The level of detail varies from one part of the study** to another. For example, the "Materials and Methods" section of the study** or degree** should elaborate on the work done and the methodology used. However, in addition to providing relevant details, it is also important to clarify the broad parameters and boundaries of the study, which we will take a look at today with Charlesworth.
Defining the scope and boundaries of the study will help the reader understand the background of the research and thus better predict the level of detail of the content.
The main purpose of clarifying the scope of the study is to explain the background of the study in advance, so that the reader can understand the results and discourse of the study in the given context.
The scope of the study is broad and includes the following elements:
The study boundaries can be any of the following:
Clarify what hasn't been done.
A more elaborate, varied elaboration of the scope, describing what was not included, considered, or studied in the study.
Examples of research boundaries are as follows:
The scope and boundaries of the study affect the results of the study, so clarifying the scope and boundaries of the study can help understand the results. For example, experiments in irrigated agricultural fields can yield very different results from those in unirrigated strip fields.
Identifying what is not included in the scope and boundaries can make the study more replicable. For example, in the example of the "boundary" above, if a sample with a large amount of impurities is not discarded, the result will be very different.
In the medical field, gender bias is becoming more pronounced, so it is increasingly important to account for the proportion of men and women in the sample, even if the sample of subjects is randomly selected.
In the case of a broad statement, the scope of the study could be placed in the introduction, while the research boundaries were more detailed and should be placed in the methods section.
delimitations vs. limitations
Research boundaries are different from limitations, which can be considered shortcomings and are usually mentioned in response to any objections from reviewers.
From the above elaboration and examples, it can be seen that when writing a research**, degree**, and even a research proposal, it is necessary to clarify the scope and boundaries of the research. Be sure to point out the scope and boundaries, because if you don't, someone will point it out to you!