4 *AMAZING* Significance of the Study Examples (& Writing Tips)

QUICK SUMMARY: The significance of the study is a section in the introduction of your thesis or paper. Its purpose is to make clear why your study was needed and the specific contribution your research made to furthering academic knowledge in your field.

When you write a thesis or research paper, there is a section that is allocated for the significance of the study. In this article, we’ll provide different examples of the Significance of the Study and will give you tips on how to write one.

What is the Significance of the Study?

The significance of the study is a written statement (written with a non-expert in mind) that explains why your research was needed. It presents the importance of your research.

It’s a justification of the importance of your work and the impact it has on your research field, its contribution to new knowledge, and how others will benefit from it.

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This part of your thesis will give you an opportunity to prove your study’s impact on your field of research, the new knowledge it contributes, and the people who will benefit from it.

It could be simply reflected by the following two questions:

• Why should my study be published?
• What significant contribution can I make to my field of research?

Where and why put it

The significance of the study should be put after the rationale, problem statement, and hypothesis of your research. It’s still part of the first chapter or the introduction.

Understand that the readers of your research may include an academic reviewer assessing your manuscript under peer review or an examiner reading your research paper.

The reason why the significance of the study is very important is that this part of your research paper will make it very clear to your readers the significance of the research you performed, the contribution you made to the field, and the benefits it has.

5 tips in writing Significance of the Study

Aside from making sure that your writing is free of grammatical errors, you need to have a structure. In order to help you write the best version of the significance of your study, we provided five (5) tips and guides:

Tip #1: Use your research problem as a starting point

In writing the significance of the study, always refer to the statement of the problem. This way, you can clearly define the contribution of your study.

To simplify, your research should answer this question, “What are the benefits or advantages of the study based on the statement of the problem?”

Ask yourself “How will the answers to my research problem be beneficial?”. In this manner, you will have an idea of how valuable it is to conduct your study. 

Let’s say your research problem is “What is the level of effectiveness of the lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) in lowering the blood glucose level of swiss mice (Mus musculus)?”

Discovering a positive correlation between the use of lemongrass and lower blood glucose level may lead to the following results:

• Increased public understanding of the plant’s medical properties;
• Higher appreciation of the importance of lemongrass  by the community;
• Adoption of lemongrass tea as a cheap, readily available, and natural remedy to lower their blood glucose level.

Once you’ve zeroed in on the general benefits of your study, it’s time to break it down into specific beneficiaries.

Tip #2: State how your research will contribute to the existing field

Think of the things that were not explored by previous studies. Then, write how your research tackles those unexplored areas. Through this, you can convince your readers that you are studying something new and adding value to the field.

Tip #3: Explain how your research will benefit the society

In this part, tell how your research will impact society. Think of how the results of your research will change something in your community. 

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For example, in the study about the use of lemongrass tea in lowering blood glucose levels, you may indicate that through your research, the community will be able to realize the significance of lemongrass and other herbal plants. As a result, the community will be encouraged to promote the cultivation and use of medicinal plants.

Tip #4: Mention the specific persons or institutions who will benefit from your study

Determine the specific contribution of your thesis study to society as well as to the individual. Write it deductively, starting from general to specific. Start your significance of the study broadly then narrow it out to a specific group or person.

This is done by looking into the general contribution of your study, such as its importance to society as a whole, then moving towards its contribution to individuals like yourself as a researcher.

Using the same example above, you may indicate that the results of this research will benefit those people who are looking for an alternative supplement to prevent high blood glucose levels.

Tip #5: Indicate how your study may help future studies in the field

You must also specifically indicate how your research will be part of the literature of the field you are studying and how it will benefit future researchers. In our example above, you may indicate that through the data and analysis that your research will provide, future researchers may explore other capabilities of herbal plants in preventing different diseases.

More tips

• Think ahead. By visualizing your study in its complete form, it will be easier for you to connect the dots and identify the beneficiaries of your study.
• Write concisely. Make it straightforward, clear, and easy to understand so that the readers will appreciate the benefits of your research. Avoid making it too long and wordy.
• Go from general to specific. Like an inverted pyramid, you start from above by discussing the general contribution of your study and become more specific as you go along. For instance, if your research is about the effect of remote learning setup on the mental health of college students of a certain university, you may start by discussing the benefits of the research to the society, the educational institution, the learning facilitators, and finally, to the students.
• Seek help. For example, you may ask your research adviser for some insights on how your research may contribute to the existing literature. As long as you ask the right questions, your research adviser can point you in the right direction.
• Revise, revise, revise. Be ready to apply necessary changes to your research on the fly. Whether it’s the respondents or variables involved in your study, there will be unexpected things that will require your adaptability. There’s always room for improvement so never assume your work is done until you have reached the finish line.

4 Significance of the Study examples

This section presents examples of the Significance of the Study using the steps and guidelines presented above.

Sample 1: STEM-related

Research Topic: Level of Effectiveness of the Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) Tea in Lowering the Blood Glucose Level of Swiss Mice (Mus musculus).

Significance of the Study.

This research will provide new insights into the medicinal benefit of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) specifically on its hypoglycemic ability.

Through this research, the community will further realize promoting the use of medicinal plants, especially lemongrass, as a preventive measure against various diseases. People and medical institutions may also consider lemongrass tea as an alternative supplement against hyperglycemia. 

Moreover, the analysis that is presented in this study will convey valuable information for future research that will explore the various medicinal benefits of lemongrass and other medicinal plants.  

Sample 2: Business and Management-related research

Research Topic: A Comparative Analysis on the Use of Traditional Marketing and Social Media Marketing of Small Clothing Enterprise.

Significance of the Study:

By comparing the two marketing strategies presented by this research, there will be an expansion of the current understanding of the firms on these marketing strategies in terms of cost, acceptability, and sustainability. This study provides a clear presentation of these marketing strategies for small clothing enterprises, giving them insights into which strategy is more appropriate and useful for them. 

Specifically, this research will benefit start-up clothing enterprises in deciding which marketing strategy should they employ. Long-time clothing enterprises may also consider the result of this research to review their current marketing strategy.

Furthermore, a detailed presentation on the comparison of the marketing strategies involved in this research may serve as a tool for further studies to innovate the current strategies being employed in the clothing Industry.

Sample 3: Social science-related research

Research Topic:  Divide Et Impera: An Overview on How the Divide-and-Conquer Strategy Prevailed on Philippine Political History.

Significance of the Study:

Through the comprehensive exploration of this study on Philippine political history, the influence of the Divide et Impera or political decentralization on the political discernment across the history of the Philippines will be unraveled, emphasized, and scrutinized. Moreover, this research will elucidate how this principle prevailed until the current political theatre of the Philippines.

In this regard, this study will give awareness to society on how this principle might affect the current political context. Moreover, through the analysis made by this study, political entities and institutions will have a new approach to how to deal with this principle by learning about its influence in the past.

In addition to this, the overview presented in this research will push for new paradigms which will be useful for future discussion of the Divide et Impera principle and may lead to a more in-depth analysis of it.

Sample 4: Humanities related research

Research Topic: Effectiveness of Meditation on Reducing the Anxiety Levels of College Students.

Significance of the Study: 

This research will provide new perspectives on approaching anxiety issues of college students through meditation. 

Specifically, this research will benefit the following:

Community – this study spreads awareness in the community on recognizing anxiety as a mental health concern and how meditation can be a useful approach to alleviating it.

Academic Institutions and administrators – through this research, academic institutions and administrators may promote programs and advocacies regarding meditation that can help the students deal with their anxiety issues.

Mental health advocates – the result of this research will provide valuable information for the advocates to further their campaign on spreading awareness on how to deal with various mental health issues including anxiety and how to stop stigmatizing those with mental health disorders.

Parents – this research may convince parents to consider programs involving meditations that may help the students deal with their anxiety issues.

Students – students will be directly benefited from this research as its findings may encourage them to consider meditation as an approach to lower their anxiety levels.

Future researchers – this study covers information involving meditation as an approach to reducing anxiety levels. Thus, the result of this study can be used for future discussions on the capabilities of meditation in alleviating other mental health concerns.

FAQs

Final thoughts

The statement of the significance of the study is used by students and researchers in academic writing to convey the importance of the research performed; this section is written at the end of the introduction and should describe the specific contribution made and who it benefits.