An important part of writing up research is to consider whether your study has any limitations. But what are study limitations? And why are they important? In this post, we explain what you need to know.
The term “study limitations” refers to anything that may affect the reliability or generalizability of the results in a study or experiment.
This could relate to the design of the research (e.g., your methods or research approach). Or it could be an issue with how the study was carried out (e.g., running out of time and resources before the study is over).
In either case, it’s important to note limitations when writing up your study. Typically, this will be as part of the discussion and analysis. However, different schools may have different guidelines on this, so make sure to check your style guide for advice on where to discuss study limitations.
It may seem counterintuitive to include limitations when writing up your research, especially if something went wrong. But there are several good reasons to mention study limitations, including:
In addition, most of the time your professor will spot any problems with your study regardless of whether you mention them. Thus, it’s much better to embrace limitations and make them part of your analysis.
But what exactly counts as a limitation? Typically, they come in two broad types: methodological limitations and researcher limitations.
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Methodological limitations are to do with the way a study was designed and carried out. Some examples include:
There are other methodological limitations you may encounter depending on what you’re studying. But, in all cases, it is important to think about your methods and how they may affect your results.
These are factors to do with the attitudes, capabilities, and situation of the researcher. Examples of this type of limitation include:
As above, the key here is thinking about how these limitations may affect your results. If you do this, you can then factor any limitations into your analysis and discussion when writing up your study.
In conclusion, remember that study limitations occur in all research. This isn’t something to worry about or try and hide. However, you should:
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