Common limitations

Understanding Limitations

Every investigation is susceptible to limitations. These are factors that, despite your best attempts, you could not control or effectively manage during your investigation.
It’s crucial not to view these limitations as errors that were made during the investigation. In many cases, they are simply unavoidable elements of the investigative process.
Acknowledging these limitations is an integral part of an investigation. Identifying and discussing them properly can give your investigation more credibility by showing an understanding and awareness of its own weaknesses.

Common Limitations: Methodological Limitations

Sample size: Too small a sample can limit the generalisability of findings and the power to detect differences when they exist. Additionally, large samples can introduce unnecessary complexity.
Selection bias: If your sample is not representative of the wider population, it might skew the results and limit their applicability.
Measurement errors: These can occur when the equipment or assays used in experiments are not accurate enough, or when the variables being measured are not consistent across the experiment.

Common Limitations: Factor Limitations

Uncontrolled variables: It can be challenging to control or even measure all variables that may affect the results of an investigation.
Time restrictions: There’s never enough time to conduct in-depth and ongoing investigations. Consequently, results may only reflect a single point in time rather than a trend.
Resource limitations: Lack of access to adequate resources, whether they be financial, technological, or human, can limit the extent of your investigation.

Common Limitations: Analytical Limitations

Statistical limitations: Sometimes the data doesn’t lend itself to productive statistical analysis, either due to its nature or the small sample size.
Interpretive bias: Unconscious biases in interpreting and analysing the data can unintentionally affect the results.
Over-generalisation: This occurs when the results of a specific study are applied broadly, to contexts or groups different than those originally studied.

Remember, acknowledging limitations does not undermine the value of your work. It instead demonstrates your understanding of the investigative process as a whole, and provides avenues for potential future study or improvement.