Analyse Results, Draw Conclusions and Evaluate the Investigation

Analysing Results

Understand what the data is presenting. This could be a trend, a correlation, or a pattern in the results.
Apply statistical tests to the data if necessary, to help understand your results better.
Make use of tables, charts, and graphs to present data visually. This can make certain patterns or significant results more obvious.
Thorough understanding of statistical significance is crucial. If a result is statistically significant, it means it is unlikely to have occurred by chance.
Remember, anomalies are results that do not fit the pattern of the rest of your data. They should be noted and considered during analysis.

Summarise your findings in a conclusion. This should directly answer your research question.
Your conclusion should be based entirely on your results. Do not introduce new ideas or hypothesis.
Remember to refer back to your initial hypothesis. Was it accurate? If not, why might this be?
If you see patterns or trends in your data that you did not expect, you might want to consider further research or studies.
Be aware of over-generalising your results. Your findings apply to your study and your study alone, unless further evidence supports your conclusion.

Evaluate your investigation by identifying potential sources of error. This could be mistakes you made, faults with the equipment, or issues with the method.
Be honest about the limitations of your study, such as sample size, constraints in measuring, or outside factors that may have influenced your results.
Consider the repeatability and reproducibility of your investigation. Would you get the same results if you repeated the investigation? Would someone else get the same results following your method?
Peer review can be a useful tool in evaluation. Having another person look at your work can often identify areas of confusion or potential improvements.
Always consider how you might improve your investigation if you were to conduct it again. What would you change? What would you keep the same?
Finally, reflect upon what you have learned from the investigation, both in terms of the research question and how to conduct scientific investigations.