The results section of a scientific paper is about one thing: the data. You need to present your data as clearly as possible. And although there will be some writing involved, it should refer to the data, which will be presented in tables and figures. (Much of the content in this section is based on the Bates College Guide How to Write a Paper in Scientific Journal Style and Format , by Greg Anderson.)

When you are planning your results section, first decide what information you need to show in your tables and figures, and then decide on a logical order for this information. This order may well mirror the structure of your introduction or methods section as you look to answer the research questions you proposed or present the outcomes of the experiments performed.

Your results should really speak for themselves. The text you write should simply help explain the data, and it should do so objectively. Describing the results objectively means also including any negative results that do not align with your hypotheses. That said, you should focus on what worked, rather than what did not. Any discussion or interpretation of the data should be kept for the discussion section of your paper. As you performed your experiments in the past, use the past tense when talking about the results.


The example above talks about a significant decrease. Take care when using the word significant. Only use it when describing results that are statistically significant, i.e., results that are unlikely to have occurred due to chance or sampling error. If this is not what you want to express, then simply describe the change (“There was a decrease in time per search and memory use”) or use a different adjective (“There was a considerable decrease in time per search and memory use”). As in this example, results are often presented using “there was/were” or the passive tense; however, you can also use the active voice to make your statements clearer and more concise, e.g., “Time per search and memory use decreased”.