The initial step in conducting research involves pinpointing the research gap.
Selecting an unexplored field within your research area facilitates the smooth and successful completion of your research project, resulting in a substantial number of publications.
However, the crucial question remains: how do you pinpoint the research gap from the current literature?
While some researchers possess a clear understanding of the problem they wish to explore, others, particularly those in the early stages of their careers, struggle to select a unique and innovative research problem.
Therefore, the most effective approach is to find the gap in existing research, known as the research gap.
This article delves into the concept of the research gap and presents six tips for finding Research gap.
Research Gap
A research gap is an unresolved problem or question within your research area that has not been addressed by existing studies.
For example, as you read research or review articles related to your research interests, you may identify areas with substantial potential for further investigation that have not yet been explored by other researchers.
These unexplored areas, known as research gaps or literature gaps, represent opportunities for additional research.
A research gap, also known as a knowledge gap, arises when a crucial question remains unanswered. To begin addressing this gap effectively, it’s essential to know where to start looking and how to identify the right question.
Differentiating a research gap from a research question is crucial. For instance, while a question like “What are the side effects of sugar on human health?” may yield abundant data, asking about “The effects of increased screen time on pregnant women’s baby’s health” may reveal a scarcity of published information.
Knowing how to uncover a research gap can guide you towards fruitful areas within your field and steer you away from less promising avenues, ensuring your work leads to meaningful breakthroughs.
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Importance of Research Gap
Understanding the significance of a unique research gap is crucial, especially when seeking publication in reputable journals. Imagine completing all your experimental work only to face repeated rejections from journal editors citing lack of uniqueness and novelty in your research.
This situation can be disheartening and frustrating. That’s why it’s essential to identify unique and novel research problems that haven’t been addressed before.
Your time, knowledge, funds, and resources are valuable investments in your research.
Investing in the right work, characterized by a unique research gap, increases the likelihood of quickly publishing your research findings.
7 Types of Research Gap
According to Robinson, Saldanhea & McKoy (2011), Muller-Bloch, & Kranz (2015), and Miles (2017), research gaps in the literature review can be classified into seven categories:
- Evidence Gap: Involves little or no evidence to address the research problem effectively.
- Practical-Knowledge Gap: Reflects discrepancies between professional practices and research findings or areas not covered by research.
- Theoretical Gap: Calls for the application of theory to generate new insights, with a lack of theoretical knowledge contributing to the research gap.
- Knowledge Gap: Indicates a lack of existing knowledge in the field, potentially leading to unexpected study outcomes.
- Methodology Gap: Suggests the need for different research methods to gain new insights or avoid ambiguous findings.
- Population Gap: Deals with under-researched or inadequately represented populations in prior research, such as gender, age, or race disparities.
- Empirical Gap: Requires evaluation or empirical verification of research findings.
How Are Research Gaps Identified?
To identify a research gap effectively, consider these tips:
1. Understand Current Literature:
Start by conducting a systematic review of relevant literature in your research area. This includes scholarly articles, books, conference papers, and other reliable sources.
A thorough review will give you insights into existing work and potential areas where gaps exist. Ask questions that arise from your review to pinpoint these gaps.
When reading research articles, focus primarily on the Introduction section, where authors discuss the significance of their research and the gaps they aim to address. Review articles are particularly valuable as they provide a comprehensive overview of a research area and highlight existing gaps. Meta-analyses and review papers offer insights into the evolution of research trends over time in your field.
Pay close attention to areas with conflicting results, contradictory theories, or unanswered questions. These points often indicate potential research gaps worth exploring.
It’s beneficial to jot down any questions that arise while reading articles. You can use tables, charts, or digital tools to record these questions. This practice will be beneficial when developing your research problem or writing your manuscript.
2. Skimming Existing Literature
Skimming through existing literature involves focusing on specific sections rather than reading articles in full. These sections include:
- Abstract: Summarizes the work and key findings.
- Introduction: Provides context, background, and how researchers addressed gaps with their novel research.
- Conclusion: Offers recommendations for future research or provides directions for further exploration.
By skimming these sections in research and review articles, you can quickly grasp the essence of each study without investing extensive time.
3. Future Research is Needed FRIN phrase
Search for the “FRIN phrase,” which stands for “Future Research is Needed.” This method helps identify research gaps efficiently. Look for specific phrases in the articles you read, such as:
- “Investigation on this is still required/needed.”
- “It is important to understand this.”
- “Have not been reported.”
- “The key question remains unanswered.”
- “It is important to address.”
These expressions highlight gaps or unresolved issues related to the main question, indicating areas that require further scientific study. Pay attention to these phrases to develop novel research worth exploring.
4. Make Use of Digital Tools
Harness digital tools to streamline your search process and save time. Tools like Essential Science Indicator can highlight the most cited articles in your field, indicating important topics. Additionally, Google Trends can reveal popular questions within your research area, aiding in the identification of unexplored areas for further investigation.
5. Ask Your Supervisor for Feedback
Engage in discussions with your research supervisor or advisor to address issues and challenges in your research. Their feedback can offer valuable insights and help you refine your research focus by identifying potential blind spots in your thinking.
6. Perform a Laboratory-scale Study
Evaluate the feasibility and viability of your research problem by conducting a laboratory-scale experiment. This step allows you to gather initial data and gain insights into experiment design. Additionally, it helps identify potential limitations or challenges that must be addressed before embarking on a full-scale research study.
How Can Potential Research Gaps Be Evaluated?
To evaluate potential research gaps effectively, consider the following key factors:
- Originality: Verify the research gap’s originality, distinctiveness, and novelty.
- Financial Considerations: Examine potential extra expenses linked to data collection and analysis.
- Time Management: Ensure research completion aligns with university-specified timeframes.
- Data Collection and Analysis Feasibility: Evaluate ease and viability of data collection, sampling methods, and instrument availability.
- Supervisor Support: Confirm your supervisor’s willingness to guide you through your chosen research topic.
Conclusion
Conducting a thorough gap analysis based on these categories can help identify research gaps in your area of study, leading to the emergence of unique research topics.
It’s crucial to define clear objectives, develop a sound methodology, and conduct experiments to address these gaps and achieve significant research outcomes.
Other articles
Please read through some of our other articles with examples and explanations if you’d like to learn more about research methodology.
Citation Styles
- APA Reference Page
- MLA Citations
- Chicago Style Format
- “et al.” in APA, MLA, and Chicago Style
- Do All References in a Reference List Need to Be Cited in Text?
Comparision
- Basic and Applied Research
- Cross-Sectional vs Longitudinal Studies
- Survey vs Questionnaire
- Open Ended vs Closed Ended Questions
- Experimental and Non-Experimental Research
- Inductive vs Deductive Approach
- Null and Alternative Hypothesis
- Reliability vs Validity
- Population vs Sample
- Conceptual Framework and Theoretical Framework
- Bibliography and Reference
- Stratified vs Cluster Sampling
- Sampling Error vs Sampling Bias
- Internal Validity vs External Validity
- Full-Scale, Laboratory-Scale and Pilot-Scale Studies
- Plagiarism and Paraphrasing
- Research Methodology Vs. Research Method
- Mediator and Moderator
- Type I vs Type II error
- Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
- Microsoft Excel and SPSS
- Parametric and Non-Parametric Test
Comparision
- Independent vs. Dependent Variable
- Research Article and Research Paper
- Proposition and Hypothesis
- Principal Component Analysis and Partial Least Squares
- Academic Research vs Industry Research
- Clinical Research vs Lab Research
- Research Lab and Hospital Lab
- Thesis Statement and Research Question
- Quantitative Researchers vs. Quantitative Traders
- Premise, Hypothesis and Supposition
- Survey Vs Experiment
- Hypothesis and Theory
- Independent vs. Dependent Variable
- APA vs. MLA
- Ghost Authorship vs. Gift Authorship
Research
- Research Methods
- Quantitative Research
- Qualitative Research
- Case Study Research
- Survey Research
- Conclusive Research
- Descriptive Research
- Cross-Sectional Research
- Theoretical Framework
- Conceptual Framework
- Triangulation
- Grounded Theory
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Mixed Method
- Correlational Research
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Stratified Sampling
- Ethnography
- Ghost Authorship
- Secondary Data Collection
- Primary Data Collection
- Ex-Post-Facto
Research
- Table of Contents
- Dissertation Topic
- Synopsis
- Thesis Statement
- Research Proposal
- Research Questions
- Research Problem
- Research Gap
- Types of Research Gaps
- Variables
- Operationalization of Variables
- Literature Review
- Research Hypothesis
- Questionnaire
- Abstract
- Validity
- Reliability
- Measurement of Scale
- Sampling Techniques
- Acknowledgements
Statistics
- PLS-SEM model
- Principal Components Analysis
- Multivariate Analysis
- Friedman Test
- Chi-Square Test (Χ²)
- T-test
- SPSS
- Effect Size
- Critical Values in Statistics
- Statistical Analysis
- Calculate the Sample Size for Randomized Controlled Trials
- Covariate in Statistics
- Avoid Common Mistakes in Statistics
- Standard Deviation
- Derivatives & Formulas
- Build a PLS-SEM model using AMOS
- Principal Components Analysis using SPSS
- Statistical Tools
- Type I vs Type II error
- Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
- Microsoft Excel and SPSS
- One-tailed and Two-tailed Test
- Parametric and Non-Parametric Test