3 sentences you must include in your PhD discussion chapter - and why they matter
How do you actually write a qualitative PhD discussion chapter?
You’ve completed your analysis.
You’ve developed your themes.
You’ve written up your findings.
And then you reach the discussion chapter - and hesitate.
How do you sound analytical rather than repetitive?
How do you demonstrate originality without overstating your claims?
How do you show that you understand what your findings mean?
For qualitative PhD researchers, the discussion chapter is often the most conceptually demanding part of the thesis. It requires you to move beyond description and into interpretation, positioning, and contribution.
One way to make this process more manageable is to focus on a few core sentence moves that signal doctoral-level thinking.
Below are three sentences that should appear - in some form - in your discussion chapter.
They are simple. But they do heavy lifting.
1. “This finding aligns with…”
This is where you situate your work within the existing field.
A qualitative PhD discussion chapter should not read like a second literature review. But neither should it ignore the literature altogether.
“This finding aligns with…” allows you to:
demonstrate engagement with existing scholarship
show continuity in the field
signal that your findings are part of a wider conversation
For example:
This finding aligns with Goffman’s (1963) work on stigma, particularly the notion that identity management is relational and context-sensitive.
Notice what this does. It doesn’t summarise Goffman again. It uses his work to illuminate your finding.
A common problem this sentence prevents is repeating the literature review instead of integrating it.
Used well, this move shows confidence. You are not hiding behind the literature. You are placing your findings alongside it.
2. “However, this differs from…”
Doctoral work is not just about confirmation.
It is about nuance.
This sentence signals criticality and originality. It shows where your study complicates, refines, or challenges existing assumptions.
For example:
However, this differs from Elias’s (2000) account of social cohesion as stable and enduring. In this study, cohesion emerged as fluid and negotiated in everyday interactions.
This kind of sentence helps you:
avoid passive agreement with dominant theories
articulate your contribution
demonstrate analytical independence
Many qualitative PhD students hesitate here. They worry about “disagreeing” with established scholars.
But careful challenge is not disrespect. It is scholarship.
Your task is not to defer. It is to think.
3. “What this means is…”
This is the interpretive move.
It is where you step forward as the researcher.
Qualitative discussion chapters often fall into one of two traps:
repeating participant quotes
describing themes without fully unpacking them
“What this means is…” forces you to articulate the conceptual significance of what you found.
For example:
What this means is that participants did not view resistance as overt political action, but as a subtle strategy for reclaiming personal agency within constrained environments.
This sentence signals:
interpretation
reflexive authority
movement from data to meaning
If you have ever received feedback that your writing is “too descriptive,” you probably need more sentences of this type.
Interpretation is your job. Not the reader’s.
Why these sentences matter in a qualitative PhD
A strong discussion chapter moves in loops:
Finding → Literature → Tension/Extension → Interpretation → Contribution
These three sentence types anchor that movement.
They help you avoid rambling, repetition and overclaiming and maintain analytical clarity.
They also help you position your study confidently - without inflated language or vague statements about “filling a gap”.
Small steps, big impact
You do not need to write your discussion chapter in one perfect sweep.
You do not need to have every implication worked out before you begin.
Start by inserting these moves deliberately.
Where does your finding align?
Where does it differ?
What does it mean?
Build from there.
If structuring your discussion chapter still feels conceptually blurry - especially when it comes to articulating contribution - the Discussion & Writing Up Guide provides a clear framework for looping findings back to literature and making your reasoning visible without repetition or overclaiming.
Because at doctoral level, clarity is not about sounding impressive.
It is about showing your thinking.
