Interpretation of

Research Findings
By: Ephrem Mannekulih
(MSc. in Biostatistics & Health/Inf., Asst. Prof.)
Interpretation of Study Findings
Interpretation:
 Refers to the task of drawing inferences from the collected facts
after study

 It is a search for broader meaning of research findings

Aspects of Interpretation:
 Explain what has been observed in the course of the study

 Explore the relationships within the collected data

 Establish continuity in research through linking the results of a

given study with those of another

 Extends beyond the data of the study to include the results of

other research, theory and hypotheses

 Provides a theoretical conception which can serve as a guide for

further researches
Aims of Interpretation
The usefulness and utility of research findings lie in proper
interpretation
 Interpretation has the following aims;
1. To well understand the abstract principle that works beneath
these findings
 Link up with other studies findings, having the same abstract principle
 Thereby can predict about the concrete world of events
Aims of Interpretation…Cont’d
2. Establishment of explanatory concepts that can serve as a
guide for future research studies;
 It opens new avenues of intellectual adventure and stimulates the
quest for more knowledge.
3. To make others understand the real significance of the
research findings and better appreciate the findings
4. To generate hypothesis particularly from the findings of
descriptive or exploratory studies
Technique of Interpretation
The task of interpretation is not an easy job,
 It requires a great skill and dexterity on the part of researcher

 It is an art that one learns through practice and experience

 Need the guidance from experts

Steps in Interpretation
 Step1: Clearly understand how generalization should be
done and concepts be formulated
 Give reasonable explanations of the relations found in the study
 Interpret the lines of relationship in terms of the underlying
processes
 Try to find out the thread of uniformity that lies under the surface
layer of diversified research findings
 Step 2: Consider extraneous information, if collected during
the study
 For it may prove to be a key factor in understanding the problem
under consideration
Steps in Interpretation
 Step 3: Consult someone having insight into the study
 Consultation is better to be frank and honest and will not hesitate
to point out omissions and errors in logical argumentation
 Such a consultation will result in correct interpretation and,
 That will enhance the utility of research results.
 Steps 4: It must be accomplished only after considering all
relevant factors affecting the problem to avoid false
generalization
 It is all right if the conclusions may not be accurate at the
beginning
Precautions in Interpretation
Important precautions in interpretation the study findings
are;
 Avoiding wrong interpretation
 Even if the data are properly collected and analyzed wrong interpretation
would lead to inaccurate conclusions
 Be patient and impartial
 Interpretation be accomplished with patience in an impartial manner and
also in correct perspectives
 Hold trust on the research processes and it’s outputs
 The data are appropriate, trustworthy and adequate for drawing inferences;
 The data reflect good homogeneity
 Proper analysis has been done through statistical methods
Precautions…Cont’d
Important precautions…
 Remain cautious about errors that can arise in the process of
interpretation
 Errors can arise due to false generalization and/or wrong interpretation of
statistical measures
 Researcher should be well equipped with and must know the correct use of
statistical measures for drawing inferences concerning the study
 The task of interpretation is very much intertwined with analysis
and cannot be distinctly separated
Precautions…Cont’d
 Important precautions…
 Never lose sight of the fact that the researcher want to make sensitive
observations of relevant occurrences,
 Identify and disengage the factors that are initially hidden to the eye
 Broad generalization should be avoided
 The coverage may be restricted to a particular time, a particular area and particular
conditions
 Such restrictions must invariably be specified and the results must be framed within
their limits
 Researcher must pay special attention to the course of study
 There should be constant interaction between initial hypothesis, empirical
observation and theoretical conceptions
 Keep the interaction between theoretical orientation and empirical observation
Research Report
Writing
Research Report
A research report is a well-crafted document that outlines
the processes, data, and findings of a systematic
investigation.
It is an important document that serves as a first-hand
account of the research process
It is typically considered an objective and accurate source of
information of the whole research work
Research reports are the product of slow, painstaking,
accurate inductive work.
Writing Research Report
 The usual steps involved in writing report are:
1. Logical analysis of the subject-matter;
2. Preparation of the final outline;
3. Preparation of the rough draft;
4. Rewriting and polishing;
5. Preparation of the final bibliography; and
6. Writing the final draft
Writing Reports…Cont’d
 Precautions for writing research reports
 Research report is a channel of communicating the research
findings to the readers of the report.
 A good research report is one that communicate the study findings
efficiently and effectively.
Report Precautions
 Research report should;
 Be long enough to cover the subject but short enough to maintain
interest(sustain reader’s interest)
 Avoid abstract terminology and technical jargon
 Be able to convey the matter as simply as possible
 Be written in an objective style in simple language and avoid
expressions such as “almost,” “near to” and the like.
 Provide a ready availability of the findings, for reader interested in
acquiring a quick knowledge of the main findings
 Use charts, graphs and the statistical tables in the main report in
addition to the summary of important findings
Report Precautions…Cont’d
 Research report should;
 Be well thought out and must be appropriate layout
 Be in accordance with the objective of the research problem
 Be free from grammatical mistakes
 Follow the guideline in the use of abbreviations, quotations,
footnotes and the like
 The report must present the logical analysis of the subject matter
 Should demonstrate the originality of the work
 Contribute to the solution of a problem and must add to the store
of knowledge
Report Precautions…Cont’d
 Research report should;
 Enlisted appendices in respect of all the technical data in the report
 Should provide list of bibliography or sources consulted
 Be attractive in appearance, neat and clean
 State various constraints experienced in conducting the study
 Provide clear description of objective of the study, the nature of
the problem, the methods employed and the analysis techniques
adopted
Layout of Research Report
The layout is to mean what the research report should
contain
 It must necessarily be convey enough about the study
 Possible to judge the adequacy of its methods and thus form an
opinion of how seriously the findings are to be taken
Comprehensive layout of the research report should
comprise;
a. Preliminary pages;
b. The main text; and
c. The end matter
Layout…Cont’d
Preliminary Pages:
 In its preliminary pages the report should carry
 Title page
 Summary/Abstract
 Acknowledgements
 List of acronyms or Abbreviation
 Table of contents
 List of tables, figures (optional)
 List of abbreviations (optional)
Layout…Cont’d
Main Text:
 The second sections of research proposal
 Introduction(Background, Statement of the problem, Significance of the
study)
 Literature review
 Objective/Aim of the study (General & Specific objectives)
 Research methods( Study area and period, Study design, Study population,
Eligibility Criteria (if any), Sample size, Sampling methods, Description of
variables. Operational definitions, Method of data collection. Data quality
assurance & Plan of data analysis Ethical consideration)
 The results, Discussions, Conclusions and Recommendations
Layout…Cont’d
End Matter:
 At the end of the report, appendices should be enlisted in respect
of all technical data
 Questionnaires,
 Sample information,
 Mathematical derivations
 Bibliography
 Index and the like ones
Types of Research Reports
The results of a research investigation can be presented in a
number of ways
 Technical report,
 Popular report,
 Article,
 Monograph or at times even in the form of oral presentation
Types of Reports…Cont’d
Technical Report
 Used whenever a full written report of the study is required
whether for record keeping or for public dissemination
 The main emphasis is on;
 The methods employed,
 Assumptions made in the course of the study,
 The detailed presentation of the findings including their limitations and
supporting data
Types of Reports…Cont’d
Technical Report
 A general outline of a technical report can be as follows:
1. Summary of results
2. Purposes of the study: the research questions or objectives of study
and the working hypothesis
3. Methods employed: sample size, sampling design, measurement and
data collection
4. Analysis of data and presentation of findings
5. Conclusions
6. Bibliography
7. Appendices:
Types of Reports…Cont’d
 Popular Report
 It is used if the research results have policy implications
 It gives emphasis on simplicity and attractiveness
 Excluding the technical details of all sorts
 The general outlines of a popular report are
 The findings and their implications
 Recommendations for action
 Objective of the study
 Methods employed
 Results
 Appendices
Oral Presentation
 What is an oral presentation?
 Oral presentation is a forms of effective verbal communication
accompanied by slides
 It is a formal, research-based presentation of your work
 What are the aims of oral presentations?
 To educate, inform, entertain or present an argument
 At university, it is to assess the student’s ability to communicate
relevant information effectively in an interesting and engaging
manner
 To deliver better understanding of the findings and their
implications to audience on a particular topic
Oral Presentation…Cont’d
 Preparing Oral Presentation
 Develop the outlines of presentation
 Organize the logical flow of your ideas
 Consider the audience
 Use visual aids such as ppt. consisting of tables, charts or graphs
 Use a consistent style for your visual aids
 Use automating facilities like MS-office ppt. master slide
preparation facilities
 Rehearse
Oral Presentation…Cont’d
 Prepare to present?
 Speak slowly and clearly
 Don’t read off your ppt. and maintain eye contact with the
audience.
 Maintain good posture so you can be clearly heard.
 Use natural hand gestures and natural tone of voice.
 Practice to improve your confidence.
 Practice pronunciation of difficult words by breaking them into
syllables.
 Be mindful of your body language.
 Time yourself to make sure you are within the time limits.
Results
The results is a section where researcher report the findings
of his/her study based upon the information gathered.
The results section should simply state the findings, without
bias or interpretation, and arranged in a logical sequence.
The results section should always be written in the past
tense.
Purpose of Results
To describe the results of data analysis that are relevant to
the study
Systematic presentation of your findings in relation to the
research objective is crucial
How to Present Results
An integrated presentation of all the data by objective
Presentation of data by research instrument (separate
analysis is indicated for objectives that are covered by
distinct study population using specific instrument)
Sequence of Presentation of Results
The first section is usually description of the study
population
Provide information on the problem you studied (size,
distribution, characteristics)
In analytic study, the degree to which different independent
variables influence the problem
Use of tables & figures
Tables & figures need numbers & clear title
Include only those tables & figures that present main
findings & need more elaborate discussion in the text
Use tables to highlight individual values
Use figures to highlight trends/relationships
Check the numbers; provide consistent row & column
summations
In tables, keep lines to a minimum; avoid vertical lines
Use footnotes to clarify points of potential ambiguity
Text for results
Describe what you found, not what you did
Present results in a logical sequence
Consider sub-sections
Less is often better( a table or figure is worth thousand
words)
Make sure all numbers in text are consistent with
tables/figures
Discussions
Discussion is one of the final parts of a research report, in
which researchers are recommended to;
 Describes, analyzes, and interprets the findings
 Explain the significance of those results
 Explain the central results and potential implications of your study
 Scrutinize results and the choice of method(s)
 Discuss the possible influence of methodological biases and errors
on data validity
 Tie everything back to the research question(s)
Discussions…Cont’d
Discussion is one of the final parts of a research report, in
which researchers are recommended to;
 Address limitations and weaknesses of the study
 Discuss conflicting explanations for your results and defend your
thesis argument by;
 Systematically relating your problem formulation and empirical findings to
the existing body of knowledge and/or theory as outlined by your literature
review.
 The discussion of your results and final thesis argument should
form the basis for your conclusions.
Importance of a Good Discussion
 Demonstrates your ability as a researcher to think critically about
an issue,
 To develop creative solutions to problems based on the findings,
 To formulate a deeper, more profound understanding of the problem.
 To explore the underlying meaning of your research,
 Its implications and improvements that can be made in order to
further develop the concerns of your research.
 To present the importance of your study and how it may be able
to contribute to fill existing gaps in the field.
 To revealed new gaps in the literature that had not been
previously exposed or adequately described.
Approaches in Writing Discussion
 Remind objective of your study
 Explain your findings
 Compare the findings
 Evaluate the findings
 Infer from the findings
Writing Discussion…Cont’d
 Reiterate the research problem and state the major findings
 Briefly reiterate the research problems you are investigated
 The methods you used to investigate them,
 Then move quickly to describe the major findings of the study.
 You should write a direct, declarative, and succinct proclamation of the
study results
 Explain the meaning of the findings and why they are important
 Systematically explain the meaning of the findings and why you
believe they are important.
 Begin this part of the section by repeating what you consider to be
your most important finding first
Writing Discussion…Cont’d
Relate the findings to similar studies
 Relate your study findings to those of other studies,
 The findings of other studies support your findings which strengthens the
importance of your study results
 Point out how your study differs from other similar studies
 If a study that you cited disagrees with your findings, don't ignore it--clearly
explain why the study's findings differ from yours.
Writing Discussion…Cont’d
Consider alternative explanations of the findings
 The purpose of research is to discover and not to prove.
 Carefully consider all possible explanations for the study results,
rather than just those that fit your prior assumptions or biases.
Writing Discussion…Cont’d
Acknowledge the study’s limitations
 Identify and acknowledge your study’s limitations
 Describe the generalizability of your results to other situations, if
applicable to the method chosen,
 Then describe in detail problems you encountered in the
method(s) you used to gather information.
 Note any unanswered questions or issues your study did not
address,
 Make suggestions for further research
 You should make suggestions for further research in the discussion
section.
Writing Discussion…Cont’d
The general rules you should adopt when composing your
discussion of the results:
 Do not be verbose or repetitive
 Be concise and make your points clearly
 Avoid using jargon
 Follow a logical stream of thought
 Use the present verb tense, especially for established facts;
however, refer to specific works and references in the past tense.
 Group your interpretations into themes.
Writing Discussion…Cont’d
The content of the discussion section of your paper most
often includes:
 Explanation of results:
 Comment on whether or not the results were expected and present
explanations for the results;
 Go into greater depth when explaining findings that were unexpected or
especially profound.
 If appropriate, note any unusual or unanticipated patterns or trends that
emerged from your results and explain their meaning
Writing Discussion…Cont’d
The content of the discussion section of your paper most
often includes:
 References to previous research:
 Compare your results with the findings from other studies, or use the studies
to support a claim.
 This can include re-visiting key sources already cited in your literature review
section, or, save them to cite later in the discussion section if they are more
important to compare with your results than being part of the general
research you cited to provide context and background information.
Writing Discussion…Cont’d
The content of the discussion section of your paper most
often includes:
 Deduction:
 A claim for how the results can be applied more generally.
 For example, describing lessons learned, proposing recommendations that
can help improve a situation, or recommending best practices.
 Hypothesis:
 A more general claim or possible conclusion arising from the results [which
may be proved or disproved in subsequent research].
Organization and Structure
Keep the following sequential points in mind as you
organize and write the discussion section of your paper:
 Think of your discussion as an inverted pyramid and organize it
from the general to the specific issues
 Linking your findings to the literature, then to theory, then to
practice.
 Use the same key terms used when describing the research
problem in the introduction (mode of narration, and present
tense).
Organization and Structure
 Begin by briefly re-stating of the research problem you were
investigating and answer all of the research questions
 Describe the patterns, principles, and relationships shown by each
major findings
 The sequencing of providing this information is important;
 First state the answer,
 Then the relevant results,
 Then cite the work of others.
 The order of interpreting each major finding should be in the
same order as they were described in your results section.
Organization and Structure
A good discussion section includes analysis of any
unexpected findings.
 This paragraph should begin with a description of the unexpected
finding,
 Followed by a brief interpretation as to why you believe it
appeared,
 Explain its possible significance in relation to the overall study.
 If more than one unexpected finding emerged during the study,
describe each them in the order they appeared as you gathered the
data.
Organization and Structure
Identify potential limitations and weaknesses and comment
on their relative importance
If necessary, note how they may affect the validity of the
findings.
Avoid using an apologetic tone; however, be honest and
self-critical.
Close your discussion with a concise summary of the
principal implications of the findings
Give a brief explanation about why you believe the
findings and how they support broader knowledge or
understanding of the research problem.
Writing Discussion…Cont’d
Common mistakes people make when writing their
discussion
 Rewriting your results.
 Statements with “we investigated” or “we studied”
 Including new arguments or evidence not previously discussed.
 Including statements that doubt your methodology or execution
and Speaking on limitations or negative results.
 Overstate the importance of your findings
Conclusion
 The conclusions section is where you summarize your answer(s)
to the questions posed in your problem formulation.
 What is the strongest statement you can make based on your
findings?
 The conclusion is intended to help the reader understand why
your research should matter to them after they have finished
reading the paper.
 A conclusion is not merely a summary of your points or a re-
statement of your research problem but a synthesis of key points.
 For most essays, one well-developed paragraph is sufficient for a
conclusion, although in some cases, a two-or-three paragraph
conclusion may be required.
Importance of a Good Conclusion
Presenting the last word on the issues you raised in your
paper
Summarizing your thoughts and conveying the larger
implications of your study
Demonstrating the importance of your ideas.
Introducing possible new or expanded ways of thinking
about the research problem.
Problems to Avoid
Failure to be concise
Failure to comment on larger, more significant issues
Failure to reveal problems and negative results
Failure to provide a clear summary of what was learned
Failure to match the objectives of your research
Resist the urge to apologize
Recommendations
The final section involves the last part of your academic
performance; how to launch the results and conclusions
into the future.
Is there a need for further investigation and how?
What are the perspectives of your results and conclusions?
The Perspectives are where you once again broaden the
thesis, and point out where your results can be
implemented.
Recommendations are sometimes included in the
Conclusions.