Introduction > Step-by-Step Statistics > Presenting Your Data > Writing About Your Results

Writing About Your Results Your Results section should always contain a written account of your results. Before you start writing, check what is expected of you - a Results section should contain the results only, but a Results and Discussion section should also contain an explanation of your results. We will only deal with the information that should go in a Results section. The three most important points to bear in mind when you're writing your results are to be concise, consistent and succinct. Although you should describe, in written terms, what results you recorded, and the results of your statistical analyses, you must keep this section as short, clear and concise as possible. A common mistake is to include information that should be in the Materials and Methods section, or to justify your results - avoid this at all costs and only describe your results! You may be given a strict word limit and unnecessary words in your results section could cost you dearly in terms of mark deductions. It can also be difficult to read a results section and the easier you make it to read, the better. Try to maintain a degree of consistency in your written work, particularly when you're referring to numbers. The general rule is refer to one to nine written out in words and 10 and more in number. If, however, you decide against this, use the same format throughout. Quantifying your data, in terms of mentioning differences between treatments, is fine, but it's not necessary to explain every result in detail - it's just as valid to sum up a general trend and then refer the reader to a graph, plate or table. If you've used statistical analyses, always mention the relevant P-value in your text, eg "As spring temperature increased, final bud burst significantly (P=0.001) decreased". Equally, if your results aren't statistically significant, but there is a general trend, it's valid to point out that "As spring temperature increased, final bud burst decreased, although this was not significant". Exercise Writing a results section can be difficult. Here's an example to show you how not to do it! Can you identify areas to improve?

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