Data and language for research – day 2: language for discussing data
Free PreviewWhen discussing your work, it’s important to be able to use a variety of language for discussing data.
Language for discussing data
A discovery (meaning: something that is found or learned about for the first time)
- Pronunciation: The letter ‘o’ in this word has an /ʌ/ sound – /dɪˈskʌvəri/
- This noun is often used with the following adjectives: interesting, remarkable, unexpected, important, major, significant
- This noun is often used with the following verbs: make, lead to
Having analysed our recently gathered data, we made a number unexpected discoveries that led to further studies.
Findings (meaning: what you find or discover as a result of your research)
- This noun is often used with the following adjectives: initial, preliminary, important, significant, interesting, alarming, key, principal
- This noun is often used with the following verbs: record, report, outline, summarize, analyse, discuss, interpret, review, communicate, present, publish, confirm, validate, corroborate
In order to validate our findings, the samples were subjected to secondary tests.
To indicate (meaning: to show that something is true)
This verb is often used with the following nouns: presence, existence, extent, degree, importance, need, potential
Our research indicated that there was a strong need for further community engagement.
To link (meaning: to connect or be related in some way)
- This verb is often used in the passive form
- This verb is often used with the following adverbs: closely, firmly, directly, inextricably, intrinsically
Community engagement in our study was directly linked to confidence in local leaders.
To support (meaning: to show that an idea is true)
- This verb is often used with the following adverbs: clearly, strongly, broadly
- This verb is often used with the following nouns: idea, theory, hypothesis, statement, claim
Our findings supported the theory that sedentary jobs lead to poor spinal health.
To be consistent with (meaning: to have ideas that are similar)
- This verb is often used with the following adverbs: broadly, entirely, wholly
- This verb is often used with the following nouns: aim, hypothesis, evidence, data, findings
The results were wholly consistent with our previous study.
To shed light (meaning: to give new information that makes something easier to understand)
While previous research has failed to shed light on the cause of the condition, a recent study claims to have found several contributing factors.
Examples of this language in use
Examples of language for discussing data can be found in the following extract.
Epidemic dreams: dreaming about health during the COVID-19 pandemic
The finding that waking discussions and dream reports contain proportionally equal mentions of COVID-19 itself and of its major symptoms is consistent with the continuity hypothesis of dreaming [26]. It indicates that the waking and dreaming minds are equally focused on the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic—it is the resulting associations and style of thinking about it that are so divergent. The differences in frequency for other categories support the idea that the mind is thinking about this concern in two very different states consistent with what we know about brain activation in waking versus sleep states [39]. That waking discussions contain more references to similar diseases by name and to realistic symptoms of other disorders reflects what people use in referencing known facts to try to figure out more about the threat posed by COVID-19 via a linear, logical process. The phrases more frequent in the dream reports about bizarre body dysfunctions represent a metaphoric manner of thinking about COVID-19. This is consistent with the observation that dreams are generally concerned with the same topics but filtered through distinctive brain states during sleep [40]. The network of symptom co-occurrence sheds light on how the waking and dreaming associations to aspects of COVID-19 diverge. Anxiety and choking link to each other and have equally dense links to other symptoms for both waking and dreaming data. However, for the waking discussions, anxiety and choking also link to other potential realistic symptoms such as diarrhoea and throwing up. The dreams’ anxiety and choking references link to symptoms such as balding and teeth falling out. Interestingly, the symptom nightmare is equally densely linked in both waking and dream networks. In the waking discussions, however, it links to potential causes of nightmares: trauma and PTSD. For the dream reports, it links to the imagery of nightmares: dark clouds, a buzzing sound, and ice running through veins. This is a further indication of the waking rational and verbal versus the dreams’ visual, emotional and metaphoric approach to dealing with the same issue.
These extracts are taken from: Šćepanović Sanja, Aiello Luca Maria, Barrett Deirdre, Quercia Daniele, 2022 Epidemic dreams: dreaming about health during the COVID-19 pandemic R. Soc. open sci. 9211080211080 http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211080
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