What is the Difference Between Discussion and Conclusion?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between a discussion and a conclusion in a research paper or thesis lies in their purpose and content. Here are the key differences:
- Discussion:
- Provides an in-depth exploration of the results, explaining and interpreting the findings.
- Compares the results with findings from prior studies.
- Evaluates the work critically and answers any questions raised in the research.
- Mentions potential limitations and suggests directions for future research.
- Conclusion:
- Summarizes the entire thesis, bringing together the key points from the introduction, literature review, methodology, and discussion sections.
- Restates the research question(s) and summarizes the main findings.
- Highlights the significance of the research and makes recommendations based on the overall findings.
- Does not introduce new information, examples, or interpretations.
In summary, the discussion section focuses on explaining, interpreting, and evaluating the results in detail, while the conclusion section concisely summarizes the entire research and highlights its significance and implications.
Comparative Table: Discussion vs Conclusion
The main difference between a discussion and a conclusion in a research paper lies in their purpose and content. Here is a table highlighting the key differences between the two sections:
| Feature | Discussion | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | In-depth exploration of the results, interpreting and analyzing them in the context of the research question and hypothesis | Summary of the main points and findings, reinforcing the research question, and highlighting the significance of the research |
| Content | Details and explanations of the results, citing relevant sources, discussing the implications, and suggesting directions for future research | Restating the research question, summarizing the main findings, and making recommendations based on the overall conclusions |
| Tone | More in-depth and detailed, often evaluating and critically analyzing the results | More concise and general, serving as a summary and reinforcing the main points of the research |
| New Information | May introduce alternative explanations for the results or discuss potential implications, but should not present new findings or data | Should not introduce new information, focusing on summarizing and emphasizing the main points of the research |
In the discussion section, the author critically analyzes and interprets the research findings, assesses the practical and theoretical implications of the research, and suggests directions for future research. On the other hand, the conclusion section serves as a summary of the main points discussed in the discussion section, how they relate to the overall research aims and objectives, and highlights the significance of the research.
- Evaluation vs Conclusion
- Summary vs Conclusion
- Conclusion vs Results
- Debate vs Discussion
- Executive Summary vs Conclusion
- Dialogue vs Discussion
- Syllogism vs Statement vs Conclusion
- Describe vs Discuss
- Debate vs Group Discussion
- Arguing vs Discussing
- Thesis vs Topic Sentence
- Compare vs Contrast
- Dialogue vs Conversation
- Argument vs Debate
- Summary vs Analysis
- Abstract vs Introduction
- Thesis vs Dissertation
- Executive Summary vs Introduction
- Argument vs Persuasion