Limitations & ethics: handle privacy and bias with integrity

Owning your limitations and handling ethics soundly isn't a weakness in the thesis — it's a mark of scholarly maturity.

Name the limitations honestly

Every study has boundaries: sample size, context, method, time. Listing them honestly — and explaining how they affect what you can conclude — is far stronger than hoping the examiner won't notice. Distinguish between limitations you could have avoided and those inherent to the topic.

Privacy under Norwegian rules

If you collect personal data, GDPR and Norwegian guidelines apply. Consider whether the project needs a notification form to Sikt (formerly NSD), how you obtain consent, and how you anonymise and store data safely. Document this — it shows the study is ethically sound, not just academically.

Unsure whether your project is notifiable? Raise it with your supervisor early. Sorting out privacy afterwards is painful; planning it from the start is simple.

Bias and the researcher's role

Reflect on sources of bias: in the sample, the measurements, the interpretation. In qualitative research that means reflecting on your own position; in quantitative it means considering attrition, selection and measurement error. Awareness of bias makes your conclusions more credible.

Common pitfalls

• Hiding limitations hoping the examiner won't see them.
• Collecting personal data without clarifying notification duty and consent.
• Treating ethics as an appendix rather than part of the design.

Ready to move on when…

• Limitations are named and explained.
• Privacy (consent, Sikt, storage) is handled.
• You've reflected on bias and your own role.