Research Tips with Dr. Juliana

Research results and discussion section comparison on a laptop Every academic writer has experienced this moment: you spend months conducting research, analysing data, or synthesising qualitative evidence. You prepare your tables and figures, write your findings, complete the manuscript—and finally click Submit . Then, months later, the decision letter arrives: “The manuscript presents clear data, but the Discussion section largely restates the Results. The authors should contextualise their findings and articulate their broader implications.” This is a common type of criticism in academic publishing. One reason is that researchers sometimes treat the Discussion as another opportunity to report their findings rather than as a space to interpret and contextualise those findings. The distinction is simple but important: RESULTS = What did you find? DISCUSSION = What do your findings mean? ...

  Concept Note vs Full Research Proposal infographic showing the key differences between a concept note and a full research proposal, including purpose, structure, methodology, length, and approval stage for postgraduate research. A few semesters ago, I received an email from a master's student, let's call her Amaka, who was almost in tears. She had spent nearly three weeks writing a 25 page document complete with a literature review, a detailed methodology chapter, a budget breakdown, and a full reference list running to four pages. She submitted it proudly to her department, expecting praise for her thoroughness. Instead, her supervisor sent it back with a single comment: "This is not what we asked for. We only need a two-page concept note at this stage." Amaka was devastated. Not because her writing was poor, it wasn't, but because she had answered the wrong question entirely. She had produced a Full Research Proposal when her department only wanted a Concept N...