Best Practices for Writing Research Findings and Data Analysis Sections

Writing research findings and data analysis sections is a craft distinct from conducting analysis. Best practices codified across APA, dissertation handbooks, and examiner feedback converge on clarity, completeness, objectivity, and traceability. This guide consolidates those practices into an actionable checklist for students preparing results chapters or journal manuscripts.

Practice 1: Organise by research question

Never organise by statistical procedure. Examiners think in research questions; your chapter should too. Each section opens with the question or hypothesis being addressed.

Practice 2: Present descriptives before inferentials

Establish sample profile and variable distributions before hypothesis tests. Readers need context to interpret group differences and correlations.

Practice 3: Report all pre-specified analyses

Completeness builds trust. Every hypothesis in your methodology appears in results—supported or not. Exploratory analyses are labelled as such.

Practice 4: Use exact statistics

Exact p-values, correct df, appropriate effect sizes. Round consistently. Verify every number against output before submission.

Practice 5: Integrate tables with narrative

Introduce, present, and summarise every table. Never orphan a table without text reference before and after.

Practice 6: Maintain objective tone

Past tense, neutral language, no causal claims beyond design capacity. Interpretation belongs primarily in discussion.

Practice 7: Document assumption handling

Briefly note whether assumptions were met and what you did if violated. Hiding violations invites examiner suspicion.

Practice 8: Separate primary and secondary analyses

Primary hypotheses receive full reporting. Secondary and robustness checks receive brief treatment. Visual hierarchy guides reader attention.

Practice 9: Use appendices strategically

Full SPSS output, additional correlations, and coding frameworks go in appendices. Main text stays readable.

Practice 10: End with a findings summary

Close with a paragraph mapping each research question to its finding status. Bridges to discussion and helps examiners score objective achievement.

Qualitative findings best practices

• Theme headings reflect participant language where possible.
• Quotes illustrate themes without replacing analysis.
• Participant counts noted without reducing to quantification.
• Reflexivity on analyst role appears in methodology, not results.

Revision and verification protocol

1. 1Statistics-output cross-check.
2. 2Table numbering and reference audit.
3. 3Language scan for overclaim words.
4. 4Supervisor review before external submission.

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