M O D U L E 2 - L E S S O N 10 :

What are the Scope, Limitation,

and Delimitation of Research?

TA R G E T :

AT T H E E N D O F T H I S L E S S O N , Y O U W IL L B E A B L E T O:

a. Learn what a scope, limitations, and delimitations are

b. Apply your knowledge and write the scope and limitation section of the research project

EXPL ORE
Individually, look for other examples of the scope, limitations, and delimitations in research papers
published in academic journals, and learn the common characteristics of each. See if you can apply
these in your research.

EXAMINE

The last lesson for module 2 involves setting the bounds and constraints of the research – the scope and
delimitations of the study. It is essential to set the bounds of the research to describe the items which are
not covered by the study, or variables that are out of the control of the researcher. Although some
limitations may be discovered during or after conducting the research, it is important to set these at the
beginning of the research process.

In qualitative research, the SCOPE of the study refers to the “domain” where the study will be conducted
(Simon and Goes, 2013). The scope tells the researcher which specific aspects of the research are
covered and which are not. For example, in studying the relationship between incarceration and family
functioning, the scope of Lobo’s research involves the experiences of New Bilibid Prison inmates in
Muntinlupa and their respective families.

There are several distinctions between the limitation and delimitation in social research. Factors that are
out of the control of the researcher, such as funding, time, or logistics, are the LIMITATIONS that may
impose constraints on the research process. These limitations can influence the extent and outcome of
the study, and therefore should be stated in the research paper.

Examples of limitations include:

 Research Design. Qualitative research designs have specific limitations. For example, using Case
Studies may present a narrow perspective of a context and may not be used to provide a general
picture.
 Available data. The absence of available data may restrict your analysis or may present an
incomplete picture. This may prevent you from discovering meaningful relationships within the
given data.
  Lack of prior research regarding a topic. This could surface during the search for related literature.
 Methods for gathering data. For example, instead of conducting a face-to-face interview, the
participants can only answer a questionnaire. Interviews can uncover information that can be
gleaned from follow-up questions, but not in a questionnaire format.
 Self-reported data. It cannot be independently verified in most cases, these can be a source of bias
that should skew the analysis of data. Respondents in an interview may only selectively recall
certain information or events (selective memory), exaggerate the outcomes of certain events
(exaggeration), attribute cause to something or someone (attribution), or recall events that actually
occurred in another time (telescoping).
 Sample size. This is not much of an issue for qualitative research compared to quantitative
research, as the sample size is not required to get a representative distribution of the population.
Sample sizes may influence the quality of data collected for qualitative research. There are
prescribed number of participants for different research designs that the researcher may not
always meet due to practical and logistical considerations. (e.g., getting informants from vulnerable
and difficult to reach populations such as parents of children with disabilities).

DELIMITATIONS are constraints imposed by the researcher on him/herself and the research. These
include sample and population of the study, methodologies, number of results, statistical analysis, and
focus of the research. A researcher may exclude data taken from a particular set of respondents or
sample on purpose. Since this affects the outcome of the study, the delimitation should be stated in the
limitations of the study section of the paper. Additionally, failure to state these limitations and
delimitations may invalidate a study.

I N T E G R A TE

What general steps can you take to minimize the limitations of your chosen research topic?

EQUIP

To know more about how the scope, limitations and delimitations in research, access the following
resources:

What are Scope and Limitations in Research? https://wwww.reference.com/education/scope-limitations-

research-93aa9f6a2e9c469

Limitations of the study https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/limitations

Limitations and delimitations in research https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/03/28/limitations-and-

delimitations-in-research/

LESSON 10 S U M M A R Y

SCOPE, LIMITATIONS AND DELIMITATIONS

Describes which items are not covered by the study or other variables
that are out of control of the researcher
SCOPE refers to the domain where the study will be conducted.
LIMITATIONS are factors that are out of the control of the researcher, such as funding, time,
or logistics.
Other examples of limitations:
1. Research Design
2. Available data
3. Lack of prior research regarding a topic
4. Methods for gathering data
5. Self-reported data
6. Sample size
DELIMITATIONS are constraints imposed by the researcher on himself/herself and the
research.
Examples of delimitations:
1. Focus of the research

2. Methodologies

3. Sample size and population

CH E CK

A. Give five examples of the limitations of a study.

B. Compare and contrast the limitations and delimitations of a study. Give examples for
each.

BUILD
Start exploring the possible scope, limitations, and delimitations that you may encounter in
your research. Determine how these limitations may affect the outcome of your research
project.