How to Write a Dissertation Results Chapter Your Supervisor Can Follow

You have finished collecting data, and now you have to turn it into a dissertation results chapter. Before you open a blank document, settle a few questions. Does your department want results and discussion kept apart? Is every table there because it answers a research question? Can a reader tell what you found without being told what it means? This guide helps you answer each one.

What Goes in a Dissertation Results Chapter?

Your results chapter reports what the data showed once you processed it. Think of it as a plain account of the evidence: the numbers, the themes, the quotes. It answers “what did I find?” and leaves “what does it mean?” for the discussion. The University of Southampton library describes results as a direct account of the findings without interpretation, and discussion as the place where you say what we now know that we did not before (Southampton library guidance on results and discussion).

In practice, the chapter usually holds a short reminder of your analysis approach, your findings in a logical order, and the tables or figures that support them. Raw, unprocessed data generally belongs in an appendix instead.

Results chapter vs discussion chapter

A quick test: if a sentence explains why something happened, compares your result with earlier studies, or says what it implies, it belongs in the discussion. If it states what you observed, it belongs here. If you want a second pair of eyes on that boundary, our dissertation discussion chapter support shows what comes next.

Can I combine results and discussion?

Sometimes, yes. Southampton notes that some dissertations present them as separate sections in one chapter, or alternate between a set of results and its discussion. The choice depends on your subject and department, so check your handbook and ask your supervisor before you commit to either layout.

How Do I Structure My Findings Chapter?

Pick one organising principle and stay with it. Three options work for most projects:

• By research question: one subsection per question, in the order you asked them.
• By hypothesis: useful when you tested several, as in a typical quantitative study.
• By theme: common in qualitative work, where each theme answers part of a question.

Whichever you choose, open with one or two sentences that tell the reader how the chapter is organised, then repeat the question or hypothesis at the top of each subsection. That small habit keeps your findings tied to the aims you set in your research question. If you are working from hypotheses, check that each one is traceable to your literature review.

Order your results from most to least important

Start with descriptive findings, such as sample details and basic patterns, so the reader knows who or what you studied. Then move to the findings that answer your main question. Put secondary or exploratory results last.

How to Present Quantitative Results and Report Statistics

Name the test, give the statistic, and say what it shows in plain words. Do this before you point to a table. First, make sure the test suits your data; our statistical test selector can help you check.

Reporting p-values, effect sizes and confidence intervals

The APA numbers and statistics guide sets out the conventions most UK social science and psychology departments follow:

• Report exact p-values to two or three decimal places, for example p = .03.
• Write very small values as p < .001. Never write p = .000.
• Drop the zero before the decimal point for values that cannot exceed 1, such as p.
• Italicise statistical symbols such as p, t and M.

The same guide does not set rules for effect sizes or confidence intervals, so follow your department’s style guide on those. As a habit, pair a p-value with an effect size and an interval where your marker expects them, because a p-value alone says nothing about how large an effect is. Source: APA Style numbers and statistics guide (position correct as of October 2026; check the APA site for updates).

A weak and a strong results paragraph

Say a student compares exam anxiety scores before and after a mindfulness workshop. A weak paragraph reads: “The results were significant, as shown in Table 2.” The reader learns nothing. A stronger version names the test, gives the numbers and states the direction: “Anxiety scores fell after the workshop (M = 14.2, SD = 3.1) compared with before it (M = 18.6, SD = 3.4), t(39) = 6.12, p < .001. Table 2 gives the full figures.” These numbers are invented purely to show the format.

Writing up tables and figures

Tables and figures support your text; they do not replace it. Southampton’s guidance is that pointing to “Table 1” without explaining it is not enough. Number each one in order, refer to it in the text, and tell the reader what to notice. Caption placement varies, so confirm your department’s rule (tables usually carry captions above and figures below). Do not repeat every number from a table in the text; highlight the ones that matter.

How to Write Up Qualitative Results and Themes

Qualitative results are built from participant words, so the skill lies in organising them. Group similar responses into themes, name each theme clearly, then support it with two or three well-chosen quotes. Southampton gives the same advice: illustrate each point with a few quotations rather than a long list.

Themes are not topic summaries

“Participants talked about workload” is a topic. “Workload pressure made participants feel their work was never finished” is a theme, because it makes a point about the data. Each theme should say something and answer part of your research question. If you used thematic analysis, describe your steps in the methodology and keep this chapter for the outcome. Our dissertation methodology support covers how to explain those steps.

Using quotes and protecting anonymity

Label quotes with a code such as “Participant 4” rather than a name. Remove details that could identify someone, such as a workplace or a rare job title, in line with your ethics approval. Southampton also suggests trimming fillers like “um” unless they carry meaning. Keep the quote short, then comment on it in your own words.

What If My Results Are Unexpected or Not Significant?

Report them honestly and in the same detail as any other result. A non-significant finding is still a finding. Do not hide it, rerun tests until something turns up, or swap hypotheses after the fact. Save the explanation of why the result may have differed from expectations for the discussion, and your conclusion can then reflect it. Markers generally reward clear reporting more than a tidy outcome.

Mixed-methods findings

If you used both numbers and interviews, decide whether to present each strand separately or by research question. Either works, as long as the reader can see which data answers which question.

Results Chapter Checklist Before You Submit

• Every research question or hypothesis has a matching result.
• No interpretation or literature comparison has slipped in.
• Statistics follow one consistent format.
• Each table and figure is numbered, captioned and mentioned in the text.
• Quotes are anonymised and attributed by code.
• Unexpected results are reported, not dropped.
• The chapter fits your handbook’s word limit. Our dissertation word count calculator can help you budget it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should my results chapter be?

Check your handbook. Departments set their own limits, and a share of your total word count is usually implied by the marking criteria.

Should the results chapter include a conclusion?

A short closing sentence or two that sums up what you found is fine. Save the wider conclusions for your final chapter.

Where to Go Next

Draft the chapter in the order your questions appear, then read it once purely for interpretation and remove any you find. If you want expert feedback on a draft or help with the analysis itself, our dissertation results help is there for that.

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