The Results Chapter: Reporting Without Interpreting
The results or findings chapter of a Malaysian postgraduate thesis occupies a specific and bounded intellectual role that many candidates find difficult to maintain: it reports what was found without interpreting what the findings mean. Interpretation — explanation, contextualisation against the literature, and discussion of implications — belongs in the discussion chapter. The results chapter presents the evidence; the discussion chapter makes the argument.
This separation is not always easy to maintain in practice, particularly in qualitative research where data and interpretation are inherently intertwined. But understanding the principle and implementing it as clearly as possible is important for thesis quality and viva performance: examiners who find interpretation in the results chapter will note the structural confusion, and candidates who cannot articulate what belongs where may struggle to defend their analytical choices.
Organising the Results Chapter
The most common and effective organisational strategy for the results chapter is to mirror the structure of the research questions or hypotheses stated in the introduction. This approach makes it immediately clear to examiners that each research question has been addressed, and it creates a logical thread that connects the introduction, results, and discussion chapters.
For a thesis with three research questions, the results chapter would typically contain three main sections, each addressing one research question in turn. Within each section, results are presented in the order they emerged from the analysis, or in an order that builds logically from simple to complex findings.
An alternative organisational strategy, used more frequently in qualitative research, organises results around themes that emerged from the data rather than around predetermined research questions. This approach is appropriate when the data analysis is exploratory or when themes cut across multiple research questions. It requires careful signposting to help examiners connect the thematic findings back to the original research questions.
Writing Up Quantitative Results
Quantitative results chapters present statistical findings in a combination of tables, figures, and accompanying text. The following principles guide effective presentation of quantitative results in Malaysian postgraduate theses.
The Relationship Between Tables, Figures, and Text
Tables and figures should complement, not duplicate, the text. A common error in Malaysian theses is presenting the same data in a table and then repeating all the numbers in the text paragraph below. The text should highlight the most significant findings from the table, direct the reader’s attention to the most important patterns, and explain what the reader should notice — not reproduce the table in sentence form.
Each table or figure must be referenced in the text before it appears: Table 4.1 presents the demographic characteristics of the study participants. A table or figure that is not referenced in the text should not be in the thesis.
Reporting Statistical Results: What to Include
For each statistical test, the results section should report the test statistic, the degrees of freedom (where applicable), the significance level (p-value), and the effect size. The significance level alone is insufficient — a result can be statistically significant but practically trivial if the effect size is very small, and a result can have practical significance but not reach statistical significance in a small sample.
APA format (the most commonly used format in Malaysian social science, education, and business theses) specifies exact formats for reporting different statistical tests. Ensure you are using the correct reporting format for each test you have employed.
Writing Up Qualitative Results
Qualitative results chapters present themes, categories, or patterns identified through the analysis of textual, visual, or other non-numerical data. They are typically more discursive than quantitative results chapters and present findings through a combination of analytical narrative and supporting evidence in the form of direct quotes, field notes, or document extracts.
The Role of Direct Quotes
Direct quotes from interviews, focus groups, or documents serve as evidence for the analytical claims made in the results chapter. They should be selected because they illustrate the theme or pattern being described particularly well — not because they are interesting in themselves, and not as a substitute for analysis.
A common weakness in Malaysian qualitative theses is excessive direct quotation with insufficient analytical commentary. The pattern to avoid is: present a quote, present another quote, present a third quote, and then make a brief general comment. The pattern to aim for is: make an analytical claim, provide one or two carefully selected quotes as evidence, and then interpret the significance of those quotes in relation to the claim.
Balancing Breadth and Depth
Qualitative results chapters face a structural tension between covering all the themes identified in the analysis (breadth) and providing sufficient depth for each theme to be credible and meaningful. The resolution is to prioritise: identify the three to five themes most central to answering your research questions, develop these in depth with rich evidence, and acknowledge minor themes briefly rather than trying to give every finding equal treatment.
What the Results Chapter Should Not Contain
The results chapter should not contain: evaluation or judgment of the findings (this is an important finding because… — that belongs in the discussion); comparison with previous studies (this is consistent with Smith’s (2019) finding that… — that belongs in the discussion); recommendations or implications (this suggests that organisations should… — that belongs in the discussion); or methodological justification (the survey was used because… — that belongs in the methodology).
When you find yourself writing any of these in the results chapter, you are writing discussion content. Note it and move it to the discussion chapter during revision.
Conclusion
A well-written results chapter is clear, complete, and logically organised — it presents all the findings relevant to the research questions, uses appropriate tables and figures to support the narrative, and maintains the discipline of reporting without interpreting. The intellectual work of making meaning from the findings belongs to the discussion chapter. The results chapter’s job is to ensure that the evidence is accessible, accurate, and credible.
