A final type of limitation is that of statistical or data limitations. Sometimes you may not be able to collect as much or as good data as you intended, or perhaps enrollment was more difficult than expected, underpowering your results. Statistical limitations can also stem from study design, producing more serious limitations in terms of interpreting the findings.
Now that you know how to identify possible limitations in your study, the question turns to how to go about describing them in your article. For example : Your study looked at the efficacy of a new diabetes treatment in Japanese patients. The results were very positive; however, because you only looked at Japanese patients, these findings may not translate to patients of other ethnicities. A statement to this effect could be declared in the limitations section of your manuscript, followed up by a comment about how the results might still be widely applicable as they will help with patient-specific treatment in all parts of the world.
When breaking new ground, it is likely that there are still a lot of gaps in the knowledge base that need to be filled. Therefore, a good follow-up statement for this type of limitation is to describe what, based on these results, the next steps would be to build a stronger overall evidence base. A measure of humility goes a long way! Negative Results are Not a Limitation! Negative evidence refers to findings that unexpectedly challenge rather than support your hypothesis.
If you didn't get the results you anticipated, it may mean your hypothesis was incorrect and needs to be reformulated, or, perhaps you have stumbled onto something unexpected that warrants further study. Moreover, the absence of an effect may be very telling in many situations, particularly in experimental research designs.
In any case, your results may be of importance to others even though they did not support your hypothesis. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that results contrary to what you expected is a limitation to your study. If you carried out the research well, they are simply your results and only require additional interpretation. Sample sizes are typically smaller in qualitative research because, as the study goes on, acquiring more data does not necessarily lead to more information.
This is because one occurrence of a piece of data, or a code, is all that is necessary to ensure that it becomes part of the analysis framework.
However, it remains true that sample sizes that are too small cannot adequately support claims of having achieved valid conclusions and sample sizes that are too large do not permit the deep, naturalistic, and inductive analysis that defines qualitative inquiry. Determining adequate sample size in qualitative research is ultimately a matter of judgment and experience in evaluating the quality of the information collected against the uses to which it will be applied and the particular research method and purposeful sampling strategy employed.
If the sample size is found to be a limitation, it may reflect your judgement about the methodological technique chosen [e. Huberman, A. Michael and Matthew B. Data Management and Analysis Methods. In Handbook of Qualitative Research. Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, , pp. It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results. The Conclusion Toggle Dropdown Appendices Definition The limitations of the study are those characteristics of design or methodology that impacted or influenced the application or interpretation of the results of your study. Importance of Descriptions of Possible Limitations All studies have limitations. Possible Methodological Limitations Sample size -- the number of the units of analysis you use in your study is dictated by the type of research problem you are investigating.
Note that, if your sample size is too small, it will be difficult to find significant relationships from the data, as statistical tests normally require a larger sample size to ensure a representative distribution of the population and to be considered representative of groups of people to whom results will be generalized or transferred.
You need to not only describe these limitations but to offer reasons why you believe data is missing or is unreliable. Lack of prior research studies on the topic -- citing prior research studies forms the basis of your literature review and helps lay a foundation for understanding the research problem you are investigating.
Depending on the currency or scope of your research topic, there may be little, if any, prior research on your topic. Psychology and Modern Warfare pp Cite as. A s with idea modification strategies, emotional modification strategies also have limitations to what they are capable of doing, and challenges that must be overcome for their proper execution.
Once again, these challenges and limitations do not prevent them from being successfully used, as they have all been historically successful in accomplishing military goals at one point or another, but not every method is appropriate for use in every encounter.
Even the limitations that do present themselves can often be overcome by relying on different psychological operations, on combining these methods in order to compensate for the weaknesses of one method with the strengths of another, or even by improving upon a single method through additional research.
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