How To Write The Research Limitations Section Of Your Masters Dissertation?
You are progressing with your Master’s dissertation and suddenly infer that your research comprises innate fallacies. But don’t get frustrated over this. Mostly all projects consist of restrictions to your research. However, the challenge lies in recognizing and properly elaborating on these problems. Well, what are the limitations? It can relate to honest responding, access to participants, and survey tools.
When it comes to articulating the limitations of a study several new researchers avoid it. Several researchers think that the limitations have a negative impact on the research being performed. But the researcher should realize that stating the limitations of a study give more feasibility to the research process being formed.
What Is The Limitation Section In Your Master’s Research?
Limitations of a Master’s thesis are potential weaknesses in your research and these are generally not within your control. It can take the form of restricted funding, selection of research design, statistical model concerns etc. These limitations pose a threat to the research’s internal and external validity.
You cannot simply ignore a limitation in your research and it will have an impact on your design and outcome. Keep in mind that the limitations of a dissertation are generally not those that can be solved by the researcher.
The careful discussion on the limitations of the study by the researchers reveals thorough knowledge of the characteristics of the population assessed, the methodology and tools used, the scope of the outcome got, etc.
The American Psychological Association opined to understand the limitations of your research and to state alternative explanation of the results obtained. It also suggested expressing the real possibilities of generalization and external validity of the results.
Why Is The Limitations Section Overlooked And How To Avoid This Problem?
The limitations section has a great importance in your Master’s research. However, several students do not realize the significance of limitations. Here then, it becomes essential to acknowledge a study’s limitations. Otherwise, it will end up in your professor giving you less marks since you have not considered the limitations section important.
Limitations can hinder your ability to answer particular questions or make out some inferences from your findings. Hence there is a great responsibility for you to acknowledge them right away. It is always essential to keep a track of how they hinder the conclusions that you are making out from your research. While you are generalizing your findings, limitations hamper your ability. So it becomes necessary to take care of such issues.
When you acknowledge a limitation, you are giving ideas for potential research. Moreover, the essence of the research process lies in not only exploring new knowledge but also analyzing what we are not aware of.
Common Instances Of Limitations
As a PhD student, you would be aware that each study consists of its own set of limitations. While some are more frequented in quantitative research, others are regularly seen in qualitative research.
Common limitations in quantitative research include participant dropout, small sample size, data collection methods, unavailability of controls etc.
Common limitations in qualitative research include unavailability of generalizability of findings, not able to make out causal conclusions, limitations in participant’s eagerness to talk about their experience etc.
Keep in mind that having limitations should not be considered bad. The most thorough research also contains limitations. The key lies in knowing them and acknowledging how they influence your findings. The limitation helps you to show that you can think in a sound manner. Moreover, they help you to know how they have influence over your findings, even though you cannot control them.
Tutors India is a well-established academic guidance provider and has transferred knowledge to more than 4,500 Ph. D scholars and 10,500 Masters students all over the world. We assist students, entrepreneurs, research scholars and professionals in offering consistently high-quality writing and data analytical services.
Links, References, Related Posts
– Recent Trends HR Management Research: A Must Look For Masters UK Research
– Where Can I Find Best Masters/MBA Dissertation Topics For My Project?
– The Comprehensive Checklist for Research Proposal Writing
– How To Write A Dissertation For UK Masters Digital Marketing Students