Interpret

How it is used

Results sections report numbers; discussion sections interpret them. Common phrases are 'interpret the results', 'interpret with caution' and 'can be interpreted as'. The noun interpretation is countable: one finding may have several possible interpretations.

Example sentences

1. These findings should be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size.

2. One way to interpret this result is that students relied more on memorization.

Common collocations

• interpret with caution
• interpret the results
• can be interpreted as
• alternative interpretation

Related terms

• findingsThe results or information that a study discovers after its data have been collected and analyzed.
• discussionThe section of a research article or thesis that interprets the results, compares them with earlier studies and explains their meaning and limitations.
• analysisDetailed examination of data or a text in order to identify patterns, relationships or meaning, often using statistical or qualitative techniques.
• dataFacts, numbers, recordings, texts or observations collected in a study and then analyzed to answer a research question.

More terms: Data and Analysis

• significant
• draw a conclusion
• correlation
• thematic analysis
• account for
• dataset
• mean
• standard deviation
• descriptive statistics
• p-value
• coding
• trend