The scope and delimitations of a thesis or research paper define the topic and

boundaries of the research problem to be investigated.

The scope details how in-depth your study is to explore the research question and
the parameters in which it will operate in relation to the population and timeframe.

The delimitations of a study are the factors and variables not to be included in the
investigation. In other words, they are the boundaries the researcher sets in terms
of study duration, population size and type of participants, etc.

For example, you have a researcher who wants to write a paper on the impact of
mobile devices on the behavior of elementary students. But, as we all know, it is
impossible to cover every part of that topic.

Because of this, we can use the scope to narrow down a section of the target
demographic. In this context, we can specify into a group of 50 children in grades
2-5 of one specific school. Afterward, the duration of the study would last for 6
months.

Limitations It aims to identify potential weaknesses of the study. For example, all
statistical procedures and research strategies, such as surveys or grounded theory
studies have limitations. In introductory discussions about these strategies, authors
typically mention both their strengths and their weaknesses (Fatatado, 2016).

Delimitation is the process of drawing boundaries for or fixing the limits of

something. Researchers identify and articulate delimitations to explain what their
studies will and won’t cover while also defining the methodologies and approaches
they’ll use to carry out their studies.

Delimitations help inform the overall scope, which is how deeply a paper,
dissertation or study delves into a research question. A scope is the extent of the
area or subject matter that something deals with. Often, a well-defined scope
addresses the following standard questions:

 Why: What is the point of this research?

 What: What topic is being investigated?
 Where: Where is this research occurring and why?
 When: What is the timeline of this research?
 Who: What are the demographics of the study’s subjects?
 How: What is the methodology of this research (for example, qualitative
versus quantitative, which we’ll get into in a bit)?

Limitations and delimitations in research both clearly define the boundaries of the
research problem that you’re studying. 

Delimitations involve a researcher establishing boundaries, whereas limitations

are about identifying weaknesses in or barriers to carrying out the study as the
researcher originally intended. Limitations disclose what a researcher cannot do
(factors outside their control), and delimitations disclose what a researcher won’t
do (factors that they chose not to focus on within the scope of the study).

Guidelines on How to Write a Scope

A good scope statement will answer the following six questions:

 Why – the general aims and objectives (purpose) of the research.

 What – the subject to be investigated, and the included variables.

  Where – the location or setting of the study, i.e. where the data will be
gathered and to which entity the data will belong.

 When – the timeframe within which the data is to be collected.

 Who – the subject matter of the study and the population from which they
will be selected. This population needs to be large enough to be able to make
generalisations.

 How – how the research is to be conducted, including a description of the

research design (e.g. whether it is experimental research, qualitative
research or a case study), methodology, research tools and analysis
techniques.

To make things as clear as possible, you should also state why specific variables
were omitted from the research scope, and whether this was because it was a
delimitation or a limitation. You should also explain why they could not be
overcome with standard research methods backed up by scientific evidence.

How To Write Scope and Delimitation: Step-by-Step Guide

1. Review Your Study’s Objectives and Problem Statement

2. State the Key Information To Explain Your Study’s Coverage and Boundaries
a. The Main Objective of the Research
b. Independent and Dependent Variables Included
c. Subject of the Study
d. Timeframe and Location of the Study
e. Brief Description of the Study’s Research Design and Methodology
3. Indicate Which Variables or Factors Are Not Covered by Your Research
Examples of Scope and Delimitation of a Research Paper
1. Scope and Delimitation Examples for Quantitative Research
a. Example 1
Research Title

   A Study on the Relationship of the Extent of Facebook Usage on the English Proficiency Level
of Grade 10 Students of Matagumpay High School

Scope and Delimitation

(Main Objective)

This study focused on assessing the correlation between the respondents’ duration of Facebook
usage and their English proficiency level. 

(Variables used)

The researchers used the number of hours per day of using Facebook and the activities usually
performed on the platform to assess the respondents’ extent of Facebook usage. Meanwhile, the
respondents’ English proficiency level is limited only to their English quarterly exam scores. 

(Subject of the study)

A sample of fifty (50) Grade 10 students of Matagumpay High School served as the study’s
respondents. 

(Timeframe and location)

This study was conducted during the Second Semester of School Year 2018 – 2019 on the
premises of Matagumpay High School in Metro Manila. 

(Methodology)

The respondents are selected by performing a stratified random sampling to ensure that there will
be 10 respondents from five Grade 10 classes of the aforementioned school. The researchers
administered a 20-item questionnaire to assess the extent of Facebook usage of the selected
respondents. Meanwhile, the data for the respondents’ quarterly exam scores were acquired from
their English teachers. The collected data are handled with the utmost confidentiality. The
Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation was applied to quantitatively assess the correlation between
the variables.

(Exclusions)

This study didn’t assess other aspects of the respondents’ English proficiency such as English
vocabulary and oral skills.

Research Title
 Level of Satisfaction of Grade 11 Students on the Implementation of the Online Learning Setup
of Matagumpay High School for SY 2020 – 2021

Scope and Delimitation

This study aims to identify students’ satisfaction levels with the implementation of online
learning set up during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students’ satisfaction was assessed according to teachers’ pedagogy, school policies, and
learning materials used in the online learning setup. The respondents included sixty (60) Grade
11 students of Matagumpay High School who were randomly picked. The researchers conducted
the study from October 2020 to February 2021. 

To reach out to the respondents, online platforms such as email and social media
applications were used. The researchers administered a 15-item online questionnaire to measure
the respondents’ satisfaction levels. Each response was assessed using a Likert Scale to provide a
descriptive interpretation of their answers. To determine the general satisfaction of the
respondents, a weighted mean was applied. 

This study did not cover other factors related to the online learning setup such as the
learning platform used, schedule of synchronous learning, and channels for information
dissemination.