How to Write a PhD Research Proposal #14 - Discussion + Results
all papers come to an end… eventually!
We have arrived at the end of this series of essays on the writing process of how to write a PhD Research Proposal. My goal was to build a practice/routine of devoting time toward research and writing, so that I could complete my assignments in a timely manner.
That I completed!
I didn’t know what it was going to turn into when i first started. However, I am glad I went for it and committed to writing everyday, even on the days when i really didn’t want to write… but at the last moment, getting focused on the topic at hand… and then finding tons of things to write about!
There truly is a plethora of information out there in the world!
The best part about being a researcher, is to find the really interesting tidbits, and then sharing the excitement and intrigue about those finds. I don’t have to be the first to discover something, but I can be of a few that was interested enough to share it with others.
That’s it!
Oh, right, the research proposal!
This weekend’s assignments due are:
The Results section,
and The Discussion section.
Results… well… I’d had to have done an experiment to put ‘results’ of said experiments there. 😅
Good thing there’s a literature review on similar experiments, that we can use as an example of results… or anticipated results if we proposed a similar experiment.
“but what if…“
Ah, well, then just say there are no results, because no experiment has been completed.
Here comes The Discussion section!
This is where we get all chatty-cathy about :
the research proposal,
the proposed experiment,
the hypothesis,
and hypothetical results.
It’s where we ‘Discuss’ any issues that came up during the experiment, or research process as a whole.
We also share non-numerical things, like sensitivities, or ethical issues within our research process. The stuff that doesn’t necessarily show up in the data.
Maybe the experiment had some outlier results… we discuss the ‘why’ here.
Maybe there was a disaster that postponed the experiment timeline… yep, that goes here too.
Anything and everything related to the research process that cannot directly be conveyed within any of the other sections: Methodology, Participants/Demographics, Measurements/Instruments… etc.
Also, if there are any interesting anomalies or questions that showed up during the experiment, we can add them here to ‘Discuss’.
If we would do this again, this way? or another way?
we add those inquiries in this here section too! ✅
Well, I appreciate everyone hanging out with me for these 2 weeks, helping me stay accountable while I completed my work. I might post the finished research proposal when it is submitted. I may also consider returning to substack with a continued series on the AI vs Human Consciousness thing. I learned that it definitely overlaps not only Machine Learning development strategies, but also AI Safety concerns.
What do you think about AI becoming sentient? or appearing to have a consciousness? Hit me up in the comments!
I always tell people to just put some honey water on the machines if the robots get outta hand. 😂 I guess that’s another good reason for us to save the bees too!
Stay Human & Take Care!
✌️
I can't wait for the "how to defend your thesis" series!
honey water on the machines i'm dying lol