PH403: Results Section

Janet TateAcknowledgements

http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~martins/sen_sem/thesis_org.htmlhttp://online.physics.uiuc.edu/courses/phys499/

The results section• The results are actual statements of observations,

including statistics, tables and graphs. Indicate information on range of variation.

• Present results in an orderly and logical sequence, with text, tables, and figures.

• Lay out the case as for a jury. Present sufficient detail so that others can draw their own inferences and construct their own explanations.

• Important negative results must be reported. Reporting negative results is good science and how you handle them can be the basis of a great discussion section.

Discussion of results – to include or not to include?

• In general, do not interpret results - save that for the discussion.

• Pros: • Cons:

Execution• Break up the results section into logical segments by using

subheadings.• Introduce each table or figure IN THE TEXT before you show it.• Key results should be stated in clear sentences at the

beginning of paragraphs. Good: “X is strongly correlated with Y, and a fit to the power-law function X=Yp yields p = 2.1.” Poor: “There is a significant relationship between X and Y.”

• Describe the nature of the findings; do not just tell the reader whether or not they are significant.

• Use S.I. units (m, s, kg, W, etc.) throughout.

Getting Started• A VERY complete outline helps. Start by listing the significant

results you found in chronological order.• Typically, there are no “bad” results. For example, you might have

many results that were taken early, before you knew the ropes. This is a thesis, so if these results will help the next student, put them in an appendix.

• Appendices streamline this section! Also negative results must be included.

• Be thoughtful and creative in the presentation – decide what to put in tables, what in figures, and design figures and tables carefully.

• Now you can move from the outline to write this section.

Which is more appropriate?A. The duration of exposure to running water had a pronounced

effect on cumulative seed germination percentages (Fig. 2). Seeds exposed to the 2 day treatment had the highest ‐cumulative germination (84%), 1.25 times that of the 12 h or ‐5 day groups and 4 times that of controls.‐

B. The results of the germination experiment (Fig. 2) suggest that the optimal time for running water treatment is 2 days. ‐This group showed the highest cumulative germination (84%), with longer (5 d) or shorter (12 h) exposures producing smaller gains in germination when compared to the control group.

Figures tell the story

• Figures help immensely.

• Good captions are informative, but do not contain new information that is not in the text.

Figures tell the story

Figure 1. NIXSW data measured for QFMLG on 6H-SiC(0001). (a) C 1s core level, fitted with two asymmetric Lorentzians. G and CsurfSiC correspond to the graphene and the surface carbon atoms of SiC, respectively. (b) Si 2p core level fitted with a pseudo-Voigt function. Both were measured with a photon energy of 2494 eV. (c) Black dots show experimental photoelectron yield curves versus photon energy relative to the (0006) Bragg energy (2463 eV). The error bars, estimated according to Ref. [22], are smaller than the symbols. Fits to the yield curves for the surface atoms of SiC (Si surf

SiC, CsurfSiC) and

graphene (G) are shown in blue, orange, and green, respectively [19,23–25]. The reflectivity R is plotted with black diamonds and its best fit in red. The absolute distances for each component are given with respect to the bulk-extrapolated silicon planes. The error bar for each value is ±0.04  Å.

Tables tell the story, too

• Tables should be short and few. If you need to list many results in table form, put them in an appendix.

• Good formatting is essential – keep simple!

Exercise

• Fill out your skeleton with subheadings that have results or anticipated results, including a list of tables and figures.

• Explain to your partner the rationale for your presentation.Why this order?Why did you choose this table/figure/flow chart?Where in your methods section/intro did you set the context for the results you now present?

• Will you discuss the results at all? What is analysis and what is discussion?

Time is short …

• Have a clear plan – May 8 is 59 days away