In case one has already obtained some data and conducted its preliminary analysis, one may wish to briefly report on the preliminary findings, with reference to figures and tables (if applicable). The preliminary results may turn out to be contradictory to those suggested by other scholars, reconfirm those results, and reveal new areas for investigation (research gaps) based on the issues that emerged. This part is the space to explain what the study’s findings may mean in the context of previous research on the topic, how they can advance current research, or what future avenues of research can be proposed.
In case any interpretations of the findings should be suggested at this early stage, these are provided in connection to the study's research questions or hypothesis and previous findings in the field, with references to specific studies. The findings can be shown to complement and support earlier findings, or contradict them in some way.
To report and summarize numbers in visual form, graphs, tables, and figures can be used. These should be labelled Figure 1, Figure 2, or Table 1, Table 2, etc., with captions provided and summary statements made for each figure or table instead of describing them.
The following “reference” language is commonly used to refer the reader to visual (tables, figures, or graphs) and textual data. Note the predominant use of the Present Simple tense and various grammatical structures (including both passive and active voice structures). Note that the structures which provide a reference to the data can appear in any part of a sentence.