scope and limitation of the study in research meaning

What Is Scope And Limitation In Research?

Post author By admin
April 16, 2024

Research is the cornerstone of progress in any field, be it science, social sciences, or humanities. But behind every research endeavor lies a crucial aspect that often goes unnoticed by many: the scope and limitation. In this blog, we’ll delve into what is scope and limitation in research, why they matter, and how they influence the outcome of a study.

Table of Contents

What Are The Main 10 Stages Of Research Process?

The research process typically involves several stages, each crucial for the successful completion of a study. Here are the main 10 stages of the research process:

Identifying the Research Problem: This stage involves identifying a topic or issue that warrants investigation. Researchers should ensure the problem is significant, relevant, and feasible for study.
Reviewing the Literature: Conducting a thorough review of existing literature on the chosen topic is essential. This helps researchers figure out what we already know, spot where there are holes in our knowledge, and make their research questions clearer.
Formulating Research Questions or Hypotheses: Based on the identified research problem and literature review, researchers develop specific research questions or hypotheses that they aim to address through their study.
Designing the Research Methodology: This stage involves selecting the appropriate research design, methods, and techniques for data collection and analysis. Researchers must consider factors such as the research objectives, the nature of the data, and ethical considerations.
Sampling: Researchers need to determine the sampling strategy and select participants or samples that represent the population of interest. Sampling methods may vary depending on the research design and objectives.
Data Collection: This stage involves collecting data using the chosen methods and techniques. Data collection may involve surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, or analysis of existing data, among other methods.
Data Analysis: After collecting data, researchers look at it carefully using the right tools to figure out what it means. They want to find important ideas, check if their guesses are right, and answer the questions they’re studying.
Interpreting Results: Researchers analyze the results of their data to understand how they relate to the questions or guesses they had at the beginning of their study. They assess the significance of the results, identify patterns or trends, and draw conclusions.
Drawing Conclusions and Implications: Based on the interpretation of results, researchers draw conclusions regarding the research questions or hypotheses. They discuss the implications of their findings, their relevance to theory or practice, and any recommendations for future research or applications.
Writing and Presenting the Research Report: Finally, researchers write a comprehensive research report detailing the entire research process, from problem identification to conclusions. The report typically includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. Researchers may also present their findings at conferences or publish them in academic journals.

Scope in Research

Definition: The scope of research outlines the boundaries and extent of the study.
Components: It includes various elements such as research objectives, questions, methodology, timeframe, and geographic coverage.
Guiding Factor: Scope guides researchers in determining what aspects of the topic will be included in the study and what will be excluded.
Clarity: Defining the scope ensures clarity and focus, preventing researchers from straying off-topic.
Relevance: It helps in ensuring that the research addresses pertinent issues and contributes meaningfully to the existing body of knowledge.

Limitation in Research

Definition: Limitations refer to constraints or weaknesses within the research study that may impact its validity or generalizability.
Types: Limitations can arise due to various factors such as methodological constraints, resource limitations, scope constraints, ethical considerations, and time constraints.
Acknowledgement: Researchers should openly acknowledge limitations to maintain transparency and credibility.
Mitigation: While some limitations may be unavoidable, researchers can mitigate their impact through careful planning, rigorous methodology, and transparent reporting.
Future Implications: Identifying and addressing limitations can provide valuable insights for future research, guiding researchers in overcoming similar challenges in subsequent studies.

What Is Scope And Limitation In Research Example?

Scope in research example.

Let’s consider a research study investigating the impact of social media usage on teenagers’ mental health in urban areas of a particular city over the past three years. The scope of this study would include:

Research Goals: We want to understand how using social media affects how teenagers feel.
Research Questions: How much do teenagers in cities use social media, and for how long? Does using social media relate to how teenagers feel, like if they feel sad or anxious?
Research Methodology: Utilizing surveys and interviews to gather data on social media usage patterns and mental health indicators.
Timeframe: The study will focus on data collected over the past three years to capture recent trends and changes.
Geographic Coverage: The study will concentrate on urban areas within a specific city, ensuring relevance and context specificity.

Limitation in Research Example

In the same study, limitations may arise due to various factors:

Methodological Limitation: The reliance on self-reported data from surveys and interviews may introduce response bias and inaccuracies.
Resource Limitation: Limited funding and time constraints may restrict the sample size and the depth of data collection, potentially affecting the study’s comprehensiveness.
Scope Limitation: Focusing solely on urban areas may limit the generalizability of the findings to rural or suburban populations.
Ethical Limitation: Ensuring informed consent and protecting the privacy of participants may pose ethical challenges, especially when dealing with sensitive topics like mental health.
Time Limitation: The study’s timeframe of three years may not capture long-term effects or trends in social media usage and mental health outcomes.

In this example, the scope defines the parameters and objectives of the study, while the limitations highlight potential constraints and challenges that may impact the research process and findings.

How Do You Write Scope And Limitations In Research?

Writing the scope and limitations section in a research paper involves clearly defining the parameters of your study and acknowledging any constraints or weaknesses that may impact its validity or generalizability. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to write the scope and limitations in research:

Begin with the Scope
Start by defining the scope of your research. This involves outlining the boundaries and extent of your study.
Clearly state the objectives of your research and the specific aspects you will investigate.
Identify the research questions or hypotheses that you aim to address.
Describe the methodology you will use, including data collection and analysis techniques.
Specify the timeframe and geographic coverage of your study.
Be Concise and Specific
Avoid ambiguity by being concise and specific in your description of the scope. Clearly define what will be included in your study and what will be excluded.
Use clear and precise language to convey the scope of your research to your readers.
Acknowledge Limitations
After defining the scope, acknowledge any limitations or constraints that may impact your study.
Identify potential methodological limitations, such as sample size, data collection methods, or measurement tools.
Consider resource limitations, including funding, time, and access to data or participants.
Discuss any scope limitations, such as geographic or demographic restrictions.
Address ethical considerations and any potential biases or confounding factors.
Provide Justification
Explain why these limitations are relevant to your study and how they may affect the interpretation of your results.
Justify your choices and decisions regarding the scope and limitations of your research.
Demonstrate awareness of potential challenges and demonstrate transparency in your reporting.
Offer Recommendations
Despite limitations, suggest ways to mitigate their impact or address them in future research.
Provide recommendations for researchers who may encounter similar constraints in their own studies.
Highlight the implications of your research findings in light of the acknowledged limitations.
Review and Revise
Review your scope and limitations section to ensure clarity, coherence, and accuracy.
Revise as needed to ensure that your description accurately reflects the parameters of your study and acknowledges any potential constraints.

In conclusion (of what is scope and limitation in research), scope and limitation are integral components of any research project. Understanding the scope helps researchers define the boundaries and parameters of their study, while acknowledging limitations ensures transparency and credibility.

By carefully considering scope and limitation, researchers can conduct more rigorous and meaningful studies that contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their respective fields.

australia (2)
duolingo (13)
Education (284)
General (78)
How To (18)
IELTS (127)
Latest Updates (162)
Malta Visa (6)
Permanent residency (1)
Programming (31)
Scholarship (1)
Sponsored (4)
Study Abroad (187)
Technology (12)
work permit (8)

Community Blog

Keep up-to-date on postgraduate related issues with our quick reads written by students, postdocs, professors and industry leaders.

Scope and Delimitations – Explained & Example

By DiscoverPhDs
October 2, 2020

What Is Scope and Delimitation in Research?

The scope and delimitations of a thesis, dissertation or research paper define the topic and boundaries of the research problem to be investigated.

The scope details how in-depth your study is to explore the research question and the parameters in which it will operate in relation to the population and timeframe.

The delimitations of a study are the factors and variables not to be included in the investigation. In other words, they are the boundaries the researcher sets in terms of study duration, population size and type of participants, etc.

Difference Between Delimitations and Limitations

Delimitations refer to the boundaries of the research study, based on the researcher’s decision of what to include and what to exclude. They narrow your study to make it more manageable and relevant to what you are trying to prove.

Limitations relate to the validity and reliability of the study. They are characteristics of the research design or methodology that are out of your control but influence your research findings. Because of this, they determine the internal and external validity of your study and are considered potential weaknesses.

In other words, limitations are what the researcher cannot do (elements outside of their control) and delimitations are what the researcher will not do (elements outside of the boundaries they have set). Both are important because they help to put the research findings into context, and although they explain how the study is limited, they increase the credibility and validity of a research project.

Guidelines on How to Write a Scope

A good scope statement will answer the following six questions:

Why – the general aims and objectives (purpose) of the research.
What – the subject to be investigated, and the included variables.
Where – the location or setting of the study, i.e. where the data will be gathered and to which entity the data will belong.
When – the timeframe within which the data is to be collected.
Who – the subject matter of the study and the population from which they will be selected. This population needs to be large enough to be able to make generalisations.
How – how the research is to be conducted, including a description of the research design (e.g. whether it is experimental research, qualitative research or a case study), methodology, research tools and analysis techniques.

To make things as clear as possible, you should also state why specific variables were omitted from the research scope, and whether this was because it was a delimitation or a limitation. You should also explain why they could not be overcome with standard research methods backed up by scientific evidence.

How to Start Writing Your Study Scope

Use the below prompts as an effective way to start writing your scope:

This study is to focus on…
This study covers the…
This study aims to…

Guidelines on How to Write Delimitations

Since the delimitation parameters are within the researcher’s control, readers need to know why they were set, what alternative options were available, and why these alternatives were rejected. For example, if you are collecting data that can be derived from three different but similar experiments, the reader needs to understand how and why you decided to select the one you have.

Your reasons should always be linked back to your research question, as all delimitations should result from trying to make your study more relevant to your scope. Therefore, the scope and delimitations are usually considered together when writing a paper.

How to Start Writing Your Study Delimitations

Use the below prompts as an effective way to start writing your study delimitations:

This study does not cover…
This study is limited to…
The following has been excluded from this study…

Examples of Delimitation in Research

Examples of delimitations include:

research objectives,
research questions,
research variables,
target populations,
statistical analysis techniques .

Examples of Limitations in Research

Examples of limitations include:

Issues with sample and selection,
Insufficient sample size, population traits or specific participants for statistical significance,
Lack of previous research studies on the topic which has allowed for further analysis,
Limitations in the technology/instruments used to collect your data,
Limited financial resources and/or funding constraints.

Scientific misconduct can be described as a deviation from the accepted standards of scientific research, study and publication ethics.

In Finland, all new PhD holders are given a traditional Doctoral Hat and Doctoral Sword during a Conferment Ceremony, symbolising the freedom of research.

Tenure is a permanent position awarded to professors showing excellence in research and teaching. Find out more about the competitive position!

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

scope and limitation of the study in research meaning

Browse PhDs Now

The purpose of research is to enhance society by advancing knowledge through developing scientific theories, concepts and ideas – find out more on what this involves.

There are various types of research that are classified by objective, depth of study, analysed data and the time required to study the phenomenon etc.

Kai is a PhD student at Imperial College London. His research centres around sample efficiency, transfer learning and interpretability for deep reinforcement learning.

Dr Benzi gained his PhD in Data Science from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in 2016. He is now a professional data artist and head of research at a tech company in Paris, as well as a trained public speaker.

Join Thousands of Students

USC Libraries
Research Guides

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

Limitations of the Study
Purpose of Guide
Design Flaws to Avoid
Independent and Dependent Variables
Glossary of Research Terms
Reading Research Effectively
Narrowing a Topic Idea
Broadening a Topic Idea
Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
Academic Writing Style
Applying Critical Thinking
Choosing a Title
Making an Outline
Paragraph Development
Research Process Video Series
Executive Summary
The C.A.R.S. Model
Background Information
The Research Problem/Question
Theoretical Framework
Citation Tracking
Content Alert Services
Evaluating Sources
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Tiertiary Sources
Scholarly vs. Popular Publications
Qualitative Methods
Quantitative Methods
Insiderness
Using Non-Textual Elements
Common Grammar Mistakes
Writing Concisely
Avoiding Plagiarism
Footnotes or Endnotes?
Further Readings
Generative AI and Writing
USC Libraries Tutorials and Other Guides
Bibliography

The limitations of the study are those characteristics of design or methodology that impacted or influenced the interpretation of the findings from your research. Study limitations are the constraints placed on the ability to generalize from the results, to further describe applications to practice, and/or related to the utility of findings that are the result of the ways in which you initially chose to design the study or the method used to establish internal and external validity or the result of unanticipated challenges that emerged during the study.

Price, James H. and Judy Murnan. “Research Limitations and the Necessity of Reporting Them.” American Journal of Health Education 35 (2004): 66-67; Theofanidis, Dimitrios and Antigoni Fountouki. "Limitations and Delimitations in the Research Process." Perioperative Nursing 7 (September-December 2018): 155-163. .

Importance of...

Always acknowledge a study's limitations. It is far better that you identify and acknowledge your study’s limitations than to have them pointed out by your professor and have your grade lowered because you appeared to have ignored them or didn't realize they existed.

Keep in mind that acknowledgment of a study's limitations is an opportunity to make suggestions for further research. If you do connect your study's limitations to suggestions for further research, be sure to explain the ways in which these unanswered questions may become more focused because of your study.

Acknowledgment of a study's limitations also provides you with opportunities to demonstrate that you have thought critically about the research problem, understood the relevant literature published about it, and correctly assessed the methods chosen for studying the problem. A key objective of the research process is not only discovering new knowledge but also to confront assumptions and explore what we don't know.

Claiming limitations is a subjective process because you must evaluate the impact of those limitations . Don't just list key weaknesses and the magnitude of a study's limitations. To do so diminishes the validity of your research because it leaves the reader wondering whether, or in what ways, limitation(s) in your study may have impacted the results and conclusions. Limitations require a critical, overall appraisal and interpretation of their impact. You should answer the question: do these problems with errors, methods, validity, etc. eventually matter and, if so, to what extent?

Price, James H. and Judy Murnan. “Research Limitations and the Necessity of Reporting Them.” American Journal of Health Education 35 (2004): 66-67; Structure: How to Structure the Research Limitations Section of Your Dissertation. Dissertations and Theses: An Online Textbook. Laerd.com.

Descriptions of Possible Limitations

All studies have limitations . However, it is important that you restrict your discussion to limitations related to the research problem under investigation. For example, if a meta-analysis of existing literature is not a stated purpose of your research, it should not be discussed as a limitation. Do not apologize for not addressing issues that you did not promise to investigate in the introduction of your paper.

Here are examples of limitations related to methodology and the research process you may need to describe and discuss how they possibly impacted your results. Note that descriptions of limitations should be stated in the past tense because they were discovered after you completed your research.

Possible Methodological Limitations

Sample size -- the number of the units of analysis you use in your study is dictated by the type of research problem you are investigating. Note that, if your sample size is too small, it will be difficult to find significant relationships from the data, as statistical tests normally require a larger sample size to ensure a representative distribution of the population and to be considered representative of groups of people to whom results will be generalized or transferred. Note that sample size is generally less relevant in qualitative research if explained in the context of the research problem.
Lack of available and/or reliable data -- a lack of data or of reliable data will likely require you to limit the scope of your analysis, the size of your sample, or it can be a significant obstacle in finding a trend and a meaningful relationship. You need to not only describe these limitations but provide cogent reasons why you believe data is missing or is unreliable. However, don’t just throw up your hands in frustration; use this as an opportunity to describe a need for future research based on designing a different method for gathering data.
Lack of prior research studies on the topic -- citing prior research studies forms the basis of your literature review and helps lay a foundation for understanding the research problem you are investigating. Depending on the currency or scope of your research topic, there may be little, if any, prior research on your topic. Before assuming this to be true, though, consult with a librarian! In cases when a librarian has confirmed that there is little or no prior research, you may be required to develop an entirely new research typology [for example, using an exploratory rather than an explanatory research design ]. Note again that discovering a limitation can serve as an important opportunity to identify new gaps in the literature and to describe the need for further research.
Measure used to collect the data -- sometimes it is the case that, after completing your interpretation of the findings, you discover that the way in which you gathered data inhibited your ability to conduct a thorough analysis of the results. For example, you regret not including a specific question in a survey that, in retrospect, could have helped address a particular issue that emerged later in the study. Acknowledge the deficiency by stating a need for future researchers to revise the specific method for gathering data.
Self-reported data -- whether you are relying on pre-existing data or you are conducting a qualitative research study and gathering the data yourself, self-reported data is limited by the fact that it rarely can be independently verified. In other words, you have to the accuracy of what people say, whether in interviews, focus groups, or on questionnaires, at face value. However, self-reported data can contain several potential sources of bias that you should be alert to and note as limitations. These biases become apparent if they are incongruent with data from other sources. These are: (1) selective memory [remembering or not remembering experiences or events that occurred at some point in the past]; (2) telescoping [recalling events that occurred at one time as if they occurred at another time]; (3) attribution [the act of attributing positive events and outcomes to one's own agency, but attributing negative events and outcomes to external forces]; and, (4) exaggeration [the act of representing outcomes or embellishing events as more significant than is actually suggested from other data].

Possible Limitations of the Researcher

Access -- if your study depends on having access to people, organizations, data, or documents and, for whatever reason, access is denied or limited in some way, the reasons for this needs to be described. Also, include an explanation why being denied or limited access did not prevent you from following through on your study.
Longitudinal effects -- unlike your professor, who can literally devote years [even a lifetime] to studying a single topic, the time available to investigate a research problem and to measure change or stability over time is constrained by the due date of your assignment. Be sure to choose a research problem that does not require an excessive amount of time to complete the literature review, apply the methodology, and gather and interpret the results. If you're unsure whether you can complete your research within the confines of the assignment's due date, talk to your professor.
Cultural and other type of bias -- we all have biases, whether we are conscience of them or not. Bias is when a person, place, event, or thing is viewed or shown in a consistently inaccurate way. Bias is usually negative, though one can have a positive bias as well, especially if that bias reflects your reliance on research that only support your hypothesis. When proof-reading your paper, be especially critical in reviewing how you have stated a problem, selected the data to be studied, what may have been omitted, the manner in which you have ordered events, people, or places, how you have chosen to represent a person, place, or thing, to name a phenomenon, or to use possible words with a positive or negative connotation. NOTE : If you detect bias in prior research, it must be acknowledged and you should explain what measures were taken to avoid perpetuating that bias. For example, if a previous study only used boys to examine how music education supports effective math skills, describe how your research expands the study to include girls.
Fluency in a language -- if your research focuses , for example, on measuring the perceived value of after-school tutoring among Mexican-American ESL [English as a Second Language] students and you are not fluent in Spanish, you are limited in being able to read and interpret Spanish language research studies on the topic or to speak with these students in their primary language. This deficiency should be acknowledged.

Structure and Writing Style

If you determine that your study is seriously flawed due to important limitations , such as, an inability to acquire critical data, consider reframing it as an exploratory study intended to lay the groundwork for a more complete research study in the future. Be sure, though, to specifically explain the ways that these flaws can be successfully overcome in a new study.

But, do not use this as an excuse for not developing a thorough research paper! Review the tab in this guide for developing a research topic . If serious limitations exist, it generally indicates a likelihood that your research problem is too narrowly defined or that the issue or event under study is too recent and, thus, very little research has been written about it. If serious limitations do emerge, consult with your professor about possible ways to overcome them or how to revise your study.

When discussing the limitations of your research, be sure to:

Describe each limitation in detailed but concise terms;
Explain why each limitation exists;
Provide the reasons why each limitation could not be overcome using the method(s) chosen to acquire or gather the data [cite to other studies that had similar problems when possible];
Assess the impact of each limitation in relation to the overall findings and conclusions of your study; and,
If appropriate, describe how these limitations could point to the need for further research.

Remember that the method you chose may be the source of a significant limitation that has emerged during your interpretation of the results [for example, you didn't interview a group of people that you later wish you had]. If this is the case, don't panic. Acknowledge it, and explain how applying a different or more robust methodology might address the research problem more effectively in a future study. A underlying goal of scholarly research is not only to show what works, but to demonstrate what doesn't work or what needs further clarification.

Aguinis, Hermam and Jeffrey R. Edwards. “Methodological Wishes for the Next Decade and How to Make Wishes Come True.” Journal of Management Studies 51 (January 2014): 143-174; Brutus, Stéphane et al. "Self-Reported Limitations and Future Directions in Scholarly Reports: Analysis and Recommendations." Journal of Management 39 (January 2013): 48-75; Ioannidis, John P.A. "Limitations are not Properly Acknowledged in the Scientific Literature." Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 60 (2007): 324-329; Pasek, Josh. Writing the Empirical Social Science Research Paper: A Guide for the Perplexed. January 24, 2012. Academia.edu; Structure: How to Structure the Research Limitations Section of Your Dissertation. Dissertations and Theses: An Online Textbook. Laerd.com; What Is an Academic Paper? Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College; Writing the Experimental Report: Methods, Results, and Discussion. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University.

Writing Tip

Don't Inflate the Importance of Your Findings!

After all the hard work and long hours devoted to writing your research paper, it is easy to get carried away with attributing unwarranted importance to what you’ve done. We all want our academic work to be viewed as excellent and worthy of a good grade, but it is important that you understand and openly acknowledge the limitations of your study. Inflating the importance of your study's findings could be perceived by your readers as an attempt hide its flaws or encourage a biased interpretation of the results. A small measure of humility goes a long way!

Another Writing Tip

Negative Results are Not a Limitation!

Negative evidence refers to findings that unexpectedly challenge rather than support your hypothesis. If you didn't get the results you anticipated, it may mean your hypothesis was incorrect and needs to be reformulated. Or, perhaps you have stumbled onto something unexpected that warrants further study. Moreover, the absence of an effect may be very telling in many situations, particularly in experimental research designs. In any case, your results may very well be of importance to others even though they did not support your hypothesis. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that results contrary to what you expected is a limitation to your study. If you carried out the research well, they are simply your results and only require additional interpretation.

Lewis, George H. and Jonathan F. Lewis. “The Dog in the Night-Time: Negative Evidence in Social Research.” The British Journal of Sociology 31 (December 1980): 544-558.

Yet Another Writing Tip

Sample Size Limitations in Qualitative Research

Sample sizes are typically smaller in qualitative research because, as the study goes on, acquiring more data does not necessarily lead to more information. This is because one occurrence of a piece of data, or a code, is all that is necessary to ensure that it becomes part of the analysis framework. However, it remains true that sample sizes that are too small cannot adequately support claims of having achieved valid conclusions and sample sizes that are too large do not permit the deep, naturalistic, and inductive analysis that defines qualitative inquiry. Determining adequate sample size in qualitative research is ultimately a matter of judgment and experience in evaluating the quality of the information collected against the uses to which it will be applied and the particular research method and purposeful sampling strategy employed. If the sample size is found to be a limitation, it may reflect your judgment about the methodological technique chosen [e.g., single life history study versus focus group interviews] rather than the number of respondents used.

Boddy, Clive Roland. "Sample Size for Qualitative Research." Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal 19 (2016): 426-432; Huberman, A. Michael and Matthew B. Miles. "Data Management and Analysis Methods." In Handbook of Qualitative Research . Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln, eds. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1994), pp. 428-444; Blaikie, Norman. "Confounding Issues Related to Determining Sample Size in Qualitative Research." International Journal of Social Research Methodology 21 (2018): 635-641; Oppong, Steward Harrison. "The Problem of Sampling in qualitative Research." Asian Journal of Management Sciences and Education 2 (2013): 202-210.

<< Previous: 8. The Discussion
Next: 9. The Conclusion >>
Last Updated: Sep 4, 2024 9:40 AM
URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide

Educational resources and simple solutions for your research journey

Decoding the Scope and Delimitations of the Study in Research

Scope and delimitations of the study are two essential elements of a research paper or thesis that help to contextualize and convey the focus and boundaries of a research study. This allows readers to understand the research focus and the kind of information to expect. For researchers, especially students and early career researchers, understanding the meaning and purpose of the scope and delimitation of a study is crucial to craft a well-defined and impactful research project. In this article, we delve into the core concepts of scope and delimitation in a study, providing insightful examples, and practical tips on how to effectively incorporate them into your research endeavors.

Table of Contents

What is scope and delimitation in research

The scope of a research paper explains the context and framework for the study, outlines the extent, variables, or dimensions that will be investigated, and provides details of the parameters within which the study is conducted. Delimitations in research , on the other hand, refer to the limitations imposed on the study. It identifies aspects of the topic that will not be covered in the research, conveys why these choices were made, and how this will affect the outcome of the research. By narrowing down the scope and defining delimitations, researchers can ensure focused research and avoid pitfalls, which ensures the study remains feasible and attainable.

Example of scope and delimitation of a study

A researcher might want to study the effects of regular physical exercise on the health of senior citizens. This would be the broad scope of the study, after which the researcher would refine the scope by excluding specific groups of senior citizens, perhaps based on their age, gender, geographical location, cultural influences, and sample sizes. These then, would form the delimitations of the study; in other words, elements that describe the boundaries of the research.

The purpose of scope and delimitation in a study

The purpose of scope and delimitation in a study is to establish clear boundaries and focus for the research. This allows researchers to avoid ambiguity, set achievable objectives, and manage their project efficiently, ultimately leading to more credible and meaningful findings in their study. The scope and delimitation of a study serve several important purposes, including:

Establishing clarity: Clearly defining the scope and delimitation of a study helps researchers and readers alike understand the boundaries of the investigation and what to expect from it.
Focus and relevance: By setting the scope, researchers can concentrate on specific research questions, preventing the study from becoming too broad or irrelevant.
Feasibility: Delimitations of the study prevent researchers from taking on too unrealistic or unmanageable tasks, making the research more achievable.
Avoiding ambiguity: A well-defined scope and delimitation of the study minimizes any confusion or misinterpretation regarding the research objectives and methods.

Given the importance of both the scope and delimitations of a study, it is imperative to ensure that they are mentioned early on in the research manuscript. Most experts agree that the scope of research should be mentioned as part of the introduction and the delimitations must be mentioned as part of the methods section. Now that we’ve covered the scope and delimitation meaning and purpose, we look at how to write each of these sections.

How to write the scope of the study in research

When writing the scope of the study, remain focused on what you hope to achieve. Broadening the scope too much might make it too generic while narrowing it down too much may affect the way it would be interpreted. Ensure the scope of the study is clear, concise and accurate. Conduct a thorough literature review to understand existing literature, which will help identify gaps and refine the scope of your study.

It is helpful if you structure the scope in a way that answers the Six Ws – questions whose answers are considered basic in information-gathering.

Why: State the purpose of the research by articulating the research objectives and questions you aim to address in your study.

What: Outline the specific topic to be studied, while mentioning the variables, concepts, or aspects central to your research; these will define the extent of your study.

Where: Provide the setting or geographical location where the research study will be conducted.

When : Mention the specific timeframe within which the research data will be collected.

Who : Specify the sample size for the study and the profile of the population they will be drawn from.

How : Explain the research methodology, research design, and tools and analysis techniques.

How to write the delimitations of a study in research

When writing the delimitations of the study, researchers must provide all the details clearly and precisely. Writing the delimitations of the study requires a systematic approach to narrow down the research’s focus and establish boundaries. Follow these steps to craft delimitations effectively:

Clearly understand the research objectives and questions you intend to address in your study.
Conduct a comprehensive literature review to identify gaps and areas that have already been extensively covered. This helps to avoid redundancies and home in on a unique issue.
Clearly state what aspects, variables, or factors you will be excluding in your research; mention available alternatives, if any, and why these alternatives were rejected.
Explain how you the delimitations were set, and they contribute to the feasibility and relevance of your study, and how they align with the research objectives.
Be sure to acknowledge limitations in your research, such as constraints related to time, resources, or data availability.

Being transparent ensures credibility, while explaining why the delimitations of your study could not be overcome with standard research methods backed up by scientific evidence can help readers understand the context better.

Differentiating between delimitations and limitations

Most early career researchers get confused and often use these two terms interchangeably which is wrong. Delimitations of a study refer to the set boundaries and specific parameters within which the research is carried out. They help narrow down your focus and makes it more relevant to what you are trying to prove.

Meanwhile, limitations in a study refer to the validity and reliability of the research being conducted. They are those elements of your study that are usually out of your immediate control but are still able to affect your findings in some way. In other words, limitation are potential weaknesses of your research.

In conclusion, scope and delimitation of a study are vital elements that shape the trajectory of your research study. The above explanations will have hopefully helped you better understand the scope and delimitations meaning, purpose, and importance in crafting focused, feasible, and impactful research studies. Be sure to follow the simple techniques to write the scope and delimitations of the study to embark on your research journey with clarity and confidence. Happy researching!

Editage All Access is a subscription-based platform that unifies the best AI tools and services designed to speed up, simplify, and streamline every step of a researcher’s journey. The Editage All Access Pack is a one-of-a-kind subscription that unlocks full access to an AI writing assistant, literature recommender, journal finder, scientific illustration tool, and exclusive discounts on professional publication services from Editage.

Based on 22+ years of experience in academia, Editage All Access empowers researchers to put their best research forward and move closer to success. Explore our top AI Tools pack, AI Tools + Publication Services pack, or Build Your Own Plan. Find everything a researcher needs to succeed, all in one place –  Get All Access now starting at just $14 a month !  

Join Us for Peer Review Week 2024

Editage All Access Boosting Productivity for Academics in India

How Editage All Access is Boosting Productivity for Academics in India

Instant insights, infinite possibilities

How to present limitations in research

Last updated

30 January 2024

Reviewed by

Short on time? Get an AI generated summary of this article instead

Limitations don’t invalidate or diminish your results, but it’s best to acknowledge them. This will enable you to address any questions your study failed to answer because of them.

In this guide, learn how to recognize, present, and overcome limitations in research.

What is a research limitation?

Research limitations are weaknesses in your research design or execution that may have impacted outcomes and conclusions. Uncovering limitations doesn’t necessarily indicate poor research design—it just means you encountered challenges you couldn’t have anticipated that limited your research efforts.

Does basic research have limitations?

Basic research aims to provide more information about your research topic . It requires the same standard research methodology and data collection efforts as any other research type, and it can also have limitations.

Common research limitations

Researchers encounter common limitations when embarking on a study. Limitations can occur in relation to the methods you apply or the research process you design. They could also be connected to you as the researcher.

Methodology limitations

Not having access to data or reliable information can impact the methods used to facilitate your research. A lack of data or reliability may limit the parameters of your study area and the extent of your exploration.

Your sample size may also be affected because you won’t have any direction on how big or small it should be and who or what you should include. Having too few participants won’t adequately represent the population or groups of people needed to draw meaningful conclusions.

Research process limitations

The study’s design can impose constraints on the process. For example, as you’re conducting the research, issues may arise that don’t conform to the data collection methodology you developed. You may not realize until well into the process that you should have incorporated more specific questions or comprehensive experiments to generate the data you need to have confidence in your results.

Constraints on resources can also have an impact. Being limited on participants or participation incentives may limit your sample sizes. Insufficient tools, equipment, and materials to conduct a thorough study may also be a factor.

Common researcher limitations

Here are some of the common researcher limitations you may encounter:

Time: some research areas require multi-year longitudinal approaches, but you might not be able to dedicate that much time. Imagine you want to measure how much memory a person loses as they age. This may involve conducting multiple tests on a sample of participants over 20–30 years, which may be impossible.

Bias: researchers can consciously or unconsciously apply bias to their research. Biases can contribute to relying on research sources and methodologies that will only support your beliefs about the research you’re embarking on. You might also omit relevant issues or participants from the scope of your study because of your biases.

Limited access to data : you may need to pay to access specific databases or journals that would be helpful to your research process. You might also need to gain information from certain people or organizations but have limited access to them. These cases require readjusting your process and explaining why your findings are still reliable.

Why is it important to identify limitations?

Identifying limitations adds credibility to research and provides a deeper understanding of how you arrived at your conclusions.

Constraints may have prevented you from collecting specific data or information you hoped would prove or disprove your hypothesis or provide a more comprehensive understanding of your research topic.

However, identifying the limitations contributing to your conclusions can inspire further research efforts that help gather more substantial information and data.

Where to put limitations in a research paper

A research paper is broken up into different sections that appear in the following order:

Introduction

Methodology

The discussion portion of your paper explores your findings and puts them in the context of the overall research. Either place research limitations at the beginning of the discussion section before the analysis of your findings or at the end of the section to indicate that further research needs to be pursued.

What not to include in the limitations section

Evidence that doesn’t support your hypothesis is not a limitation, so you shouldn’t include it in the limitation section. Don’t just list limitations and their degree of severity without further explanation.

How to present limitations

You’ll want to present the limitations of your study in a way that doesn’t diminish the validity of your research and leave the reader wondering if your results and conclusions have been compromised.

Include only the limitations that directly relate to and impact how you addressed your research questions. Following a specific format enables the reader to develop an understanding of the weaknesses within the context of your findings without doubting the quality and integrity of your research.

Identify the limitations specific to your study

You don’t have to identify every possible limitation that might have occurred during your research process. Only identify those that may have influenced the quality of your findings and your ability to answer your research question.

Explain study limitations in detail

This explanation should be the most significant portion of your limitation section.

Link each limitation with an interpretation and appraisal of their impact on the study. You’ll have to evaluate and explain whether the error, method, or validity issues influenced the study’s outcome and how.

Propose a direction for future studies and present alternatives

In this section, suggest how researchers can avoid the pitfalls you experienced during your research process.

If an issue with methodology was a limitation, propose alternate methods that may help with a smoother and more conclusive research project . Discuss the pros and cons of your alternate recommendation.

Describe steps taken to minimize each limitation

You probably took steps to try to address or mitigate limitations when you noticed them throughout the course of your research project. Describe these steps in the limitation section.

Limitation example

“Approaches like stem cell transplantation and vaccination in AD [Alzheimer’s disease] work on a cellular or molecular level in the laboratory. However, translation into clinical settings will remain a challenge for the next decade.”

The authors are saying that even though these methods showed promise in helping people with memory loss when conducted in the lab (in other words, using animal studies), more studies are needed. These may be controlled clinical trials, for example.

However, the short life span of stem cells outside the lab and the vaccination’s severe inflammatory side effects are limitations. Researchers won’t be able to conduct clinical trials until these issues are overcome.

How to overcome limitations in research

You’ve already started on the road to overcoming limitations in research by acknowledging that they exist. However, you need to ensure readers don’t mistake weaknesses for errors within your research design.

To do this, you’ll need to justify and explain your rationale for the methods, research design, and analysis tools you chose and how you noticed they may have presented limitations.

Your readers need to know that even when limitations presented themselves, you followed best practices and the ethical standards of your field. You didn’t violate any rules and regulations during your research process.

You’ll also want to reinforce the validity of your conclusions and results with multiple sources, methods, and perspectives. This prevents readers from assuming your findings were derived from a single or biased source.

Learning and improving starts with limitations in research

Dealing with limitations with transparency and integrity helps identify areas for future improvements and developments. It’s a learning process, providing valuable insights into how you can improve methodologies, expand sample sizes, or explore alternate approaches to further support the validity of your findings.

Should you be using a customer insights hub?

Do you want to discover previous research faster?

Do you share your research findings with others?

Do you analyze research data?

Start for free today, add your research, and get to key insights faster

Editor’s picks

Last updated: 18 April 2023

Last updated: 27 February 2023

Last updated: 22 August 2024

Last updated: 5 February 2023

Last updated: 16 August 2024

Last updated: 9 March 2023

Last updated: 30 April 2024

Last updated: 12 December 2023

Last updated: 11 March 2024

Last updated: 4 July 2024

Last updated: 6 March 2024

Last updated: 5 March 2024

Last updated: 13 May 2024

Latest articles

Related topics, .css-je19u9{-webkit-align-items:flex-end;-webkit-box-align:flex-end;-ms-flex-align:flex-end;align-items:flex-end;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:wrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;row-gap:0;text-align:center;max-width:671px;}@media (max-width: 1079px){.css-je19u9{max-width:400px;}.css-je19u9>span{white-space:pre;}}@media (max-width: 799px){.css-je19u9{max-width:400px;}.css-je19u9>span{white-space:pre;}} decide what to .css-1kiodld{max-height:56px;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;}@media (max-width: 1079px){.css-1kiodld{display:none;}} build next, decide what to build next, log in or sign up.

Get started for free

Frequently asked questions

How do i determine scope of research.

Scope of research is determined at the beginning of your research process , prior to the data collection stage. Sometimes called “scope of study,” your scope delineates what will and will not be covered in your project. It helps you focus your work and your time, ensuring that you’ll be able to achieve your goals and outcomes.

Defining a scope can be very useful in any research project, from a research proposal to a thesis or dissertation . A scope is needed for all types of research: quantitative , qualitative , and mixed methods .

To define your scope of research, consider the following:

Budget constraints or any specifics of grant funding
Your proposed timeline and duration
Specifics about your population of study, your proposed sample size , and the research methodology you’ll pursue
Any inclusion and exclusion criteria
Any anticipated control , extraneous , or confounding variables that could bias your research if not accounted for properly.

Ask our team

Want to contact us directly? No problem. We are always here for you.

Email [email protected]
Start live chat
Call +1 (510) 822-8066
WhatsApp +31 20 261 6040

Our team helps students graduate by offering:

A world-class citation generator
Plagiarism Checker software powered by Turnitin
Innovative Citation Checker software
Professional proofreading services
Over 300 helpful articles about academic writing, citing sources, plagiarism, and more

Scribbr specializes in editing study-related documents . We proofread:

PhD dissertations
Research proposals
Personal statements
Admission essays
Motivation letters
Reflection papers
Journal articles
Capstone projects

Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker is powered by elements of Turnitin’s Similarity Checker , namely the plagiarism detection software and the Internet Archive and Premium Scholarly Publications content databases .

The add-on AI detector is powered by Scribbr’s proprietary software.

The Scribbr Citation Generator is developed using the open-source Citation Style Language (CSL) project and Frank Bennett’s citeproc-js . It’s the same technology used by dozens of other popular citation tools, including Mendeley and Zotero.

You can find all the citation styles and locales used in the Scribbr Citation Generator in our publicly accessible repository on Github .

Reference.com

What's Your Question?

History & Geography
Science & Technology
Business & Finance
Pets & Animals

What Are Scope and Limitations in Research?

Scope and limitations are two terms that address the details of a research project. The term scope refers to the problem or issue that the researcher wants to study with the project. Limitations is the term used for constraints that impact the researcher’s ability to effectively study the scope of the project.

Identifying the Scope of a Project

One of the first tasks you need to do when completing research is to identify the scope of the project. When identifying the scope, you need to address not only the problem or issue that you want to study but the population that you want to examine.

For example, assume your project strives to research the impact of sleep quality on productivity. Who will you study when examining productivity? Are you interested in worker productivity, student productivity, or general productivity? What demographic do you want to examine? You might ultimately decide that you want to study student productivity for students between the ages of 18 and 19.

H ow to Identify the Project Scope

Identifying the project’s scope sounds easy in theory, but it can take days or even weeks for researchers to identify a reasonable scope for the project. Though you might want to study the problem in as large a sample as possible, this usually isn’t the best idea for an efficient project. It’s time-consuming and expensive to thoroughly examine a problem when the scope is too wide.

A better option is to use a narrower scope for each study and complete multiple studies if necessary. If your goal is to learn how sleep quality affects productivity, you don’t want to examine productivity in workers, students, and stay-at-home parents with one study. Instead, complete a study that examines one of these groups and complete more studies over time to study the other groups.

When identifying your scope, you should also keep the intended audience of your project in mind. Though your audience doesn’t always need to have a strong impact on your scope, if you’re not sure how to narrow your scope, you might select a group that will pertain to your audience. For example, in the previously mentioned productivity study, if your audience is corporations, you might examine worker productivity in a demographic that these corporations frequently employ.

E xamining the Reality of Project Limitations

Every project, even the ones that boast meticulous planning and seasoned researchers, have limitations. When you craft a paper that summarizes your research findings, it’s essential to include the limitations in your report. Though you may worry that identifying limitations will cause readers and other researchers to dismiss your findings, the opposite is typically true. Your audience is more likely to view your findings as credible if they know you’ve considered and examined aspects that impacted your ability to properly study the topic.

C ommon Research Limitations

There are numerous limitations that can impact your ability to complete quality research. Research limitations may be methodological (related to how the study is completed) or a lack of researcher resources (such as time and research funds).

Methodological limitations include the following:

Small sample size
Limited diversity in your sample size
Lack of previous research to examine
Improper techniques or measurements used for collecting data

Common researcher related limitations include:

Limited access to your project respondents (perhaps due to geographical constraints)
Time constraints
Personal conflicts and biases
Budget restraints

L earning from Project Limitations

One of the most important reasons to identify and document project limitations is that it permits future researchers to learn from these limitations and adjust their research accordingly. Imagine that your project studies the effects of low carbohydrate consumption on sleep quality; due to time constraints, you were only able to study your sample size for two weeks. The next researcher who wants to study this topic would know that time constraints were a limitation for your study. They can then take steps to design a study that addresses this constraint. Their study might examine their sample size for a month to see if that changes the findings.

Scope and Delimitations in Research

Delimitations are the boundaries that the researcher sets in a research study, deciding what to include and what to exclude. They help to narrow down the study and make it more manageable and relevant to the research goal.

Updated on October 19, 2022

All scientific research has boundaries, whether or not the authors clearly explain them. Your study's scope and delimitations are the sections where you define the broader parameters and boundaries of your research.

The scope details what your study will explore, such as the target population, extent, or study duration. Delimitations are factors and variables not included in the study.

Scope and delimitations are not methodological shortcomings; they're always under your control. Discussing these is essential because doing so shows that your project is manageable and scientifically sound.

This article covers:

What's meant by “scope” and “delimitations”
Why these are integral components of every study
How and where to actually write about scope and delimitations in your manuscript
Examples of scope and delimitations from published studies

What is the scope in a research paper?

Simply put, the scope is the domain of your research. It describes the extent to which the research question will be explored in your study.

Articulating your study's scope early on helps you make your research question focused and realistic.

It also helps decide what data you need to collect (and, therefore, what data collection tools you need to design). Getting this right is vital for both academic articles and funding applications.

What are delimitations in a research paper?

Delimitations are those factors or aspects of the research area that you'll exclude from your research. The scope and delimitations of the study are intimately linked.

Essentially, delimitations form a more detailed and narrowed-down formulation of the scope in terms of exclusion. The delimitations explain what was (intentionally) not considered within the given piece of research.

Scope and delimitations examples

Use the following examples provided by our expert PhD editors as a reference when coming up with your own scope and delimitations.

Scope example

Your research question is, “What is the impact of bullying on the mental health of adolescents?” This topic, on its own, doesn't say much about what's being investigated.

The scope, for example, could encompass:

Variables: “bullying” (dependent variable), “mental health” (independent variable), and ways of defining or measuring them
Bullying type: Both face-to-face and cyberbullying
Target population: Adolescents aged 12–17
Geographical coverage: France or only one specific town in France

Delimitations example

Look back at the previous example.

Exploring the adverse effects of bullying on adolescents' mental health is a preliminary delimitation. This one was chosen from among many possible research questions (e.g., the impact of bullying on suicide rates, or children or adults).

Delimiting factors could include:

Research design : Mixed-methods research, including thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and statistical analysis of a survey
Timeframe : Data collection to run for 3 months
Population size : 100 survey participants; 15 interviewees
Recruitment of participants : Quota sampling (aiming for specific portions of men, women, ethnic minority students etc.)

We can see that every choice you make in planning and conducting your research inevitably excludes other possible options.

What's the difference between limitations and delimitations?

Delimitations and limitations are entirely different, although they often get mixed up. These are the main differences:

This chart explains the difference between delimitations and limitations. Delimitations are the boundaries of the study while the limitations are the characteristics of the research design or methodology.

Delimitations encompass the elements outside of the boundaries you've set and depends on your decision of what yo include and exclude. On the flip side, limitations are the elements outside of your control, such as:

limited financial resources
unplanned work or expenses
unexpected events (for example, the COVID-19 pandemic)
time constraints
lack of technology/instruments
unavailable evidence or previous research on the topic

Delimitations involve narrowing your study to make it more manageable and relevant to what you're trying to prove. Limitations influence the validity and reliability of your research findings. Limitations are seen as potential weaknesses in your research.

Example of the differences

To clarify these differences, go back to the limitations of the earlier example.

Limitations could comprise:

Sample size : Not large enough to provide generalizable conclusions.
Sampling approach : Non-probability sampling has increased bias risk. For instance, the researchers might not manage to capture the experiences of ethnic minority students.
Methodological pitfalls : Research participants from an urban area (Paris) are likely to be more advantaged than students in rural areas. A study exploring the latter's experiences will probably yield very different findings.

Where do you write the scope and delimitations, and why?

It can be surprisingly empowering to realize you're restricted when conducting scholarly research. But this realization also makes writing up your research easier to grasp and makes it easier to see its limits and the expectations placed on it. Properly revealing this information serves your field and the greater scientific community.

Openly (but briefly) acknowledge the scope and delimitations of your study early on. The Abstract and Introduction sections are good places to set the parameters of your paper.

Next, discuss the scope and delimitations in greater detail in the Methods section. You'll need to do this to justify your methodological approach and data collection instruments, as well as analyses

At this point, spell out why these delimitations were set. What alternative options did you consider? Why did you reject alternatives? What could your study not address?

Let's say you're gathering data that can be derived from different but related experiments. You must convince the reader that the one you selected best suits your research question.

Finally, a solid paper will return to the scope and delimitations in the Findings or Discussion section. Doing so helps readers contextualize and interpret findings because the study's scope and methods influence the results.

For instance, agricultural field experiments carried out under irrigated conditions yield different results from experiments carried out without irrigation.

Being transparent about the scope and any outstanding issues increases your research's credibility and objectivity. It helps other researchers replicate your study and advance scientific understanding of the same topic (e.g., by adopting a different approach).

How do you write the scope and delimitations?

Define the scope and delimitations of your study before collecting data. This is critical. This step should be part of your research project planning.

Answering the following questions will help you address your scope and delimitations clearly and convincingly.

What are your study's aims and objectives?
Why did you carry out the study?
What was the exact topic under investigation?
Which factors and variables were included? And state why specific variables were omitted from the research scope.
Who or what did the study explore? What was the target population?
What was the study's location (geographical area) or setting (e.g., laboratory)?
What was the timeframe within which you collected your data ?
Consider a study exploring the differences between identical twins who were raised together versus identical twins who weren't. The data collection might span 5, 10, or more years.
A study exploring a new immigration policy will cover the period since the policy came into effect and the present moment.
How was the research conducted (research design)?
Experimental research, qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research, literature review, etc.
What data collection tools and analysis techniques were used? e.g., If you chose quantitative methods, which statistical analysis techniques and software did you use?
What did you find?
What did you conclude?

Useful vocabulary for scope and delimitations

When explaining both the scope and delimitations, it's important to use the proper language to clearly state each.

For the scope , use the following language:

This study focuses on/considers/investigates/covers the following:
This study aims to . . . / Here, we aim to show . . . / In this study, we . . .
The overall objective of the research is . . . / Our objective is to . . .

When stating the delimitations, use the following language:

This [ . . . ] will not be the focus, for it has been frequently and exhaustively discusses in earlier studies.
To review the [ . . . ] is a task that lies outside the scope of this study.
The following [ . . . ] has been excluded from this study . . .
This study does not provide a complete literature review of [ . . . ]. Instead, it draws on selected pertinent studies [ . . . ]

Analysis of a published scope

In one example, Simione and Gnagnarella (2020) compared the psychological and behavioral impact of COVID-19 on Italy's health workers and general population.

Here's a breakdown of the study's scope into smaller chunks and discussion of what works and why.

Also notable is that this study's delimitations include references to:

Recruitment of participants: Convenience sampling
Demographic characteristics of study participants: Age, sex, etc.
Measurements methods: E.g., the death anxiety scale of the Existential Concerns Questionnaire (ECQ; van Bruggen et al., 2017) etc.
Data analysis tool: The statistical software R

Analysis of published scope and delimitations

Scope of the study : Johnsson et al. (2019) explored the effect of in-hospital physiotherapy on postoperative physical capacity, physical activity, and lung function in patients who underwent lung cancer surgery.

The delimitations narrowed down the scope as follows:

Refine your scope, delimitations, and scientific English

English ability shouldn't limit how clear and impactful your research can be. Expert AJE editors are available to assess your science and polish your academic writing. See AJE services here .

The AJE Team

See our "Privacy Policy"

Stating the Obvious: Writing Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations

During the process of writing your thesis or dissertation, you might suddenly realize that your research has inherent flaws. Don’t worry! Virtually all projects contain restrictions to your research. However, being able to recognize and accurately describe these problems is the difference between a true researcher and a grade-school kid with a science-fair project. Concerns with truthful responding, access to participants, and survey instruments are just a few of examples of restrictions on your research. In the following sections, the differences among delimitations, limitations, and assumptions of a dissertation will be clarified.

Delimitations

Delimitations are the definitions you set as the boundaries of your own thesis or dissertation, so delimitations are in your control. Delimitations are set so that your goals do not become impossibly large to complete. Examples of delimitations include objectives, research questions, variables, theoretical objectives that you have adopted, and populations chosen as targets to study. When you are stating your delimitations, clearly inform readers why you chose this course of study. The answer might simply be that you were curious about the topic and/or wanted to improve standards of a professional field by revealing certain findings. In any case, you should clearly list the other options available and the reasons why you did not choose these options immediately after you list your delimitations. You might have avoided these options for reasons of practicality, interest, or relativity to the study at hand. For example, you might have only studied Hispanic mothers because they have the highest rate of obese babies. Delimitations are often strongly related to your theory and research questions. If you were researching whether there are different parenting styles between unmarried Asian, Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic women, then a delimitation of your study would be the inclusion of only participants with those demographics and the exclusion of participants from other demographics such as men, married women, and all other ethnicities of single women (inclusion and exclusion criteria). A further delimitation might be that you only included closed-ended Likert scale responses in the survey, rather than including additional open-ended responses, which might make some people more willing to take and complete your survey. Remember that delimitations are not good or bad. They are simply a detailed description of the scope of interest for your study as it relates to the research design. Don’t forget to describe the philosophical framework you used throughout your study, which also delimits your study.

Limitations

Limitations of a dissertation are potential weaknesses in your study that are mostly out of your control, given limited funding, choice of research design, statistical model constraints, or other factors. In addition, a limitation is a restriction on your study that cannot be reasonably dismissed and can affect your design and results. Do not worry about limitations because limitations affect virtually all research projects, as well as most things in life. Even when you are going to your favorite restaurant, you are limited by the menu choices. If you went to a restaurant that had a menu that you were craving, you might not receive the service, price, or location that makes you enjoy your favorite restaurant. If you studied participants’ responses to a survey, you might be limited in your abilities to gain the exact type or geographic scope of participants you wanted. The people whom you managed to get to take your survey may not truly be a random sample, which is also a limitation. If you used a common test for data findings, your results are limited by the reliability of the test. If your study was limited to a certain amount of time, your results are affected by the operations of society during that time period (e.g., economy, social trends). It is important for you to remember that limitations of a dissertation are often not something that can be solved by the researcher. Also, remember that whatever limits you also limits other researchers, whether they are the largest medical research companies or consumer habits corporations. Certain kinds of limitations are often associated with the analytical approach you take in your research, too. For example, some qualitative methods like heuristics or phenomenology do not lend themselves well to replicability. Also, most of the commonly used quantitative statistical models can only determine correlation, but not causation.

Assumptions

Assumptions are things that are accepted as true, or at least plausible, by researchers and peers who will read your dissertation or thesis. In other words, any scholar reading your paper will assume that certain aspects of your study is true given your population, statistical test, research design, or other delimitations. For example, if you tell your friend that your favorite restaurant is an Italian place, your friend will assume that you don’t go there for the sushi. It’s assumed that you go there to eat Italian food. Because most assumptions are not discussed in-text, assumptions that are discussed in-text are discussed in the context of the limitations of your study, which is typically in the discussion section. This is important, because both assumptions and limitations affect the inferences you can draw from your study. One of the more common assumptions made in survey research is the assumption of honesty and truthful responses. However, for certain sensitive questions this assumption may be more difficult to accept, in which case it would be described as a limitation of the study. For example, asking people to report their criminal behavior in a survey may not be as reliable as asking people to report their eating habits. It is important to remember that your limitations and assumptions should not contradict one another. For instance, if you state that generalizability is a limitation of your study given that your sample was limited to one city in the United States, then you should not claim generalizability to the United States population as an assumption of your study. Statistical models in quantitative research designs are accompanied with assumptions as well, some more strict than others. These assumptions generally refer to the characteristics of the data, such as distributions, correlational trends, and variable type, just to name a few. Violating these assumptions can lead to drastically invalid results, though this often depends on sample size and other considerations.

Click here to cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

A Roadmap to Defining Research Scope and Limitations: A Step-by-Step Guide for Education Professionals

Defining the scope and limitations of a research project is essential for ensuring that education professionals can design focused and practical studies. The ability to properly delineate the boundaries of a study ensures that researchers maintain a clear vision of the project’s goals and lays the groundwork for a successful conclusion. In this article, we will outline a step-by-step process for defining the scope and limitations of a research project to guide education professionals toward constructing valid, reliable, and meaningful results.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Identify the Research Topic and Problem Statement

The first step entails pinpointing the research topic and developing a concise problem statement that addresses a knowledge gap in education. To achieve this, researchers need to:

Conduct a thorough literature review to identify current research and existing gaps.
Develop a problem statement that should be concise, specific, and easily understood by those within the field.

The problem statement will be used as a basis for the entire research process, providing a clear focus for the study.

Step 2: Determine the Research Objectives and Questions

Once the problem statement has been crafted, the next step is to outline the research objectives and questions to guide the investigation. These objectives should be:

Aligned with the problem statement
Measurable and attainable
Specific to the given research topic

Having well-defined research objectives and questions will assist in creating a well-structured study that seeks to answer specific queries and make a significant academic contribution.

Step 3: Establish the Research Scope

Researchers must then establish the scope of the study. Scope delineation is vital in determining the study’s extent, depth, and boundaries. Several factors influence the research scope, including time, resources, and goals. To define the research scope, consider the following aspects:

Timeframe: Determine the specific period the research should be conducted and completed.
Target Population: Identify the particular group or population for which the research will be relevant.
Geographical Location: Specify the area or region where the research will be carried out.
Conceptual Coverage: Identify the main concepts, theories, or variables under investigation.

By outlining the research scope, researchers can maintain a focus on the most critical aspects of their study, ensuring that the conclusions answer the initial problem statement effectively.

Step 4: Define the Research Limitations

After establishing the research scope, researchers should identify potential limitations impacting the study’s validity, reliability, or generalizability. Limitations are typically outside the researcher’s control but must be acknowledged to provide an appropriate context for the research findings. Some common research limitations include the following:

Sample Size: A small sample size may limit the generalizability of the study findings to the broader population.
Time Constraints: Limited data collection or analysis time may influence the findings’ comprehensiveness.
Financial Constraints: Insufficient funds for conducting a large-scale study may result in narrow or inadequate findings.
Accessibility of Participants: The availability of participants for data collection may not be representative of the broader population.
Methodological Constraints: The chosen research design may only be suitable for answering some aspects of the research question.

By identifying and acknowledging these limitations, researchers ensure that their findings can be evaluated in the proper context.

Step 5: Revise Research Objectives and Questions Based on Scope and Limitations

Once the scope and limitations have been identified, researchers must revisit their research objectives and questions to guarantee alignment. Any changes resulting from this process should be documented and justified by referring to the identified scope and limitations. Researchers must ensure that the revised objectives and questions are:

Aligned with the revised scope
Specific and focused
Attainable within the project’s constraints

Step 6: Seek Feedback from Peers and Experts

As a final step, researchers should seek feedback from their colleagues and experts in their field to validate their scope and limitations. These consultations can offer valuable insights and suggestions for refining the research boundaries and identifying potential pitfalls related to the project’s scope and limitations.

Defining research scope and limitations is crucial for education professionals to ensure that their studies make meaningful contributions to their field. By following the step-by-step process presented in this article, researchers can develop a well-structured study design that encompasses a clear focus, attainable objectives, and defined boundaries. Acknowledging and addressing limitations further enhances the study’s validity and reliability, positively impacting the research’s quality and relevance.

Mark Anthony Llego

Mark Anthony Llego, a visionary from the Philippines, founded TeacherPH in October 2014 with a mission to transform the educational landscape. His platform has empowered thousands of Filipino teachers, providing them with crucial resources and a space for meaningful idea exchange, ultimately enhancing their instructional and supervisory capabilities. TeacherPH's influence extends far beyond its origins. Mark's insightful articles on education have garnered international attention, featuring on respected U.S. educational websites. Moreover, his work has become a valuable reference for researchers, contributing to the academic discourse on education.

CPS Online Graduate Studies Research Paper (UNH Manchester Library): Limitations of the Study

Overview of the Research Process for Capstone Projects
Types of Research Design
Selecting a Research Problem
The Title of Your Research Paper
Before You Begin Writing
7 Parts of the Research Paper
Background Information
Quanitative and Qualitative Methods
Qualitative Methods
Quanitative Methods
Resources to Help You With the Literature Review
Non-Textual Elements

Limitations of the Study

Format of Capstone Research Projects at GSC
Editing and Proofreading Your Paper
Acknowledgements
UNH Scholar's Repository

The limitations of the study are those characteristics of design or methodology that impacted or influenced the interpretation of the findings from your research. They are the constraints on generalizability, applications to practice, and/or utility of findings that are the result of the ways in which you initially chose to design the study and/or the method used to establish internal and external validity.

Price, James H. and Judy Murnan. “Research Limitations and the Necessity of Reporting Them.” American Journal of Health Education 35 (2004): 66-67.

Always acknowledge a study's limitations. It is far better that you identify and acknowledge your study’s limitations than to have them pointed out by your professor and be graded down because you appear to have ignored them.

Keep in mind that acknowledgement of a study's limitations is an opportunity to make suggestions for further research. If you do connect your study's limitations to suggestions for further research, be sure to explain the ways in which these unanswered questions may become more focused because of your study.

Acknowledgement of a study's limitations also provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate that you have thought critically about the research problem, understood the relevant literature published about it, and correctly assessed the methods chosen for studying the problem. A key objective of the research process is not only discovering new knowledge but to also confront assumptions and explore what we don't know.

Price, James H. and Judy Murnan. “Research Limitations and the Necessity of Reporting Them.” American Journal of Health Education 35 (2004): 66-67; Structure: How to Structure the Research Limitations Section of Your Dissertation . Dissertations and Theses: An Online Textbook. Laerd.com.

Descriptions of Possible Limitations

Here are examples of limitations related to methodology and the research process you may need to describe and to discuss how they possibly impacted your results. Descriptions of limitations should be stated in the past tense because they were discovered after you completed your research.

Possible Methodological Limitations

Sample size -- the number of the units of analysis you use in your study is dictated by the type of research problem you are investigating. Note that, if your sample size is too small, it will be difficult to find significant relationships from the data, as statistical tests normally require a larger sample size to ensure a representative distribution of the population and to be considered representative of groups of people to whom results will be generalized or transferred. Note that sample size is less relevant in qualitative research.
Lack of available and/or reliable data -- a lack of data or of reliable data will likely require you to limit the scope of your analysis, the size of your sample, or it can be a significant obstacle in finding a trend and a meaningful relationship. You need to not only describe these limitations but to offer reasons why you believe data is missing or is unreliable. However, don’t just throw up your hands in frustration; use this as an opportunity to describe the need for future research.
Lack of prior research studies on the topic -- citing prior research studies forms the basis of your literature review and helps lay a foundation for understanding the research problem you are investigating. Depending on the currency or scope of your research topic, there may be little, if any, prior research on your topic. Before assuming this to be true, though, consult with a librarian. In cases when a librarian has confirmed that there is no prior research, you may be required to develop an entirely new research typology [for example, using an exploratory rather than an explanatory research design]. Note again that discovering a limitation can serve as an important opportunity to identify new gaps in the literature and to describe the need for further research.
Measure used to collect the data -- sometimes it is the case that, after completing your interpretation of the findings, you discover that the way in which you gathered data inhibited your ability to conduct a thorough analysis of the results. For example, you regret not including a specific question in a survey that, in retrospect, could have helped address a particular issue that emerged later in the study. Acknowledge the deficiency by stating a need for future researchers to revise the specific method for gathering data.
Self-reported data -- whether you are relying on pre-existing data or you are conducting a qualitative research study and gathering the data yourself, self-reported data is limited by the fact that it rarely can be independently verified. In other words, you have to take what people say, whether in interviews, focus groups, or on questionnaires, at face value. However, self-reported data can contain several potential sources of bias that you should be alert to and note as limitations. These biases become apparent if they are incongruent with data from other sources. These are: (1) selective memory [remembering or not remembering experiences or events that occurred at some point in the past]; (2) telescoping [recalling events that occurred at one time as if they occurred at another time]; (3) attribution [the act of attributing positive events and outcomes to one's own agency but attributing negative events and outcomes to external forces]; and, (4) exaggeration [the act of representing outcomes or embellishing events as more significant than is actually suggested from other data].

Possible Limitations of the Researcher

Access -- if your study depends on having access to people, organizations, or documents and, for whatever reason, access is denied or limited in some way, the reasons for this need to be described.
Longitudinal effects -- unlike your professor, who can literally devote years [even a lifetime] to studying a single topic, the time available to investigate a research problem and to measure change or stability over time is pretty much constrained by the due date of your assignment. Be sure to choose a research problem that does not require an excessive amount of time to complete the literature review, apply the methodology, and gather and interpret the results. If you're unsure whether you can complete your research within the confines of the assignment's due date, talk to your professor.
Cultural and other type of bias -- we all have biases, whether we are conscience of them or not. Bias is when a person, place, or thing is viewed or shown in a consistently inaccurate way. Bias is usually negative, though one can have a positive bias as well, especially if that bias reflects your reliance on research that only support for your hypothesis. When proof-reading your paper, be especially critical in reviewing how you have stated a problem, selected the data to be studied, what may have been omitted, the manner in which you have ordered events, people, or places, how you have chosen to represent a person, place, or thing, to name a phenomenon, or to use possible words with a positive or negative connotation.

NOTE: If you detect bias in prior research, it must be acknowledged and you should explain what measures were taken to avoid perpetuating that bias.

Fluency in a language -- if your research focuses on measuring the perceived value of after-school tutoring among Mexican-American ESL [English as a Second Language] students, for example, and you are not fluent in Spanish, you are limited in being able to read and interpret Spanish language research studies on the topic. This deficiency should be acknowledged.

Structure and Writing Style

Information about the limitations of your study are generally placed either at the beginning of the discussion section of your paper so the reader knows and understands the limitations before reading the rest of your analysis of the findings, or, the limitations are outlined at the conclusion of the discussion section as an acknowledgement of the need for further study. Statements about a study's limitations should not be buried in the body [middle] of the discussion section unless a limitation is specific to something covered in that part of the paper. If this is the case, though, the limitation should be reiterated at the conclusion of the section. If you determine that your study is seriously flawed due to important limitations, such as, an inability to acquire critical data, consider reframing it as an exploratory study intended to lay the groundwork for a more complete research study in the future. Be sure, though, to specifically explain the ways that these flaws can be successfully overcome in a new study. But, do not use this as an excuse for not developing a thorough research paper! Review the tab in this guide for developing a research topic. If serious limitations exist, it generally indicates a likelihood that your research problem is too narrowly defined or that the issue or event under study is too recent and, thus, very little research has been written about it. If serious limitations do emerge, consult with your professor about possible ways to overcome them or how to revise your study. When discussing the limitations of your research, be sure to: Describe each limitation in detailed but concise terms; Explain why each limitation exists; Provide the reasons why each limitation could not be overcome using the method(s) chosen to acquire or gather the data [cite to other studies that had similar problems when possible]; Assess the impact of each limitation in relation to the overall findings and conclusions of your study; and, If appropriate, describe how these limitations could point to the need for further research. Remember that the method you chose may be the source of a significant limitation that has emerged during your interpretation of the results [for example, you didn't interview a group of people that you later wish you had]. If this is the case, don't panic. Acknowledge it, and explain how applying a different or more robust methodology might address the research problem more effectively in a future study. A underlying goal of scholarly research is not only to show what works, but to demonstrate what doesn't work or what needs further clarification. Aguinis, Hermam and Jeffrey R. Edwards. “Methodological Wishes for the Next Decade and How to Make Wishes Come True.” Journal of Management Studies 51 (January 2014): 143-174; Brutus, Stéphane et al. "Self-Reported Limitations and Future Directions in Scholarly Reports: Analysis and Recommendations." Journal of Management 39 (January 2013): 48-75; Ioannidis, John P.A. "Limitations are not Properly Acknowledged in the Scientific Literature." Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 60 (2007): 324-329; Pasek, Josh. Writing the Empirical Social Science Research Paper: A Guide for the Perplexed. January 24, 2012. Academia.edu; Structure: How to Structure the Research Limitations Section of Your Dissertation. Dissertations and Theses: An Online Textbook. Laerd.com; What Is an Academic Paper? Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College; Writing the Experimental Report: Methods, Results, and Discussion. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University.

When discussing the limitations of your research, be sure to:

Describe each limitation in detailed but concise terms;
Explain why each limitation exists;
Provide the reasons why each limitation could not be overcome using the method(s) chosen to acquire or gather the data [cite to other studies that had similar problems when possible];
Assess the impact of each limitation in relation to the overall findings and conclusions of your study; and,
If appropriate, describe how these limitations could point to the need for further research.

Aguinis, Hermam and Jeffrey R. Edwards. “Methodological Wishes for the Next Decade and How to Make Wishes Come True.” Journal of Management Studies 51 (January 2014): 143-174; Brutus, Stéphane et al. "Self-Reported Limitations and Future Directions in Scholarly Reports: Analysis and Recommendations." Journal of Management 39 (January 2013): 48-75; Ioannidis, John P.A. "Limitations are not Properly Acknowledged in the Scientific Literature." Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 60 (2007): 324-329; Pasek, Josh. Writing the Empirical Social Science Research Paper: A Guide for the Perplexed . January 24, 2012. Academia.edu; Structure: How to Structure the Research Limitations Section of Your Dissertation . Dissertations and Theses: An Online Textbook. Laerd.com; What Is an Academic Paper? Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College; Writing the Experimental Report: Methods, Results, and Discussion . The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University.

<< Previous: The Discussion
Next: Conclusion >>
Last Updated: Nov 6, 2023 1:43 PM
URL: https://libraryguides.unh.edu/cpsonlinegradpaper

Social Science
Social Psychology

Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations, and Scope of the Study By

Add this document to collection(s)

You can add this document to your study collection(s)

Add this document to saved

You can add this document to your saved list

Suggest us how to improve StudyLib

(For complaints, use another form )

Input it if you want to receive answer

Research on the application of public art design based on digital technology in urban landscape construction

Original Paper
Published: 13 September 2024

Cite this article

Wang Zhongshu 1 &
Liu Huadong 1

This study explored the utilization of digital technology in public art design for urban landscapes, focusing on CAD and computer graphics to create dynamic and interactive installations. The research presented a design approach aligned with contemporary design practices by summarizing the attributes of public art and emphasizing the use of curve constraint forms. Advanced parametric design techniques significantly reduced the development time of 3D patterns from 30 h to just 10 h, demonstrating enhanced efficacy and precision. Innovative curve sampling techniques, including iso-parametric and isoarc length methods, resulted in a 25% improvement in the smoothness and continuity of design curves compared to traditional techniques. The public art installations developed in this study were designed to reflect and celebrate the cultural and historical aspects of urban areas, fostering a stronger connection between residents and their environment. Surveys conducted with 200 participants revealed that 85% felt a deeper connection to their cultural heritage due to the installations. The interactive nature of these art pieces engaged the public through visual, tactile, and behavioral interactions, significantly enhancing the aesthetic and functional quality of urban spaces. Despite these successes, the study identified several limitations, including a scarcity of authoritative literature and a lack of comprehensive case analyses for large-scale implementation. These gaps suggest the need for further investigation to explore the long-term feasibility and sustainability of digital public art installations. Future studies should investigate the durability, maintenance costs, and environmental impact of these installations, as well as promote interdisciplinary collaboration to develop new materials and technologies. Overall, this research highlighted the transformative potential of digital technology in public art design, offering practical insights and techniques for creating more engaging, culturally enriched, and interactive urban environments. The research outcomes confirmed the practical benefits of digital integration, including reduced design time and increased public engagement, paving the way for innovative approaches to urban landscape enhancement. The design’s efficacy, interactivity, and practicality were established through rigorous experimentation, setting a foundation for future advancements in the field.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save.

Get 10 units per month
Download Article/Chapter or eBook
1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
Cancel anytime

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Functional Heritage. Reconnecting with the Iron Web

Restorative Design for Heritage Requalification: Selected Roman Works

Common-action Gardens: Performative and Parametric Prototypes

Explore related subjects.

Artificial Intelligence

Data availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

Khalil, M.I., Jhanjhi, N.Z., Humayun, M., Sivanesan, S., Masud, M., Hossain, M.S.: Hybrid smart grid with sustainable energy efficient resources for smart cities. Sustain. Energy Technol. Assess. 46 , 101211 (2021)

Google Scholar

Bhattacharya, S., Somayaji, S.R.K., Gadekallu, T.R., Alazab, M., Maddikunta, P.K.R.: A review on deep learning for future smart cities. Internet Technol. Lett. 5 (1), e187 (2022)

Article Google Scholar

Bellini, P., Nesi, P., Pantaleo, G.: IoT-enabled smart cities: A review of concepts, frameworks and key technologies. Appl. Sci. 12 (3), 1607 (2022)

Bauer, M., Sanchez, L., Song, J.: IoT-enabled smart cities: Evolution and outlook. Sensors. 21 (13), 4511 (2021)

Apanaviciene, R., Vanagas, A., Fokaides, P.A.: Smart building integration into a smart city (SBISC): Development of a new evaluation framework. Energies (Basel). 13 (9), 2190 (2020)

Apanaviciene, R., Urbonas, R., Fokaides, P.A.: Smart building integration into a smart city: Comparative study of real estate development. Sustainability. 12 (22), 9376 (2020)

Alagirisamy, B., Ramesh, P.: Smart sustainable cities: Principles and future trends, in Sustainable cities and resilience: Select proceedings of VCDRR 2021 , Springer, pp. 301–316. (2022)

Rehan, H.: Internet of things (IoT) in Smart cities: Enhancing Urban living through Technology. J. Eng. Technol. 5 (1), 1–16 (2023)

Repette, P., Sabatini-Marques, J., Yigitcanlar, T., Sell, D., Costa, E.: The evolution of city-as-a-platform: Smart urban development governance with collective knowledge-based platform urbanism. Land. (Basel). 10 (1), 33 (2021)

De Guimarães, J.C.F., Severo, E.A., Júnior, L.A.F., Da, W.P.L.B., Costa, Salmoria, F.T.: Governance and quality of life in smart cities: Towards sustainable development goals. J. Clean. Prod. 253 , 119926 (2020)

Kumar, H., Singh, M.K., Gupta, M.P., Madaan, J.: Moving towards smart cities: Solutions that lead to the Smart City Transformation Framework. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change. 153 , 119281 (2020)

Cortés-Cediel, M.E., Cantador, I., Bolívar, M.P.R.: Analyzing Citizen Participation and Engagement in European Smart Cities, Soc Sci Comput Rev , vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 592–626, Oct. (2019). https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439319877478

Przeybilovicz, E., et al.: Citizen participation in the smart city: Findings from an international comparative study. Local. Government Stud. 48 (1), 23–47 (2022)

Cuffie, H.A.T.: Public Art and the impact it has on the Society. J. Contemp. Indonesian Art. 7 (2), 98–104 (2021)

Cherniyavskyi, V., Dubrivna, A., Cherniyavskyi, K., Galchynska, O., Bilozub, L.: Digital art as new modern global trend in socio-cultural space of Ukraine. Amazonia Investiga. 11 (60), 150–155 (2022)

Culén, A.L., Coughlin, K.: Growing Up in a Complex World: Engaging Children in Socio-Cultural Matters Through Speculative Installations, in Proceedings of the ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference , 2022, pp. 693–706. (2022)

De Luca, G., Shirvani Dastgerdi, A., Francini, C., Liberatore, G.: Sustainable cultural heritage planning and management of overtourism in art cities: Lessons from atlas world heritage. Sustainability. 12 (9), 3929 (2020)

Correia, D., Marques, J.L., Teixeira, L.: The state-of-the-art of smart cities in the European Union. Smart Cities. 5 (4), 1776–1810 (2022)

Heidari, A., Navimipour, N.J., Unal, M.: Applications of ML/DL in the management of smart cities and societies based on new trends in information technologies: A systematic literature review. Sustain. Cities Soc. 85 , 104089 (2022)

Ioannou, B., Kalnis, G., Nicolaou, L.: Public space at the palm of a hand: Perceptions of urban projects through digital media. Urban Plan. 6 (4), 242–256 (2021)

Badel, F., Baeza, J.L.: Digital public space for a digital society: A review of public spaces in the digital age. ArtGRID-Journal Archit. Eng. Fine Arts. 3 (2), 127–137 (2021)

Bibri, S.E.: Data-driven smart sustainable cities of the future: An evidence synthesis approach to a comprehensive state-of-the-art literature review. Sustainable Futures. 3 , 100047 (2021)

Ahad, M.A., Paiva, S., Tripathi, G., Feroz, N.: Enabling technologies and sustainable smart cities. Sustain. Cities Soc. 61 , 102301 (2020)

Paas, F., Renkl, A., Sweller, J.: Cognitive load theory and instructional design: Recent developments. Educ. Psychol. 38 (1), 1–4 (2003)

Sweller, J.: Cognitive load theory and educational technology. Education Tech. Research Dev. 68 (1), 1–16 (2020)

Paas, F., van Merriënboer, J.J.G.: Cognitive-load theory: Methods to manage working memory load in the learning of complex tasks. Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci. 29 (4), 394–398 (2020)

Liu, G., et al.: ViviPaint: Creating dynamic painting with a Thermochromic Toolkit. Multimodal Technol. Interact. 6 (8), 63 (2022)

Farag, R.F.H.: Interactive pattern recognition: A system and data structure. IEEE Trans. Software Eng. 2 , 162–168 (1977)

Hügel, S., Davies, A.R.: Public participation, engagement, and climate change adaptation: A review of the research literature. Wiley Interdiscip Rev. Clim. Change. 11 (4), e645 (2020)

Hassan, L., Hamari, J.: Gameful Civic engagement: A review of the literature on gamification of e-participation. Gov. Inf. Q. 37 (3), 101461 (2020)

Levenda, A.M., Keough, N., Rock, M., Miller, B.: Rethinking public participation in the smart city. Can. geographer/Le géographe Canadien. 64 (3), 344–358 (2020)

Saborido, R., Alba, E.: Software systems from smart city vendors. Cities. 101 , 102690 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102690

Fredericks, J.: From smart city to smart engagement: Exploring digital and physical interactions for playful city-making. Mak. Smart Cities More Playable: Exploring Playable Cities, pp. 107–128, (2020)

Sanaeipoor, S., Emami, K.H.: Smart city: exploring the role of augmented reality in placemaking, in 4th International Conference on Smart City, Internet of Things and Applications (SCIOT) , IEEE, 2020, pp. 91–98. (2020)

Download references

Not applicable.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

College of Arts and Media, Suqian University, Su Qian, Jiang Su, 223800, China

Wang Zhongshu & Liu Huadong

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Wang Zhongshu: Writing-Original draft preparation, Conceptualization, Supervision, Project administration. Liu Huadong: Methodology, Software, Validation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wang Zhongshu .

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval.

All authors have been personally and actively involved in substantial work leading to the paper and will take public responsibility for its content.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Zhongshu, W., Huadong, L. Research on the application of public art design based on digital technology in urban landscape construction. SIViP (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11760-024-03541-2

Download citation

Received : 22 June 2024

Revised : 13 August 2024

Accepted : 24 August 2024

Published : 13 September 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11760-024-03541-2

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Digital technology
Public art design
Urban landscape construction
Computer graphics
Find a journal
Publish with us
Track your research

IMAGES

Recap Research Says Lesson 7 Scope and Limitation
scope and limitations of the study in research proposal
Scope and Delimitations in Research
Scope and Delimitations in Research
How to write the scope of the study?
What is scope

VIDEO

Difference between Limitation and Delimitation in Research
LIMITATION ON THE SCOPE OF AUDIT
Marketing Research
Scope_&_Limitation_of_Homeopathy_in_Surgical_Diseases__Part-01__Dr._Sheikh_Faruque_Elahee_10-07-2024
New Multi Resource Scheduling Heuristic| Training for beginners|
PPDS Heuristics

COMMENTS

How to Write Limitations of the Study (with examples)
Common types of limitations and their ramifications include: Theoretical: limits the scope, depth, or applicability of a study. Methodological: limits the quality, quantity, or diversity of the data. Empirical: limits the representativeness, validity, or reliability of the data. Analytical: limits the accuracy, completeness, or significance of ...
What Is Scope And Limitation In Research?
Definition: Limitations refer to constraints or weaknesses within the research study that may impact its validity or generalizability. Types: Limitations can arise due to various factors such as methodological constraints, resource limitations, scope constraints, ethical considerations, and time constraints.
Scope of the Research
A clear definition of the scope of research helps to reduce the risk of scope creep by establishing boundaries and limitations. Enhances the credibility of research: A well-defined scope of research helps to enhance the credibility of the study by ensuring that it is designed to achieve specific objectives and answer specific research questions ...
How to Write the Scope of the Study
This is a clear definition of how the outcome measure will be investigated and any other methods are not within the scope of research and their exclusion may be a limitation of the study. Conclusion. The scope of the study is important to define as it enables a researcher to focus their research to within achievable parameters.
Limitations in Research
Purpose of Limitations in Research. There are several purposes of limitations in research. Here are some of the most important ones: To acknowledge the boundaries of the study: Limitations help to define the scope of the research project and set realistic expectations for the findings. They can help to clarify what the study is not intended to ...
Scope and Delimitations
The scope and delimitations of a thesis, dissertation or research paper define the topic and boundaries of the research problem to be investigated. The scope details how in-depth your study is to explore the research question and the parameters in which it will operate in relation to the population and timeframe.
Limitations of the Study
Definition. The limitations of the study are those characteristics of design or methodology that impacted or influenced the interpretation of the findings from your research. Study limitations are the constraints placed on the ability to generalize from the results, to further describe applications to practice, and/or related to the utility of ...
Decoding the Scope and Delimitations of the Study in Research
What is scope and delimitation in research. The scope of a research paper explains the context and framework for the study, outlines the extent, variables, or dimensions that will be investigated, and provides details of the parameters within which the study is conducted.Delimitations in research, on the other hand, refer to the limitations imposed on the study.
Understanding Limitations in Research
Methodology limitations. Not having access to data or reliable information can impact the methods used to facilitate your research. A lack of data or reliability may limit the parameters of your study area and the extent of your exploration. Your sample size may also be affected because you won't have any direction on how big or small it ...
How do I determine scope of research?
To define your scope of research, consider the following: Budget constraints or any specifics of grant funding. Your proposed timeline and duration. Specifics about your population of study, your proposed sample size, and the research methodology you'll pursue. Any inclusion and exclusion criteria. Any anticipated control, extraneous, or ...
Q: What is the meaning of scope and delimitations of a study?
Scope and delimitations are two elements of a research paper or thesis. The scope of a study explains the extent to which the research area will be explored in the work and specifies the parameters within which the study will be operating. For example, let's say a researcher wants to study the impact of mobile phones on behavior patterns of ...
What Are Scope and Limitations in Research?
Scope and limitations are two terms that address the details of a research project. The term scope refers to the problem or issue that the researcher wants to study with the project. Limitations is the term used for constraints that impact the researcher's ability to effectively study the scope of the project. Identifying the Scope of a Project.
Scope and Delimitations in Research
Your study's scope and delimitations are the sections where you define the broader parameters and boundaries of your research. The scope details what your study will explore, such as the target population, extent, or study duration. Delimitations are factors and variables not included in the study. Scope and delimitations are not methodological ...
Stating the Obvious: Writing Assumptions, Limitations, and
Limitations of a dissertation are potential weaknesses in your study that are mostly out of your control, given limited funding, choice of research design, statistical model constraints, or other factors. In addition, a limitation is a restriction on your study that cannot be reasonably dismissed and can affect your design and results.
PDF Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations, and Scope of the Study
The scope of the study refers to the parameters under which the study will be operating -- what the study covers -- and is closely connected to the framing of the problem. The problem you seek to resolve will fit within certain parameters. Think of the scope as the domain of your research—what's in the study domain, and what is not.
A Roadmap to Defining Research Scope and Limitations: A Step-by-Step
Step 4: Define the Research Limitations. After establishing the research scope, researchers should identify potential limitations impacting the study's validity, reliability, or generalizability. Limitations are typically outside the researcher's control but must be acknowledged to provide an appropriate context for the research findings.
Scope and Delimitations in Research
Scope refers to the range of the research project and the study limitations set in place to define the boundaries of the project and delimitation refers to the specific aspects of the research project that the study will focus on. In simpler words, scope is the breadth of your study, while delimitation is the depth of your study.
Scope and Limitation of Study in Social Research
[email protected]. Introduction. Social research is an endeavour that, most times, gives researchers the needed freedom. and independence to inquire in to issues they observe to be problematic or ...
Limitations of the Study
Definition. The limitations of the study are those characteristics of design or methodology that impacted or influenced the interpretation of the findings from your research. ... Keep in mind that acknowledgement of a study's limitations is an opportunity to make suggestions for further research. ... Depending on the currency or scope of your ...
Delimitations in Research
Delimitations refer to the specific boundaries or limitations that are set in a research study in order to narrow its scope and focus. Delimitations may be related to a variety of factors, including the population being studied, the geographical location, the time period, the research design, and the methods or tools being used to collect data.
Are 'scope and limitation' and 'limitation of the study' similar
The limitations of the study refers to the shortcomings of the study - things you believe the research lacked or ways in which it could have been better. Other differences are that scope and delimitations are established before starting the study, while limitations are describing after completing the study.
What is discussed in the significance of a study and in the scope and
Scope refers to the extent of the topic you will be covering in your study. This is done to keep the study feasible and practical in terms of cost, efforts, and time. A related term is delimitations, which refers to the restrictions placed on the study by the researcher. Scope and delimitations are written in the Methods section.
Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations, and Scope of the Study By
advertisement. Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations, and. Scope of the Study. By Marilyn K. Simon, PhD and Jim Goes PhD. Includes excerpts from Simon & Goes (2013), Dissertation and Scholarly Research: Recipes for Success. Seattle, WA: Dissertation Success LLC. Find this and many other dissertation guides and resources at.
To scope or not to scope? The benefits and challenges of integrating
One of the key defining characteristics of rapid qualitative research and evaluation is their iterative design (Beebe, 2001, McNall et al., 2004).The term 'iterative' refers to a repetitive, circular, constantly changing research process where 'cycles' or 'loops' are used to generate evidence, reflect on the findings, obtain feedback, and inform changes in the original study design.
Research on the application of public art design based on digital
This study explored the utilization of digital technology in public art design for urban landscapes, focusing on CAD and computer graphics to create dynamic and interactive installations. The research presented a design approach aligned with contemporary design practices by summarizing the attributes of public art and emphasizing the use of curve constraint forms. Advanced parametric design ...

What Is Scope And Limitation In Research?

What Are The Main 10 Stages Of Research Process?

Scope in Research

Limitation in Research

What Is Scope And Limitation In Research Example?

Limitation in Research Example

How Do You Write Scope And Limitations In Research?

Recent Posts

Community Blog

Scope and Delimitations – Explained & Example

What Is Scope and Delimitation in Research?

Difference Between Delimitations and Limitations

Guidelines on How to Write a Scope

How to Start Writing Your Study Scope

Guidelines on How to Write Delimitations

How to Start Writing Your Study Delimitations

Examples of Delimitation in Research

Examples of Limitations in Research

Browse PhDs Now

Join Thousands of Students

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

Importance of...

Descriptions of Possible Limitations

Structure and Writing Style

Writing Tip

Another Writing Tip

Yet Another Writing Tip

Decoding the Scope and Delimitations of the Study in Research

What is scope and delimitation in research

Example of scope and delimitation of a study

The purpose of scope and delimitation in a study

How to write the scope of the study in research

How to write the delimitations of a study in research

Differentiating between delimitations and limitations

Related Posts

Join Us for Peer Review Week 2024

How Editage All Access is Boosting Productivity for Academics in India

How to present limitations in research

Does basic research have limitations?

Methodology limitations

Research process limitations

Common researcher limitations

What not to include in the limitations section

Identify the limitations specific to your study

Explain study limitations in detail

Propose a direction for future studies and present alternatives

Describe steps taken to minimize each limitation

Should you be using a customer insights hub?

Editor’s picks

Latest articles

Frequently asked questions

Ask our team

What Are Scope and Limitations in Research?

Scope and Delimitations in Research

What is the scope in a research paper?

What are delimitations in a research paper?

Scope and delimitations examples

Scope example

Delimitations example

What's the difference between limitations and delimitations?

Example of the differences

Where do you write the scope and delimitations, and why?

How do you write the scope and delimitations?

Useful vocabulary for scope and delimitations

Analysis of a published scope

Analysis of published scope and delimitations

Refine your scope, delimitations, and scientific English

Stating the Obvious: Writing Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations

Delimitations

Limitations

Assumptions

A Roadmap to Defining Research Scope and Limitations: A Step-by-Step Guide for Education Professionals

Step 1: Identify the Research Topic and Problem Statement

Step 2: Determine the Research Objectives and Questions

Step 3: Establish the Research Scope

Step 4: Define the Research Limitations

Step 5: Revise Research Objectives and Questions Based on Scope and Limitations

Step 6: Seek Feedback from Peers and Experts

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

CPS Online Graduate Studies Research Paper (UNH Manchester Library): Limitations of the Study