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discussion

Category: drafting
Field: economics
License: private (curator-owned)
Updated: 2026-05-20
Stages: paper-drafting

Curator-private skill — copy text from 100xOS/shared/skills/writing/discussion.md.

Discussion Section

Purpose

The Discussion section interprets results — it does not restate them. It connects findings to theory, prior literature, and practice, then honestly addresses limitations and future directions.

5 DOs

  1. Interpret: Explain what results mean, not what numbers are. "The negative coefficient on X implies that agents respond to…"
  2. Connect to theory: Relate findings back to the theoretical framework or conceptual model. Do predictions hold? Which mechanisms are supported?
  3. Practical implications: State concrete, proportional implications. "Regulators could … because our evidence shows …" — not "this has important implications for policy."
  4. Limitations: Be honest but constructive. Frame limitations as scope conditions ("our results apply to X but may not generalize to Y") rather than fatal flaws. Every empirical paper has limitations; the goal is transparency, not self-destruction.
  5. Future research: Identify specific, answerable follow-up questions that emerge from your findings. Not "more research is needed" — instead, "a natural extension would be to test whether Z holds when…"

5 DON'Ts

  1. Don't repeat results: The reader just read the Results section. No "As shown in Table 3, we found that…" — instead, synthesize.
  2. Don't overclaim: Match claims to evidence strength. If your design identifies a local average treatment effect, don't claim a universal law.
  3. Don't be defensive: Limitations are not apologies. State them matter- of-factly and, where possible, explain why they don't undermine the core contribution.
  4. Don't introduce new results: All empirical findings belong in Results or Robustness. Discussion is for interpretation.
  5. Don't write a second conclusion: The Discussion is broader and more speculative than the Conclusion. Keep the Conclusion tight and forward- looking.

Structure Template (1.5–2 pages)

Text Only
\section{Discussion}

% 1. Summary of main findings (1 paragraph)
%    Synthesize — don't restate. "Three key findings emerge…"

% 2. Theoretical implications (2-3 paragraphs)
%    How do results advance, refine, or challenge existing theory?
%    Which mechanisms are supported by the evidence?
%    CRITICAL: What does this finding teach us beyond the specific setting?
%    If the finding implies something about a broader market, institution,
%    or behavior, this is the paper's most important contribution and must
%    be prominently discussed.

% 3. Practical implications (1-2 paragraphs)
%    Concrete, proportional to evidence.
%    Who should care and what should they do differently?

% 4. Limitations (1-2 short paragraphs, 150-300 words total)
%    Scope conditions, data constraints, threats to external validity.
%    For each limitation, explain why it does not invalidate the core result.
%    MAXIMUM 3-4 limitations. Written as flowing prose, NOT as a numbered
%    or bulleted list.

% 5. Future research (1 short paragraph, 100-150 words)
%    2-3 specific research questions that follow from your findings.
%    Written as prose, NOT as a list. Keep it tight.

Formatting — MANDATORY

The entire discussion section must be written as flowing prose paragraphs. No bullet points. No numbered lists. No enumerated items. This includes limitations and future research subsections.

If a limitation or future research direction deserves mention, it gets woven into a paragraph. If it cannot be woven in, it is probably not important enough to include.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Mistake Fix
"Our results show that X has a significant effect on Y" (restating) "The responsiveness of Y to X implies that market participants…" (interpreting)
"This has important implications for policy" (generic) "Exchanges could reduce wash trading by implementing X, since our evidence shows…" (specific)
"More research is needed" (vague) "A natural next step is to test whether this pattern holds in markets with…" (specific)
"A limitation is that our data only covers 2020-2023" (defensive) "Our sample covers 2020-2023, capturing the full NFT boom-bust cycle; extending to later periods would test persistence" (constructive)
"Despite these limitations, our results are robust" (hand-waving) [Delete this sentence — the Robustness section already made this case]
Numbered or bulleted limitations list Write as connected prose paragraphs
500+ word limitations section Keep to 150-300 words, 3-4 key scope conditions
Generic future research wish list 1 paragraph, 2-3 specific questions, 100-150 words

IS / Management Science Conventions

  • Explicit theoretical contribution: State which propositions/hypotheses from your model are supported and which need refinement.
  • Design implications: If studying a designed system (marketplace, protocol, mechanism), translate findings into design principles.
  • Generalizability: Explicitly discuss which settings your results transfer to and which contextual factors moderate the effects.
  • Boundary conditions: State the conditions under which your theory applies. Good theory has clear boundaries.