DELIMITATIONS

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.
Dont forget to describe the philosophical framework you used throughout
your study, which also delimits your study.
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Stating the Obvious: Writing Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations
When you finish your research and
contemplate Chapter 1 of your thesis or dissertation, you might suddenly realize that your research has inherent flaws. Dont worry! Virtually all
research projects contain limitations. However, being able to recognize these problems is the difference between a true researcher and a grade-school
kid with a science-fair project. Availability of resources and dealing with human emotions are just a couple of examples of assumptions, delimitations,
and limitations of a dissertation. In the following sections, the differences among assumptions, delimitations, and limitations of a dissertation will be
clarified.
Assumptions

Assumptions are factors in your research that are out of your control to a certain degree but that are integral to your study; quite plainly, assumptions
are things that are assumed by researchers and peers who will read your paper. The most common explanation of an assumption is stating why the
anonymity and confidentiality of participants will be preserved and how the researcher will do this. For example, imagine a dissertation or thesis in
which the researcher studies the effects of mothers eating habits on fetuses. An assumption could be justified by showing that all participating mothers
have access to and money for the same grocery stores in the area. The researcher could provide statistics for how participating mothers meet the
qualifications for the whole group being studied; thereby making participating mothers representatives of the whole population.
Limitations
Limitations of a dissertation are potential weaknesses in your study that are out of your control. Do not worry about limitations because limitations affect
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 were limited in your abilities to gain these participants. The people whom you managed to get to take your
survey are not truly 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. Limitations of a dissertation are typically reported in the discussion section of your paper.
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 research questions, variables,
theoretical objectives that you have adopted, and populations
chosen as targets to study. When you are stating delimitations,
clearly inform why you chose this course of study. The answer
might simply be that you were curious about the topic and wanted
to improve standards of a professional field by revealing certain
findings. In any case, you 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. Dont forget to describe the philosophical framework you used throughout your study, which also delimits your study.





Related Articles
A Change of Plans: Using the Correct Statistics Test that Fits Your Data
Data Collection Methods
Data Crash Course: Types of Data and Scales of Measurement
Finding the Minimum Sample Size
Introduction to Significance Testing
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The limitations and delimitations sections of your research proposal describe situations and circumstances that may affect or restrict your
methods and analysis of research data.
Limitations are influences that the researcher cannot control. They are the shortcomings, conditions or influences that cannot be
controlled by the researcher that place restrictions on your methodology and conclusions. Any limitations that might influence the results
should be mentioned.
When considering what limitations there might be in your investigation, be thorough. Consider all of the following:
your analysis.
the nature of self-reporting.
the instruments you utilized.
the sample.
time constraints.
In qualitative research certain limitations might mean that the findings cannot be generalized to the larger population. This is especially true
when the definition of the population is broad (ex: elderly women)
Delimitations are choices made by the researcher which should be mentioned. They describe the boundaries that you have set for the
study. This is the place to explain:
the things that you are not doing (and why you have chosen not to do them).
the literature you will not review (and why not).
the population you are not studying (and why not).
the methodological procedures you will not use (and why you will not use them).
Limit your delimitations to the things that a reader might reasonably expect you to do but that you, for clearly explained reasons, have
decided not to do.
Delimitations define the parameters of the investigation. In educational research the delimitations will frequently deal with such items as
population/sample, treatment(s), setting, and instrumentation.
As you complete the limitations and delimitations sections on your planning guide, you may want to go back to the Sample Proposals page
of this web site, as well as your Reflection: Reviewing Sample Proposals journal for ideas, before you begin writing your own.
Return to Other Elements of the Methodology