
affected by a number of trends, originating from different areas of society. Hence the
aim of this research paper was to identify and analyse some of these trends, and the
resulting effects they have on the industry. Current trends include technology, with
regards to specific hospitality technology, such as stronger data networks, more in-
room tech features etc., and technology based self-service, which refers to automation
and robotic staff. Furthermore, the different forms of tourism also result in trends, such
as eco-tourism, which refers to tourists being more concerned about the environment
and their environmental footprint, and voluntourism, which refers to people traveling
with the intention of helping people in need. Additionally, global development trends,
such as the phenomenon known as globalisation, regarded to as the formation of one
communication and transportation network, and the changes in demographics. These
findings show congruencies to Kapiki’s (2012) study of globalizations’ impacts on the
development of hotel industry through the 40% increase of global travels and Honk’s
(2014) study on direct influence of technology towards hospitality. Having knowledge
about, both current and future, trends is vital for hospitality students, who want to be
in a managerial, be it hotel or restaurant, position. Therefore, being unaware of these
trends can result in the loss of customers, which, in return, results in the decline of

10. Sample Discussion
The hospitality industry is a vast one, comprising of everything ranging
from different lodging types to restaurants and even theme parks. Therefore the
industry is affected by a number of trends, originating from different areas of
society. Hence the aim of this research paper was to identify and analyse some
of these trends, and the resulting effects they have on the industry. Current
trends include technology, with regards to specific hospitality technology, such
as stronger data networks, more in-room tech features etc., and technology
based self-service, which refers to automation and robotic staff. Furthermore,
the different forms of tourism also result in trends, such as eco-tourism, which
refers to tourists being more concerned about the environment and their
environmental footprint, and voluntourism, which refers to people traveling with
the intention of helping people in need. Additionally, global development
trends, such as the phenomenon known as globalisation, regarded to as the
formation of one communication and transportation network, and the changes
in demographics. These findings show congruencies to Kapiki’s (2012) study of
globalizations’ impacts on the development of hotel industry through the 40%
increase of global travels and Honk’s (2014) study on direct influence of
technology towards hospitality. Having knowledge about, both current and
future, trends is vital for hospitality students, who want to be in a managerial,
be it hotel or restaurant, position. Therefore, being unaware of these trends can
result in the loss of customers, which, in return, results in the decline of
3. Results interpretatio
2. Relate the
findings to
similar studies
4. Study’s
limitations &
suggestions for
further research
1. Restate the
research
problem &
summary of
the major
findings

11. Evaluate the Conclusion paragraph below using the checklist.
There have been various researches about the future of the hotel
industry, yet many of those fail to give focus on analyzing thoroughly the
flaws of the current trends that could cause harm to the future of hotel
industry. Ignorance of the factors and failing to adapt to the changes
brought by globalization might and has been proven the prevalent cause of
a downfall of any industry. Hence, further studies of the factors covered in
this paper should be conducted considering the many apparent and
obscure factors underlying the success of tourism and hotel industries.
This paper’s findings could also aid the people who work in the hospitality
area, and therefore the future generations of staff, to be aware of the
trends that have an impact on their workplace. This is due to the fact that
trends can have either positive or negative outcomes. To conclude, one can
say that there will always be trends that affect the hospitality industry, thus
having knowledge about them is vital. These trends will alter and shape the
future of the industry, thus, once again, making it an important element of
managing a hotel or any other hospitality business. Therefore, being aware

12. Sample Conclusion:
There have been various researches about the future of the
hotel industry, yet many of those fail to give focus on
analyzing thoroughly the flaws of the current trends that could
cause harm to the future of hotel industry. Ignorance of the
factors and failing to adapt to the changes brought by
globalization might and has been proven the prevalent cause
of a downfall of any industry. Hence, further studies of the
factors covered in this paper should be conducted considering
the many apparent and obscure factors underlying the success
of tourism and hotel industries. This paper’s findings could
also aid the people who work in the hospitality area, and
therefore the future generations of staff, to be aware of the
trends that have an impact on their workplace. This is due to
the fact that trends can have either positive or negative
outcomes. To conclude, one can say that there will always be
trends that affect the hospitality industry, thus having
knowledge about them is vital. These trends will alter and
shape the future of the industry, thus, once again, making it
1. Speculation for
possible
consequences if the
problem is not
addressed
2. Recommendations or
course of actions
3. Implications of the
research for
academic
understanding, for
one’s chosen area of
study and personal
life or a reflection
4. A logical close or
opinion formed by

13. Topic:
Why Modern Conflicts Occur
Thesis statement:
This paper would like to investigate the reasons why
modern conflicts occur. The paper will focus on political
agendas and games global governments are playing, how
climate change will influence future conflicts, and how
unemployment rates greatly influence the probability of
future conflict.
Exercise

14. Production
 Discussion and conclusion.
 Word count: approximately 500-700 words

15. Sources:
 The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Conclusions. The Writing Lab and The OWL.
Purdue University.
 http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/discussion
 http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/conclusion