Discussion

Examination and interpretation of the results are appropriate in the Discussion section of the APA paper. Discuss the validity and theoretical consequences of the results of the study. The Discussion section starts out narrowly with a clear statement of the support or nonsupport for the hypothesis and ends with general implications and suggestions for further research. The following three topics are the minimal three that should be discussed in this section.

• Problem choice: Discussion should explain why the topic of study is important, discuss larger issues that affect other related fields of study, and extrapolate on findings.
• Levels of analysis: Discussion should explain how the findings relate to broader fields of study.
• Application and synthesis: Discussion should explain real-life psychological phenomena and how the findings can be applied to real-life situations.

Because this is one of the larger sections of the paper, other topics that should be discussed include:

• Discussion of Results: Be sure to discuss all results, even those that did not support the hypothesis, as these results may actually reflect real life.
• Be sure to remain within the theoretical framework of the study.
• How findings agree or disagree with previous research.
• Conclusions that naturally follow from the results. Make sure all conclusions are warranted.
• Authors' speculations, if necessary.
• Limitations and shortcomings of the study.
• Future directions: Avoid the phrase "Future research is needed."

For an example, click here.

For a checklist, click here.