How to write the discussion section of a scientific article

Abstract

The Discussion is the hardest section of a scientific article to write, as cognitive skills must be used to properly contextualize the findings of a study. In this article, we guide scientific writers, particularly unexperienced ones, on how to structure a Discussion section based on an article by Docherty and Smith (1999). According to these authors, a discussion should be prepared by organizing information in the following order: (a) statement of principal findings; (b) strengths and weaknesses of the study; (c) strengths and weaknesses in relation to other studies, discussing particularly any differences in results; (d) meaning of the study: possible mechanisms and implications; and (e) unanswered questions and future research. Each component of this sequence is discussed in detail with examples drawn from the literature.

Writing a Scientific Article: Focused Discussion and Rational Conclusions

“…Researchers note that discussion is very important to readers, however, it is extremely challenging for authors (Drotar, 2009). Some authors argue this is the trickiest part of the scientific article (Vieira et al 2019), defining the content of which is more difficult than describing the content of other sections (Day & Gastel, 2006). Several researchers (Derntl, 2014) state that the purpose of the discussion of the article is to draw general conclusions and present implications arising from the results obtained, but conversely such a position is not correct.…”