Delimitations Section
National University’s dissertation guidance defines delimitations as intentional boundaries the researcher sets to narrow the scope of the study, such as geography, timeframe, population, or other design choices. Delimitations are deliberate scope choices, not the same as limitations that arise from constraints outside the researcher’s control; section placement varies by program and discipline.
A Delimitations section explains the intentional boundaries you set around the study—what the research includes, excludes, and deliberately narrows.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Delimitations are deliberate scope choices, not the same as limitations that arise from constraints outside the researcher’s control; section placement varies by program and discipline.
Further guidance
Content
Help readers understand which populations, settings, variables, periods, or questions were intentionally placed outside the project.
Purpose
State the researcher-controlled boundaries that define the study’s scope.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Step-by-Step Dissertation Guide — Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations (opens in a new tab)National University · University dissertation guidance distinguishing assumptions accepted without proof from delimitations intentionally set by the researcher to bound a study