Table of Contents
Index
Glossary
Table of Contents
Index
Glossary

  
m6 OUTCOME

At the end of the account of a problem-solving process, a summary is needed of what has been achieved. Therefore, we define an Outcome module reflecting the final stage of the problem-solving process of the research reported in the article. In the prototypical linear article, this stage is addressed in a Conclusions section.

The module is an aggregate of two different components: the findings of the research effort at stake and the formulation of problems that are candidates for further problem-solving research.

The module OUTCOME is a compound module giving an account of the outcome of the problem-solving process, containing a constituent module Findings and a constituent module Leads for further research.

m6a Findings  
The authors' findings constitute their answer to the central question of the article formulated in the module Central problem. These findings are made explicit in this constituent module of the Outcome:

The module FINDINGS is an elementary module containing

• the findings that are obtained in this work;
• optional answers to related questions;
• optional argumentation on the reliability and on the relevance of the findings.

In principle, this module gives an account of the completion of the problem-solving process represented in the article. In practice, however, the Findings do not necessarily provide a clear answer to the central question. The conclusion can be that the results are inconclusive and that further research is needed, for example, because the theory did not apply to the situation at hand, or because a better resolution of the data is needed for an unambiguous interpretation. On the other hand, answers may have been found to related questions that are not specified in the module Central problem.

Also, an overall judgement of the reliability and the relevance of the research presented in the article can be briefly given and justified. A more extensive justification takes place in the other modules.

m6b Leads for further research  
Regular research generally leads to new problems, whether the problem at hand has been solved or not. Signalling these new problems provides readers with leads for further research. Hence, we define this constituent module of the Outcome:

The module LEADS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH may contain:

• a report on new problems related to the subject at hand;
• a reformulation of unsolved problems, with a suggestion how to solve them;

When no satisfactory solution has been found for the central problem of the article, that problem is put up for further investigation. Based on their research, the authors are able to suggest how it could be approached, or at least to warn the reader how it cannot be solved. When the authors have encountered new problems related to the problem at hand, these can also be made explicit in this module.