The Delimitation of the theme In science is the first instance in the development of an investigation. This contributes to determining the steps by which the research line is to be followed, to specify its scope and to delimit its limits.
This allows the research carried out to be precise and concrete, avoiding broad and confusing subjects that are difficult to study due to its extension. It is necessary to make a good delimitation of the subject, to see if its development is viable.
Science
Ideas come from thousands of sources, whether experiences, materials, theories, discoveries, etc. And to create a profitable investigation, it is necessary to limit the limits of the same and to define with clarity the subject of the one that treats.
The initial delimitation is not always maintained; sometimes, arguments and conclusions can arise during the investigation that make us enlarge or narrow down our main idea and the subject to be treated.
By setting limits, we also define what kind of research we are conducting, whether it is descriptive, or whether it is experimental, etc. This also allows us to have an overview of the approach and the result that we can obtain.
There are studies that show that more than 80% of failed investigations are due to the lack of limitation of the topic. We have to know clearly what is the subject that we want to investigate and to what extent we must carry the investigation.
Although the limitation seems excessive, we must bear in mind that ramifications may arise during the course of research that broaden our search field, and give it importance and value.
Issues to define the delimitation of the topic
If we want to conduct an investigation and we need to delimit the subject, we can ask ourselves these questions.
What do I want to investigate?
This must be a keyword or a variable, the main one of our subject and that will allow us to develop an investigation.
With regard to what?
It has to be the main characteristic with which we relate the topic that we want to investigate.
Who am I going to investigate?
This must be the unit of analysis, the idea of the subject to be treated, the people, animals or things that we are going to include in our research.
What characteristics should I have to investigate?
Within our research we have to include the characteristics we need to investigate, or if we need a control group or even, study otherwise to demonstrate our hypothesis.
When will I do the research?
We must not only delimit the subject, but also the time that we are going to use to do it.
Where am I going to do the research?
Not only delimit the geographical place in which we are going to carry out our research, but also if we need facilities like laboratories, concrete ecosystem, etc.
Limits to research
We must clarify the type of study that we are going to carry out, to have an overview of the validity and the results that we can obtain. The study may be of a historical, descriptive or experimental type
We need a list of the variables to analyze and the hypotheses that we will use or corroborate. Mark the objectives that we intend to obtain and contrast the variables that we have with the objectives that result from our research.
Through a list of elements that we need to carry out our research, we can condition it. These elements may be at the level of method, resources or other factors. We need to know the necessary elements and know if we can get them.
Scientific research can not be done, if the elements that are necessary are not within our reach either because they do not exist or because they are too expensive.
Obtaining these elements also leads us to a key part of our research: developing a budget. We need to know if the funds we have will allow us to get our research done. There are more and more cases of studies that are not finalized because they do not have a correct financing.
Another of the things to take into account, of the elements that we need for our investigation, is the disposition of bibliographical material. For many investigations, a specific material is needed, although it is an existing one, it is difficult for us to find it and it prevents us from carrying out the investigation in the established time.
Also, we should not only focus on the parts to be studied, but also on the development of the conclusion. We need to know which audience our research is aimed at to determine what kind of language we will need to use.
If for example we are conducting an investigation that will be for the general public, we will try to maintain a neutral language without the use of specific scientific terminology.
And finally, our greatest limit to the research must be a chronology with the time that we will dedicate to each part of the project to favor the viability of the same.
Fundamentals of the delimitation of the subject
The majority of the scientific investigations that are carried out are with a clear objective to solve a problem. The problem is not isolated, but it converges into several variables and forms part of a much larger set.
For an investigation, the problem is the starting point. But to reach the final point, we need to identify the theoretical and empirical aspects that lie between
For the research to be successful, we need to point out the theoretical limits of the problem through its conceptualization, that is, to expose the ideas and concepts of the problem that we study.
The temporal limits also serve to delimit if the problem we are analyzing changes over time, or if it remains constant over time.
In the same way, the geographical delimitation allows us to analyze if the variables are inherent to the region under analysis or if, on the contrary, they can be extrapolated to the whole territory.
To consider the study population, we must define the fundamental requirements and characteristics that we need within our research. The problem must be placed in its socioeconomic, political, historical and ecological environment, respectively.
References
- AGAR, Jon; SMITH, Crosbie (ed.) Making space for science: Territorial themes in the shaping of knowledge. Springer, 2016.
- DRIVER, Felix. 'Making space: territorial themes in the history of science', a conference organized by the British Society for the History of Science, held at the University of Kent, Canterbury, 28-30 March 1994.Ecumene, 1994, vol. 1, no. 4, p. 386-390.
- XUE-MEI, D. E. N. G. Need Theme be Displaced or Extended?. Journal of Sichuan College of Education, 2008, vol. 5, p. 032.
- Merton, Robert K. The sociology of science: Theoretical and empirical investigations. University of Chicago Press, 1973.
- BAENA, Guillermina.Instruments of investigation. Mexico, 1986.
- DIETERICH STEFFAN, Heinz.New guide for scientific research. Civil Association University of Sciences and Humanities, Fondo Editorial, 2008.
- BRAZ, ADELINO; OF FRANCE, EMBASSY. Investigation methodology. 1999.