======= Date Modified 08 52 2010 16:52:41 =======
Ok, i'm trying to write my discussion, and throughout my whole thesis (5 chapters), i've had to be quite careful in not putting all my ideas out there, as my discussions are quite long for most of the chapters.

Now that i'm trying to put my final discussion together I have a large number of ideas and possible explanations for the results I have. The research I am doing is new, looking into a specific diseases aetiology (microbiology), however, only a handful of people have investigated this and no-one has looked into specific mechanisms.

What I'm struggling with is, there is a number of possible explanations for what i found, with a number of possible pathways involved.
Do I need to stick to one theory and try to back this up, or can i discuss a range of them? How can I be concise in this, as every time I start thinking about something, I think of another hypothesis!

I know people always say you walk away from your thesis with more questions than answers - and alot more than you started with, but my head is exploding with them. my thesis is long, and I now need to be concise, straight to the point, and somehow find a way to structure it all so that it is nicely presentable and won't get ripped apart!!!

Anyone been there and have any suggestions! I have 2 days to finish this at the latest!!!

Thank you, AL

hmmm, just saw this thread AL, I'm almost afraid to respond now that you've finished your discussion! I would say have a think about the most likely and relevant of your ideas and write them up. I tend to get loads of ideas for thing to and have an awful time of trying to cut out the nonsense and airy fairy stuff, but it's possible! Maybe try giving yourself an hour or 2 max (Timed with a timer), then briefly writing them down in note form and going through which ones are the most plausible and defensible in your viva. Then include them, and leave out the others, as back up for some extra knowledgeable chat during your viva so it looks even more impressive :p

If you time it you'll not feel bad for taking time for it cos you know it won't drag on, and whatever ones you've forgotten about or not written down during that time probably aren't as important anyway. An extremely crude method, but sometimes it works for me!

Hi AQ,

Thanks for replying anyway, you're reassured me that i did the right thing! :) I sat for an hour and went through all the different mini notes I had and through each chapter and noted the main points which all tied in together and put down all my thoughts and ideas for each. and then just formulated the ideas and started writing.

I'll see what it's like tomorrow when I look at it, but i don't think its AWFUL! I've taken my main ideas with the most evidence for back up, and the stuck with them, and then I'm starting to write ideas on post-its that I can stick on the relevant pages to take to my viva! Make my look clever (or maybe stupid for missing them out!), but guess its just like pre-viva prep!

Just have to see what sup says...not that he says very much!

the one thing you might like to do - and I'm only saying this because it is what I do quite a lot, and my supervisor likse it - is to get some of this stuff down in table or chart form. For example if you have say 5 possible theories, you could put down the main hypothesis for each one, then the pathways, you could show where they might interconnect and where they diverge, you could then focus on one or two, and then the rest could be noted as possible areas for further research.