In this video, we are going to explore the tricky topic of research gaps also sometimes
called literature gaps. We will explain what a research gap is, look at the four most common
types of research gaps and unpack how you can go about finding a suitable research gap for
your dissertation, thesis or research project. Speaking of which if you are currently working on
a dissertation or thesis be sure to grab our free dissertation templates to help fast-track your
write-up. These tried and tested templates provide a detailed roadmap to guide you through each
chapter section by section. If that sounds helpful you can find the link in the description below.
So what exactly is a research gap? Well, at the simplest level a research gap is essentially an
unanswered question or unresolved problem in a field which reflects a lack of existing research
in that space. Alternatively, a research gap can also exist when there is already a fair deal of
existing research but where the findings of the studies pull in different directions making it
difficult to draw firm conclusions. For example, let us say your research aim is to identify the
cause or causes of a particular disease. Upon reviewing the literature you may find that
there is a body of research that points towards cigarette smoking as a key factor. But at the same
time a large body of research that finds no link between smoking and the disease. In that case,
you may have something of a research gap that warrants further investigation.
So now that we have defined what a research gap is an unanswered question
or unresolved problem let us look at the four most common types of research gaps.
While there are many different types of research gaps the four most common ones we encounter when
helping students at Grad Coach are as follows. Number one the classic literature gap. Number two
the disagreement gap. Number three the contextual gap and number four the methodological gap.
Let us take a look at each of them. First up is the classic literature gap. This type of research
gap emerges when there is a new concept or phenomenon that has not been studied much
or at all. For example, when a social media platform is launched there is an opportunity
to explore its impacts on users. How it could be leveraged for marketing, its impact on society,
and so on. The same applies for new technologies, new modes of communication, transportation
etcetera. Classic literature gaps can present exciting research opportunities but a drawback
you need to be aware of is that with this type of research gap you will be exploring completely
new territory. This means you will have to draw on adjacent literature. That is research in adjacent
fields to build your literature review as there naturally will not be very many existing studies
that directly relate to the topic. While this is manageable it can be challenging for first-time
researchers. So be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. The next type of research gap
is the disagreement gap. As the name suggests the disagreement gap emerges when there are
contrasting or contradictory findings in the existing research regarding a specific research
question or set of questions. The hypothetical example we looked at earlier regarding the causes
of a disease reflects a disagreement gap. Importantly for this type of research gap,
there needs to be a relatively balanced set of opposing findings. In other words,
a situation where ninety-five percent of studies find one result and five percent
find the opposite would not quite constitute a disagreement in the literature. Of course,
it is hard to quantify exactly how much weight to give to each study but you will need to at least
show that the opposing findings are not simply a corner case anomaly. The third type of research
gap is the contextual gap. Simply put a contextual gap exists when there is already a decent body of
existing research on a particular topic but an absence of research in specific contexts. For
example, there could be a lack of research on a specific population perhaps a certain age group,
gender or ethnicity, a geographic area, for example, a city, country or region,
a certain time period. Perhaps the bulk of the studies took place many years or even decades ago
and the landscape has changed. The contextual gap is a popular option for dissertations and theses,
especially for first-time researchers as it allows you to develop your research on a solid foundation
of existing literature and potentially even use existing survey measures. Importantly if you are
going to go this route you need to ensure that there is a plausible reason why you would expect
potential differences in the specific context you choose. If there is no reason to expect different
results between existing and new contexts the research gap would not be well justified. So
make sure that you can clearly articulate why your chosen context is different from existing
studies and why that might reasonably result in different findings. If you are enjoying this
video so far please help us out by hitting that like button. You can also subscribe for loads
of plain language actionable advice. If you are new to research check out our free dissertation
writing course which covers everything you need to get started on your research project. As always
links in the description. All right last but not least we have the methodological gap. As the name
suggests this type of research gap emerges as a result of the research methodology or design of
existing studies. With this approach, you would argue that the methodology of existing studies
is lacking in some way or that they are missing a certain perspective. For example, you might
argue that the bulk of the existing research has taken a quantitative approach and therefore there
is a lack of rich insight and texture that a qualitative study could provide. Similarly,
you might argue that existing studies have primarily taken a cross-sectional approach
and as a result, have only provided a snapshot view of the situation whereas a longitudinal
approach could help uncover how variables have evolved over time. By the way, if you are keen to
learn more about cross-sectional and longitudinal studies check out our video about that up here.
Now that you have got a clear picture of the different types of research gaps the next
question is of course, how do you find these research gaps? Well, we cover the process of
how to find original high-value research gaps and by extension research topics in a separate
video which you can find up here. But for now, I will share a basic two-step strategy here to help
you find potential research gaps. As a starting point, you should find as many literature reviews,
systematic reviews and meta-analyses as you can covering your area of interest. Additionally,
you should dig into the most recent journal articles to wrap your head around the current
state of knowledge. It is also a good idea to look at recent dissertations and theses,
especially doctoral-level ones. Dissertation databases such as ProQuest, EBSCO and Open
Access are a gold mine for this sort of thing. We will include the links to those below. Importantly
make sure that you are looking at recent resources ideally those published in the
last year or two or the gaps you find might have already been plugged by other researchers. Once
you have gathered a meaty collection of resources the section that you really want to focus on is
the one titled further research opportunities or further research is needed. In this section,
the researchers will explicitly state where more studies are required in other words where
potential research gaps may exist. You can also look at the limitations section of the studies as
this will often spur ideas for methodology-based research gaps. By following this process you will
orient yourself with the current state of research which will lay the foundation for
you to identify potential research gaps. You can then start drawing up a short list of ideas and
evaluating them as candidate topics. But remember make sure you are looking at recent articles there
is no use going down a rabbit hole only to find that someone has already filled the gap.
If you got value from this video please hit that like button to help more students find
this content. For more videos like this check out the Grad Coach channel and subscribe for
plain language actionable research tips and advice every week. Also if you are looking
for one-on-one support with your dissertation, thesis or research project be sure to check
out our private coaching service where we hold your hand throughout the research process step
by step. You can learn more about that and book a free initial consultation at gradcoach.com.