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By the end of this lesson,

you should be able to:

WRITING THE DATA

ANALYSIS/RESULTS

Describe the process of preparing and organizing your

data for analysis

Identify the procedures for analyzing your research

questions

Recognize how to design and present results in tables,

figures, and a results section

Presenting the Analysis of Data

In this part of research writing there is a great deal of

variation.
Different types of research will have different ways of
presenting the data.
For example, a thesis in oral history and one in marketing
may both use interview data that has been collected and
analysed in similar ways, but the way the results of this
analysis are presented will be very different because the
questions they are trying to answer are different. The
presentation of results from experimental studies will be
different again.

In all cases, though, the presentation should have a

logical organisation that reflects:

the aims or research question(s) of the project (including any

hypotheses that have been tested)

the research methods and theoretical framework (outlined

earlier in the thesis)

Remember :You are not simply describing the data. You

need to make connections with the aims/ research

question(s), and make apparent your reasons for saying
that data should be interpreted in one way rather than
another.

Function

to objectively present your key results, without interpretation, in

an orderly and logical sequence using both text and illustrative

materials (Tables & Figures)
to sum up responses from respondents
to draw conclusions

Organisation of data
Presented in the order of the research questions and

hypotheses
For each RQ or H
Statistical test used
Results of the test
Significance level of the test
Description connecting statistical results to support for or rejection
of H or to answer RQ

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Organisation of Data Analysis/Findings/

Results
Type A
Results
Topic 1
Topic 2
Topic 3
Discussion
Topic 1
Topic 2
Topic 3

Type B
Results & Discussion
Topic 1 Results
Topic 1 Discussion
Results & Discussion
Topic 2 Results
Topic 2 Discussion
Results & Discussion
Topic 3 Results
Topic 3 Discussion

Reporting the Results

Tables summarize statistical information
Give title to each table/graph/chart
Present one table for each statistical test
Organize data into rows and columns with simple and clear

headings
Report notes that qualify, explain, or provide additional information

in the tables, which can be helpful to readers. Notes include

information about the size of the sample reported in the study, the
probability values used in hypothesis testing, and the actual
significance levels of the statistical test
John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and
Qualitative Research, third edition

7.10

Reporting the Results (contd)

Reporting the Results (contd)

Figures (charts, pictures, drawings) portray variables and

their relationships

Labeled with a clear title that includes the number of the figure
Augment rather than duplicate the text
Convey only essential facts
Omit visually distracting detail

Detailed explanations about statistical results

Report whether the hypothesis test was significant or not
Provide important information about the statistical test, given the
statistics
Include language typically used in reporting statistical results

Easy to read and understand

Consistent with and are prepared in the same style as similar

figures in the same article

Carefully planned and prepared

John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and
Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research,
third edition

John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating
Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third edition

John W. Creswell
Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and
Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research, third
edition

Simple rules to follow relating to Tables

and Figures:

Simple rules to follow relating to Tables

and Figures:

Tables and Figures are assigned numbers separately and

Each Table or Figure must include a brief description of

in sequence that you refer to them from the text.

The first Table you refer to is Table 1, the next Table 2 and so forth.
Similarly, the first Figure is Figure 1, the next Figure 2, etc.

the results being presented and other necessary

information in a legend.
Table legends go above the Table; tables are read from top to

bottom.
Figure legends go below the figure; figures are usually viewed

from bottom to top.

When referring to a Figure from the text, "Figure" is

abbreviated as Fig.,e.g., Fig. 1. Table is never

abbreviated, e.g., Table 1.

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Style

example 1

Write the text of the Results section concisely and

This example highlights the trend/difference that the

objectively.
The passive voice will likely dominate here, but use the

active voice as much as possible.

Avoid repetitive paragraph structures.
Do not interpret the data here.

example 2
In contrast, this example strays subtly into interpretation

by referring to optimality (a conceptual model) and tying

the observed result to that idea:
The results of the germination experiment (Fig. 2)
suggest that the optimal time for running-water
treatment is 2 days. This group showed the highest
cumulative germination (84%), with longer (5 d) or
shorter (12 h) exposures producing smaller gains in
germination when compared to the control group.

author wants the reader to focus:

The duration of exposure to running water had a
pronounced effect on cumulative seed germination
(Fig. 2). Seeds exposed to the 2-day treatment had
the highest cumulative germination (84%), 1.25
times that of the 12-h or 5- day groups and 4 times
that of controls.

example 3
Figure 1 shows the proportion of male and female students in their
choice of service provider according to the factors of better coverage,
customer service, lower rates and popularity of brand names.
There are differences and similarities in the selection of the features of
service provider by both male and female students of Permata
University. The biggest difference between the two genders were in the
selection of lower rate and popularity of the service provider. In the
selection of lower rate, male students made up 48 percent of the
respondents. On the contrary, the percentage of female students who
selected lower rate was just 10 percent. However the trend was the
reverse when it comes to the factor of popular brand name product.
Here, male students chose popularity of service provider with 10
percent, whereas female students put more value on popularity of
service provider with 35 percent. For the other feature, female students
regarded better coverage as more important, with a percentage of 30
percent. In contrast, only 17 percent of males selected this feature. The
only feature of the service provider that had similar percentage by both
genders was the customer service. Here, the percentage of male and
female students who selected customer service was 25 percent.

Summary

Time is short

There are generally accepted guidelines for how to

Have a clear plan

display data and summarize the results of statistical

analyses of data about populations or groups of people.
However, this display needs to be presented in an
informative way.
Describe the sample.
Remind the reader of the research question being addressed, or

the hypothesis being tested.

Tell the reader what you want him/her to get from the data.
State which differences are significant.
Highlight the important trends and differences/comparisons

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Adapted from:
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~martins/sen_sem/

thesis_org.html
http://online.physics.uiuc.edu/courses/phys499/
msucohort16.wikispaces.com/file/view/

3eChapter7+revised_edit.ppt
highered.mcgraw-hill.com/.../Chapter_17....
http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/

writing/HTWsections.html#results