#27 How to identify research gaps

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Here is a common challenge researchers face:

They have no research gap. No research aim. No research.

Common Misconception: Finding a research gap seems difficult.

Research gaps are areas where research is lacking, as some questions are unanswered.

You could start from a relevant group of papers, or start reading literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses to get started in your field of interest.

Here is a list of basic research gaps with some examples:

𝟭- 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗽

A new concept or phenomenon hasn't been studied much. 𝐸𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒: New technology like 6G, new modes of communication, new diseases etc.

𝟮- 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝗽:

Existing methodologies or designs are lacking.

𝐸𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒: Quantitative vs qualitative approaches, or cross-sectional vs longitudinal approaches.

𝟯- 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝗽:

A decent volume of research already exists, but some contexts are missing.

𝐸𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒: A population has not been studied (gender, age, ethnicity), a geographic area (region, country, cities), or a specific period has not been covered.

𝟰- 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗽:

Contrasting/contradictory results exist in the literature about specific questions.

𝐸𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒:  Some studies related to a specific disease show that smoking is a key factor. While other studies find no link.

𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗨𝗦: Look at Recent Papers: Focus on papers from the last 3-4 years. The limitations/discussion sections of existing papers are gold mines to identify research gaps:

- Researchers suggest ideas for future research

- Addressing research limitations is another way to fill a research gap

Also, if you have more than one problem or research gap, then it can make your study stronger.

That’s it for this week. Let us know in the comments if you think I missed anything or if you have any other suggestions.

As usual, if anything is unclear or if you need help with your research projects, please contact me and I will reply.

See you next Sunday!

Jamal

Question of the Week

How do you find your research gaps?

Let us know in the comments.

My favorite things this week

1. Holidays came to an end.  I spent a few days in the city center of London. It was good to visit a few historical places.
   

2. While it was good to be on holiday abroad, I also like the feeling of being back “home”.