• 3-minute read
• 23rd November 2015

Your Literature Review and Discussion Sections

Many things go well together in this world, like fish and chips or the birds and the bees (figuratively speaking). However, one felicitous pairing that might not immediately jump to mind are the literature review and discussion sections of your dissertation.

This is because a dissertation is more than a set of discrete essays; rather, each part should be written in a way that contributes to your dissertation as a greater whole. Nowhere is this more important than in the discussion section, as it’s essential to refer to your literature review when interpreting your results.

Why? Let us explain via the ‘Three C-Words’ (no, not that one: we’re talking about context, comparison and contribution).

1.     Context!

The main purpose of your literature review is to contextualise your research by outlining previous studies conducted in the field. Referring back to the literature review in your discussion section therefore helps set the background against which your results should be interpreted, making it easier to explain their relevance to your hypothesis.

2.     Comparison!

Simply describing your results isn’t enough in the discussion section, as you also need to interpret and analyse data in terms of your research question. One way to do this is by comparing your results to those obtained in similar studies.

For example, you might want to discuss whether your results agree or disagree with those of other researchers. If there is a difference, you’ll also want to consider why this has happened and whether it’s significant.

However, you should not introduce new research in the discussion section. Make sure that any studies you refer to in the discussion have been addressed in the literature review. And don’t be afraid to modify your literature review as your study progresses (every dissertation project will evolve as it goes on).

3.     Contribution!

As well as discussing the relevance of your results, your discussion section should usually include some reference to how your research contributes to knowledge in your field of study.

This, again, requires that you refer to your literature review, where you have discussed existing research in your field. Ideally, you will also have formulated your research questions to address a gap in the current research. Your discussion section is thus where you explain how your results fill this gap.

In summary, referring to your literature review will make sure that your discussion section is always on topic. And remember the three C-words: context, comparison and contribution.