Results

Abstract, Introduction, Methods, and Discussion

Researchers generally structure their research papers into the following sections.

Abstract

An abstract is a short summary of a research paper that goes at the beginning. In an abstract, researchers briefly discuss all the sections of their paper, including the results. Knowing this information is useful because when readers are collecting information for their own research, it can be time-consuming to read through all articles on the topic. Just from the abstract, the reader can tell if a paper will be relevant or not.

Introduction

The introduction to a research paper consists of the first few paragraphs. In the introduction, the researcher discusses the context of the research as well as why it is important to conduct.

Methods

The methods section is where the researcher explains their chosen research methodology, which is the method for conducting research. This can involve quantitative or qualitative methods or a mix of both. It is important to explain the chosen research methodology so readers understand how researchers got their results.

Discussion

The results and discussion section is where the researcher presents the data that they found through executing their research methodology and then analyzes the implications of that data.

Results and Discussion

In the results and discussion section of a research paper, the author provides the reader with an overview of what they found through their research process. To understand how to discuss the results of research in an abstract, writers first have to understand what is meant by results. Results provide their reader with an objective description of the data. Often, writers will choose to include a visual to depict the results, such as a bar chart or a pie chart. This allows readers to visualize the results easily.

Fig. 1 - Researchers often display results in visuals like this one.

After describing what the results of the research were, the writer will move on to the discussion of the results. The discussion section is where the writer evaluates the findings. For example, perhaps the results of their project drastically varied depending on participants' gender identity. The researcher should discuss the implications of this detail and if this is a significant finding.

Results Summary

The results and discussion section of a research paper typically consists of several paragraphs. When writers discuss results in an abstract, however, they condense the important points of the results and discussion section into just a few sentences. An abstract is typically about three hundred words at maximum. This means that the writer will have to describe the main points of the paper in a few meaningful words. To do this, the writer will summarize the results.

Fig. 2 - When summarizing a text, writers highlight the main points.

When a writer summarizes something, they provide a brief overview of the information. They focus on the main points; thus, the summary is shorter than the original text. When researchers summarize their results in an abstract, they discuss the most important takeaways from the results. They will typically not discuss specific statistics or nuances in the findings. Instead, they will reflect on what the most critical results are, and this information will help a reader decide whether to read further into the study.

Abstract Structure

Writers organize their abstracts similar to the way they organize their research papers. They introduce the topic by mentioning some background information and what the topic is. Then they mention their research question and the method they chose to find the answer to this question, such as qualitative interviews or quantitative data collection. Next, the author mentions the results of the research project. Finally, the author might briefly mention the implications of the research.

In the following sample abstract, the writer briefly summarizes all sections of the research, including the introduction, research methodology, and the results and discussion. Note how the author discusses only the main point of the results section so that the reader knows what the researcher found but has to read on to know specific details.

Fig. 3 - This informative abstract demonstrates how writers briefly mention all parts of their research in an abstract.

Results in Research Briefings

Researchers also discuss the results of their research in a paper called a research briefing. A research briefing is also a summary of a research paper. However, a research briefing is different from an abstract because it is longer. In research briefings, writers go into more detail about the significance and context of their research in their field rather than focusing on the technical methods. For instance, researchers trying to inform policy in their field often use research briefings.

Research briefings are typically organized into the following sections:

Background and Context

In the first section of a research briefing, the writer should introduce the reader to the context of the research. Where were they conducting research, and why?

Summary of Research Objectives

After the writer contextualizes the research, they should summarize the main goals of their research. What were they trying to address through this project?

Summary of Research

In this section, the researcher should provide a brief overview of the project, similar to an abstract but with more of a focus on the results and their implications for policy and practices.

Recommendations

In a research briefing, a writer needs to include a section in which they outline clear recommendations based on the results. For instance, imagine a researcher finds that a certain population is stressed. They might recommend increased access to mental health resources for that population.