Text adapted from: Hoffmann (2017) 282-283 and 291, with additions from Glasman-Deal (2020) 148-149.

Results do not speak for themselves. In the Results section, do not just present data, but summarize and interpret its meaning for the reader by presenting it as results. Only data that has been interpreted will be meaningful for your readers.

To present your results to the reader clearly, you need to distinguish between data and results. Data are raw or calculated values derived from scientific experiments (concentrations, absorbance, mean, percent increase). Results interpret data, e.g.

Absorbance increased when samples were incubated at 25^oC instead of 15^oC.

In Example (1a), the author presents data but fails to interpret it.

(1a) Among the 785 HIV positive participants in the study group, we found 622 men and 163 women.

To interpret the data for the reader, the author needs to first present the interpretation and then the data that supports it, as in (1b).

(1b) We found almost four times as many men (79.2%) than women (20.8%) tested positive for HIV in our study group.

The vocabulary you use to interpret data for the reader may also show your stance towards the data. If you say "In Figure 2, it is clear that the two curves are quite similar", readers will focus on the similarity and expect you to say something about how this leads to the answer to your research question. In contrast, if you say "In Figure 2, it is clear that the two curves deviate from each other", readers will see the difference rather than the similarity (Glasman-Deal 2020: 148).

"You are a legitimate member of your research community, and you are entitled to - and should - present your understanding of the results you have obtained. Your readers do not have to agree with you but they need to know where you are going with the results, otherwise the gap between your results and the conclusions you draw from them will be too wide to negotiate. Results are therefor usually presented including some evaluative language." (Glasman-Deal, 2020: 149)

Signals for the reader

To emphasize different portions of the Results section, consider using signals such as those shown in the table below. These examples provide great starting points when you write your first draft, and may be particularly useful for those authors who have writer's block or whose native language is not English.

The most important result may be specially signaled to highlight it so the reader cannot miss it, as in Most interestingly, almost half of the samples ...

Table 1. Signals for the Results

Purpose/Question	Experimental approach	Results	Interpretation of results
To determine ...	... we did ...	We found ...	..., indicating that ...
To establish if ...	X was subjected to ...	We observed ...	..., consistent with ...
Z was tested ...	... by/using ...	We detected ...	..., which indicates that ...
For the purpose of XYZ ...	ABC was performed ...	Our results indicate that ... Experiment X showed that ...	This observation indicates that ... A is specific for ...

See Academic Phrasebank for more examples of language use in Results

References

Glasman-Deal, H. (2020) Science research writing: For native and non-native speakers of English. 2nd Edition. World Scientific Publishing Company.

Hofmann, A. H. (2019) Scientific writing and communication: Papers, proposals and presentations. 4th Edition. Oxford University Press.