What should you include in the discussion section of a primary research report?

2 Compare your findings with the literature

The next thing you should do in your discussion section is to compare your findings with the existing literature, and show how they contribute to the knowledge in your field. You should identify the similarities and differences between your results and those of other studies, and explain why they might occur. You should also acknowledge the limitations and gaps in the literature, and how your study addresses them. For example, you could say:

"Our finding that X had a positive effect on Y is consistent with the previous studies by Smith (2010) and Jones (2015), who also found a positive correlation between X and Y. However, our finding differs from the study by Lee (2018), who found no significant relationship between X and Y. A possible reason for this discrepancy is that Lee (2018) used a different measurement method for X, which might have affected the results. Our study adds to the literature by using a more reliable and valid method for measuring X, and by controlling for other variables that might influence Y."

3 Discuss the implications and limitations of your findings

The last thing you should do in your discussion section is to discuss the implications and limitations of your findings, and suggest directions for future research. You should explain how your findings are relevant and useful for your field, and what they mean for the theory or practice. You should also acknowledge the weaknesses and shortcomings of your study, and how they might affect the validity and generalizability of your results. You should also propose some questions or hypotheses that could be explored in further studies, and how they could improve or extend your findings. For example, you could say:

"Our finding that X has a positive effect on Y has important implications for the field of Z, as it suggests that X could be used as a strategy to enhance Y. This could have practical applications for practitioners who work with Y, such as teachers, counselors, or managers. However, our study also has some limitations that need to be considered. First, our sample size was small and not representative of the population, which limits the external validity of our results. Second, our study was conducted in a controlled laboratory setting, which might not reflect the real-world conditions of X and Y. Therefore, future research should use larger and more diverse samples, and conduct experiments in natural settings, to verify and generalize our findings."