[논문 Tip] 결과와 토론, 그리고 결론 작성 방법

 Results, Discussion, and Conclusion

출판 유형과 학술논문의 구조에서 결과와 토론, 그리고 결론의 작성 방법에 대해 다룬다.

 

Before writing Results/Discussion
 - 실험 노트를 작성할 때는, 항상 어떻게 결과를 작성하고 요약할 것인지에 대한 생각을 중간마다 정리해야 한다.
 - 결과 및 토론을 작성하기에 앞서, 결론을 위해 내용을 정리하는 방법에 대해 알아보자.
→ Record your readings (raw data), and extract meaningful data
→ Write ideas whenever meaningful data come to you
→ Make tables using results (data)
→ Draw graphs using results
→ Make a logical story by proper ordering Tables/Figures
→ Keep file to record summaries of results and any observation although insignificant
→ Now, you are ready to write Results/Discussion (i.e., academic paper)

 ⑤ Results - 결과

학술논문의 결과를 작성하는 방법에 대해 알아본다.

 

1) Purpose and how to write - 목적 및 작성 방법

Purpose: 그림과 표를 잘 활용하여 객관적으로 작성한다.
• To present and illustrate your findings.
- Use figures and tables to present results most effectively.
- Make a completely objective report of the results
- Save all interpretation for the discussion
- If discussion is better to present together with results, a hybrid “Results and Discussion” section is better

IMPORTANT: 메인 데이터와 서포트 데이터를 구분한다.
• Retrieve proper materials to be included from raw data
• Distinguish the materials from supporting and appendix materials

2) Example

Example 1. Results & Discussion / Main & Support Data

3) Writing Results

Structure of Results

Contents of “Results” section
Summarize your findings in text and illustrate them,
if appropriate, with figures and tables.

Analyze your data, then prepare the analyzed (converted) data in the form of a figure (graph), table, or in text form.

Describe the results pointing to most relevant observations

Provide a context, such as by describing the question that was addressed by making a particular observation.

Describe results of control experiments and include observations not presented in figure or table if appropriate.

Summaries of the statistical analyses
Important negative results

◆ What to avoid: 중복은 피한다.
• Do not discuss or interpret your results, report background information [introduction], or attempt to explain anything [discussion].
• Do not describe methods that have already been described in the M&M section or that have been inadvertently omitted.
• Text should complement any figures or tables, not repeat the same information.
• Never include raw data or intermediate calculations in a research paper.
• Do not present the same data more than once.

◆ Style: 순서에 맞게 배치하도록 한다.
- Use past tense to refer to your results

• Place figures and tables, properly numbered, in proper place - - In text, refer to each figure/table as “Figure 1”/“Table 1”
• Each figure/table must be cited in consecutive order.

Example 2. Style & Use past tense

 ⑥ Discussion - 토론

학술논문의 토론을 작성하는 방법에 대해 알아본다.

 

1) Purpose and how to write - 목적 및 작성 방법

Purpose: 결과를 해석하고 어떤 결과를 낼 것인지 객관적으로 작성한다.
• Provide an interpretation of your results.
• Support for your conclusions.
 (based on your experiment and general knowledge)

- Be objective; point out the features/limitations of the work.
Your results ← Relate → Current knowledge; Original purpose of the project

Contents of “Discussion” section
• Was the problem resolved?
• What has been contributed?
• Logical implications of the results
• Suggest further study or applications

- Present the "results and discussion" as a combined section
  if it is more logical to do so.

Example 3. Combined Results and Discussion (logical story)

2) Tips for “Discussion” section

◆ Answer or explain to Why? and How? (Science)

• Describe mechanisms accounting for the observation.

• Explain all of your observations as much as possible.

• Decide if each hypothesis is supported, rejected, or you cannot make a decision with confidence (further evidences are desired).

• Decide if the experimental design adequately addressed the hypothesis, and it was properly controlled.

• Try to offer alternative explanations if reasonable ones exist.

 

- 문헌들을 가지고 온 뒤에 토론하도록 한다.

Example 4. Easy writing of discussion format

◆ One experiment will not answer an overall question, so keeping the big picture in mind
• You may suggest future directions, such as how the experiment might be modified to accomplish another objective.
• The best studies open up new avenues of research. - 후속 연구에 대한 제안

Refer to work done by specific individuals → past tense
Refer to generally accepted facts/principles → present tense

◆ What to avoid: 결론 없는 마무리는 피한다.
• Don’t simply dismiss a study (or part of it) as "inconclusive." (incomplete papers are not accepted)
• Don’t present a superficial interpretation that more or less re-states the results.
• Do not repeat information given elsewhere in the manuscript.

Example 5. general tense & research combine

 

3) Summary - "Discussion" 마지막 부분

 . A summary is unnecessary in most papers.

 . In long papers, a summary of the main points can be helpful,

      but be sure to stick to the main points.

 . If the summary itself is too long, its purpose is defeated.

 . In communications (NO "conclusions" section), a SUMMARY is often used.

 → communications 타입은 conclusion 섹션이 없는 경우가 많다. 이 경우 Summary is conclusion 이 된다.

Example 6. SUMMARY of the Communications format

 

 ⑦ Conclusion - 결론

학술논문의 결론을 작성하는 방법에 대해 알아본다.

 

1) Purpose and how to write - 목적 및 작성 방법

Purpose: 결과와 토론의 내용을 마지막으로 정리한다.
• To put the interpretation into the context of the original problem..

• Give major (NOT all) findings and implications.
• Do not repeat discussion points or include irrelevant material.
• Conclusions should be based on the evidence presented.
• Should NOT be another abstract.

- 결론을 쉽게 쓰려면, 초록에서 Background 나 Introduction 부분을 빼고 나머지를 다른 느낌으로 작성하면 된다.

Tips for “Conclusion” section
CONCLUSION:
• Should NOT be another abstract.
• Give major (NOT all) findings and implications.

Introduction: 서론의 질문에 대해서
“The questions we wish to answer in this paper are:
 1) Is there a man on the moon?
 2) If so, what does he eat for breakfast?”
Conclusion: 결론에 해답을 제시함
By hybrid density-functional computations, we confirm that there is a man named Henry F. Schaefer III living on the moon, and he survives by drinking German beer sent by Paul Scheleyer from Erlangen.

Example 7. How to Conclusion