G6-Scope-and-Limitations-Reportingss.pdf

Research

2. DEFINE
the broader
parameters
IDENTIFY
particular
limitations

3. Itoutlineswhatthestudywillcoverand
whatitwillnotcover.Definingthescopeof
astudycanprovideacleardirectionand
purposefortheresearchgoals,forwhich
thestudycandrawreliableconclusions.

4. Subject Matter
Variables
Objectives
Methods
Population
Data Sources

5. WhereWhyWhat When
Who How A good scope

6. THIS STUDY IS TO FOCUS ON… THIS STUDY COVERS THE…
SPECIFIC
S
MEASURABLE
M
ACHIEVABLE
A
REALISTIC
R
TIME FRAME
T

7. “Impact of bullying on the mental health of adolescents”
Thescope,forexample,couldencompass:
•Variables:“bullying”(dependent variable),“mental
health”(independentvariable),andwaysofdefiningor
measuringthem
•Bullyingtype:Bothface-to-faceandcyberbullying
•Targetpopulation:Adolescentsaged12–17
•Geographicalcoverage:Franceoronlyonespecifictown
inFrance

8. Delimitationsarewhattheresearcher
willnotdo(elementsoutsideofthe
boundariestheyhaveset)orbasedonthe
researcher’sdecisionofwhattoinclude
andwhattoexclude.

9. Limitationsarewhattheresearcher
cannotdo(elementsoutsideoftheir
control).Theyarecharacteristicsofthe
researchdesignormethodology thatare
outofyourcontrolbutinfluenceyour
researchfindings.

10. Issues with research samples and selection
Insufficient sample size for statistical
measurements
Issues with analysis techniques
Lack of previous research studies
on the topic

11. Time constraints
Limitations in the technology/instruments
used to collect your data
Limited financial resources and/or
funding constraints
Conflicts arising from cultural bias
and other personal issues

12. Step 1
Identify
the
limitation
(s) of the
study
Step 2
Explain
these
study
limitations
in detail
Step 3
Propose a
direction for
future studies
and present
alternatives
(optional)