How to Report Results Correctly in Health Science Articles
You can report results correctly in health science articles by properly structuring, describing, interpreting, and discussing findings. Proper reporting of results in health science articles allows easy understanding of your research and boosts available knowledge in the health science community.
Take advantage of the information in this guide to learn major steps involved to report correct results in qualitative and quantitative health science research.
How to Report Results Correctly in Health Science Articles
i. Structuring the Results Section
Start with a clear introduction
Your Results section should start with a brief intro that offers a clear overview of your study’s objective(s), research question(s), and methodology. Providing context in the Results section helps provide readers with a better understanding of the scope and purpose of your findings.
Organize the results logically
Logical arrangement of results that align with your research objectives and adopted methods is also necessary. You may need to divide results into sub-sections based on different research questions, variables, or outcomes.
Use appropriate headings and subheadings
You should use descriptive headings throughout your health science articles and add subheadings where necessary. Adding heading and subheadings while writing health science articles helps boost the readability of your work and outlines your findings in clear detail.
ii. Presenting Quantitative Results
Use tables and figures effectively
You may have to add figures and tables to your health science research while presenting qualitative data. Using tables and figures allows you illustrate relationships, patterns, and trends in data. You need to label, title, and reference these tables correctly to add valuable information to your text.
Provide accurate and clear descriptions
You have to provide clear descriptions of results while emphasizing major findings in your health science research. There is no need to use complex language and technical jargon while reporting results to avoid confusing your readers.
Include statistical measures
Add relevant statistical measures like means, confidence intervals, etc. wherever necessary to report results in your health science article. It is worth noting that most quantitative studies require these statistical measures over qualitative techniques.
iii. Describing Qualitative Results
Use quotes and excerpts
You can add excerpts from participants after observations of interviews to provide more authenticity and depth to your findings. Choose representative quotes that helps identify vital perspectives or themes from your research.
Identify and describe themes
Next, you can organize qualitative results when you identify and describe the main patterns or categories that are obvious after analysis. Give examples to help you explain each theme or pattern clearly and help your readers understand reports easily.
Use illustrative examples
You need to use case studies or valid examples while reporting results to help readers gain better understanding of your qualitative research. Your audience will be able to grasp several complexities in data and your research in general when you explain with clear, related examples.
iv. Interpretation and Discussion of Results
Provide an interpretation
You need to offer a clear interpretation of all findings in the research after presenting your results. Highlight the implications of results and explain how significant the findings are to your research questions and objectives.
Compare with existing literature
Next, you need to compare results from your qualitative research with previous studies. Comparing results from previous studies to your research allows you identify differences, existing knowledge gaps, and similarities in findings. You can discuss how your findings help provide a better understanding about the current topic while comparing to existing research.
Address limitations
Finally, you need to acknowledge receipt of and address any constraints or limitations your study faced during research. The acknowledgement and address of these limitations helps demonstrate the transparent nature of your research. It also allows you provide findings your readers can interpret in the correct context.
Top Tools to Report Results Correctly in Health Science Articles
Several tools can help researchers report results correctly in health science articles. Some of these well-known tools include:
- Adobe Illustrator
- Dedoose
- Excel
- Google Docs
- GraphPad Prism
- JASP
- LaTeX
- MAXQDA
- Mendeley
- Microsoft Word
- NVivo
- QDA Miner
- SPSS
- Tableau
Many of these tools allows researchers include valuable insights, segment, and organize their findings with ease.
FAQs
What is the purpose of reporting results in health science articles?
Reporting results in health science articles helps researchers communicate findings from studies to a wider audience. Health science authors that report results can share discoveries and contribute valuable information to scientific knowledge.
How should I structure the results section in my health science article?
Authors should structure the Results section in a logical flow to provide a better context for their study and organize findings in a proper sequence. Proper structuring allows researchers present findings in an organized manner with subheadings, visualization aids, etc. to make their articles easier to understand.
Should I use tables or figures to present my quantitative data?
You can use tables or figures to present quantitative data for your study depending on the data and few other factors. Tables come in handy to present numerical information in detail while figures can help illustrate patterns and add visibility to your research.
How do I describe my qualitative findings accurately?
You can describe your qualitative findings correctly by outlining main categories and themes that emerge from the analysis of your data. Also, you must avoid generalizations and highlight information specific to your qualitative findings if you want to express results by comparing your research with existing literature.
How do I interpret and discuss my results effectively?
You can interpret and discuss your results effectively by highlighting similarities, differences, or knowledge gaps in existing literature in relation to your article. You can also interpret your findings correctly by addressing your results to the research questions or objectives stated in your health science articles.
Can I use visuals such as graphs or images to support my results?
You can always support your results with visualization aids like graphs and images during reporting. Include clear visuals with correct labels and references in your text. Only use visuals that add clarity and essential insights into your results.
Final Word
It is essential to report results correctly to boost the impact and credibility of your health science articles. Following best practices to report results in your articles correctly ensures all readers can understand your findings without stress.
You can easily structure and express findings correctly to contribute valuable knowledge to the scientific community with the information provided and boost your profile as an authority in the health sciences.