Move 3: Comment on results

In this move, tell readers what your results mean in the context of the research field and the questions raised in the introduction.

• Step 1: Interpret results
  
  Make a general claim about what your experimental results mean. If possible, use affirmative statements in the present tense, indicating that your finding will continue to hold true. Only use modal verbs of uncertainty and doubt (may, might, could) and hedging verbs (suggest, indicate, seem, suggest) if you are unable to prove your results.
  
  Move 3, Step 1 is often introduced with phrases like these.
  
  

  This proves that…   The implication is that… This finding clearly shows that…

  
  
• Step 2: Compare results with the literature
  
  Comparing your results with the work of other researchers has several functions: among others, it places your work in a context, which highlights its relevance, and supports (or refutes) current understanding. The language used in this step is often that of agreement and support.
  
  Move 3, Step 2 is often introduced with phrases like these.
  
  

  The findings of the current study support those by… The results were consistent with those reported in… Our findings agree with the findings made by… Like [name of author], we found that… Our results go beyond those of previous studies and show that… Unlike [name of author], we did not find…

  
  
• Step 3: Explain results
  
  In this step, explain what you have found. The language used tends to be that of cause and effect. Most of the key sentences are written in the present simple tense and often in the passive. State whether your findings were expected or unexpected and, particularly in the latter case, say what you had been expecting and why, and then provide an explanation for the difference. This explanation need not be definitive and may be merely speculative, but readers will be unsatisfied if you leave any surprises unaccounted for.
  
  Move 3, Step 3 is often introduced with phrases like these.
  
  

  One possible explanation for this difference is that… This can be explained by… This may be because… This is caused by… Surprisingly/Unexpectedly, we found that…perhaps because we were unable to ensure that the [X] variable remained constant.

  
  
• Step 4: Evaluate results
  
  In this step, summarize the main implications of your findings and their significance. Explain whether they support other work in the literature and how they contribute to further the understanding of the research problem. Has your study responded fully or only partially to your research question? Does it raise new questions? Can your answer be related to other research questions or does it support or call into question current hypotheses in the field? Again, if necessary, use hedging language to limit the force of your claim.
  
  

  Overall, these findings are consistent with other research and show that… These results may be useful for researchers seeking to innovate in… Our findings provide valuable insight into… The broad implications of the present research are that… These findings provide a potential explanation for…

  
  Likewise, make sure that you point out the limitations of your work. All studies have limitations, and it is important that you recognize them. Remember, too, that the limitations you identify may be an opportunity for future research. A typical source of limitations is the methodology you used: if the sample is too small, it may be difficult to find significant relationships; if there is little prior research on the topic, your study may have a weak foundation; if the data is self-reported, there may be biases due to selective memory, attribution or exaggeration. Another source of limitations is the time you have available. Discuss limitations in the past tense and use subordinating conjunctions such as although and prepositions such as despite to contrast strong and weak points.
  
  

  Although differences were found between the control and the experimental group, they were not significant. Despite the scalability limitations of our method, it was effective for small batches of samples. A further limitation of our study is that we analysed a small sample. Our study does not provide a complete picture of... One concern about our findings is that…