Writing the Discussion Section of a Manuscript

What is it about?

In the judicial system in many countries, a jury decides the final outcome in a court case. The proceedings begin with a lawyer providing an opening statement telling the jury what he or she plans to present. Through a variety of chosen tactics and methods, the lawyer then presents the various pieces of evidence, all of which lead up to the closing argument. A poor closing argument can hurt even the best case. A great closing argument can convince the jury that the evidence is sound and the lawyer's interpretation of it has merit. In the original Law & Order TV show, which incorporated both the investigation of a crime and the courtroom proceedings, the closing arguments were often the most compelling and defining moments in the show. The Discussion section in a scientific paper and the closing argument in a courtroom have similarities. For many readers, the most important information is not what your results show but what your results mean. The purpose of the Discussion section is to explain what your results mean and what contribution your paper makes to the field of study. The Discussion section is your closing argument. Numerous scientists have told me that when reading a paper they first look at the Abstract to get an overview of the topic and the purported findings. If the topic appears to be of interest, they then skip to the Discussion section. If the Discussion is neither stimulating nor convincing about the meaning and importance of the findings, it does not really matter how the experiments were performed or what results were reported. A poor Discussion detracts from a scientific paper. A good Discussion adds a strong finish to a scientific paper. It brings meaning to your study. My goal with this article is to help you understand the characteristics of a good Discussion section.

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Why is it important?

Readers may understand the data you present in your Results section, but you still neex to convince the reader that there is an important message here. What do your results mean? Why should anyone care about your results and your study? Anyone can generate data/results, but not everyone can convince the reader that the study was worth doing to begin with, and that there is an important message in your work. A good Discussion gives the reader a proper take home message that will be rememberd.