The results chapter is where a lot of otherwise strong dissertations lose marks quietly — not because the analysis is wrong, but because the writing drifts into interpretation before it should, or because statistics are reported inconsistently. This chapter has one job: report what you found, clearly and objectively. Here’s how to do that properly.
The Golden Rule: Results Report “What,” Not “Why”
This is the single most important distinction in the whole chapter. Your results chapter states what your data show, in a clear text narrative supported by tables and figures. Interpreting what those findings mean — connecting them to theory, explaining unexpected patterns — belongs in your discussion chapter, unless your specific department combines the two (see our full guide to writing a discussion chapter for that side of the distinction). Mixing the two together is one of the most common and most heavily penalised mistakes in this chapter.
Structure: Follow a Consistent Order
For quantitative results, the conventional order is:
- Brief chapter introduction — restating your research questions and previewing how the chapter is organised (a paragraph or two, not more)
- Demographic/sample data — who or what makes up your sample, to establish how representative it is
- Descriptive statistics — means, standard deviations, frequencies for your key variables
- Inferential statistics — the results of your actual hypothesis tests, organised by research question
Organising the chapter around your research questions or hypotheses, addressing each one in turn, keeps the whole chapter tightly connected to what your study actually set out to answer — examiners specifically look for this “golden thread” running through the document. (See Scribbr’s guide to writing a results section for further detail on this structure.)
Reporting Statistics Correctly
A few precise conventions matter more than students expect:
- Report exact p-values (e.g., p = .032), not just “significant” or “not significant”
- Never write p = .000 — SPSS displays this because it rounds to three decimal places, but a p-value is never actually zero. Write p < .001 instead.
- Report effect sizes alongside p-values — Cohen’s d for t-tests, eta-squared for ANOVA, and so on — since statistical significance alone doesn’t tell a reader how large or meaningful an effect actually is
- Report confidence intervals where relevant, alongside your main statistics
- Use past tense throughout, since you’re reporting what you found, not what is generally true
Report Every Result — Including Non-Significant Ones
This is a genuinely important research-integrity point, not just a style preference: every test you ran needs to be reported, whether the result was significant or not. Selectively omitting non-significant or unexpected findings is considered a form of research misconduct, not just weak writing — non-significant results are still scientifically meaningful and belong in your chapter.
Using Tables and Figures Properly
- Tables supplement your text — they don’t duplicate it. Don’t repeat every number from a table in your paragraph; instead, refer to it directly (“Descriptive statistics for all variables are presented in Table 1”).
- Number and label every table and figure sequentially, and always cross-reference them in your running text — a table nobody is directed to might as well not be there.
- Create your tables before you write the surrounding text. This forces genuine clarity about what data you actually have and how it’s structured, before you start narrating it.
- For four or more variables, use a table rather than reporting everything in text — dense in-text statistics become genuinely hard to read past a certain point.
Length: Be Selective, Not Exhaustive
As a rough guide, the results chapter typically runs to around 15% of your total dissertation word count. A very common and costly mistake is over-writing this chapter — reporting every possible statistic rather than selectively focusing on what actually answers your research questions. More detail isn’t more rigorous; it often just dilutes the findings that actually matter.
A Quick Pre-Submission Checklist
- Have I reported results objectively, with no interpretation or speculation about what they mean?
- Have I stated clearly whether each hypothesis was supported or not?
- Are all tables and figures correctly labelled and referred to in the text?
- Have I reported every test I ran, including non-significant results?
- Have I checked and reported that key statistical assumptions (normality, independence, homogeneity of variance) were met before interpreting any test?
- Am I consistently using past tense to report findings?
How ASH Helps
A results chapter can be statistically sound and still lose marks for structure, tense inconsistency, or tables that aren’t properly labelled and cross-referenced. ASH’s editing service checks exactly this kind of technical clarity, alongside the language corrections covered in our guide to why international students lose marks for English in the UK, and connects directly to your methodology chapter and discussion chapter.
If you want a second opinion on your results chapter before you submit, message ASH on WhatsApp:
👉 Chat with ASH on WhatsApp: +92 313 1624960
(This WhatsApp number is ASH’s official business line.)
Related Guides
- Thematic Analysis: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How to Write a Dissertation Methodology Chapter
- How to Write a UK Dissertation Discussion Chapter
- How to Structure a UK Dissertation
- ASH Research Support Services
FAQs
What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?
Results report what your data show, objectively and without interpretation. Discussion explains what those findings mean in relation to your research questions and existing literature.
Should I include non-significant results?
Yes — every test you ran should be reported, whether significant or not. Selectively omitting non-significant findings is considered a form of research misconduct.
How should I write a p-value of .000 from SPSS?
Write p < .001 instead. SPSS displays .000 due to rounding, but a p-value is never actually exactly zero.
How long should the results chapter be?
Typically around 15% of your total dissertation word count, though this varies — the common mistake is over-writing this chapter rather than reporting it too briefly.
Want a second opinion on your results chapter before you submit? Message ASH on WhatsApp: +92 313 1624960.