Research Gap | Definition, Types, & Steps to Identify for Dissertation

Identifying gaps in existing research is necessary before you finalise your research problem and start putting efforts into research and writing your research paper. Detecting research gaps in the topics will contribute to the topic conceptually, theoretically, and methodologically. Imagine knowing everything about your topic, like where the knowledge gap is, whether it is methodological, theoretical, or population gap, etc. 

A PhD and Master's dissertation must make a significant and novel contribution to the field. This creates the need to keep your topic more specific and relevant. This can be achieved by only finding a research gap, either in knowledge, methodology, population, or evidence. 

In this article, The Academic Papers UK will guide you from A to Z on what can be considered a gap, types of gaps in the literature, and approaches to identify them. But before we start finding gaps in literature, let's explain what is considered a literature gap. 

What Are Literature Gaps?

A research gap is a question or topic not discussed at all or is under-discovered. Literature gaps can be defined as “any missing information in a study area in regards to location, research methodology, concepts, evidence, data, or knowledge”. 

Here are some questions to help you identify research gaps: 

1. Are there any areas in the subject that are worthwhile and haven't been explored by other researchers?
2. Are relevant studies neglecting any particular type of evidence? 
3. Does related research miss the utilisation of quantitative or qualitative methods?
4. Are there any theoretical concepts not applied to the concept? A.k.a conceptual gap. 
5. Is the available research too outdated? Like, internet importance was covered in 2001. 

How to Identify Research Gap in a Literature Review

Finding the research gap depends on your understanding of what a literature gap is and how you can identify it. The process of finding knowledge gaps becomes easier when you brainstorm and know the process. 

The first thing you can do to find the space for further research is to determine some questions about your research topic from your mind. If all of your questions haven't been answered already, you might find a research gap.

Here are a few steps you can identify a research gap to form a perfect problem statement:

1. Localisation of Research Gap

Localisation or locating the research gap is the first step you need to take in order to form a research problem. Here is how you can detect a research gap and locate it:

i. Reading the Relevant Literature Thoroughly

Reading too much literature can be overwhelming, especially when you are facing difficulties finding the knowledge gap for your dissertation. But this is the most effective method as well. You can read related research, other dissertations, or journal articles extensively to verify if what you are considering a gap is actually space for further research or if you are missing out on something. 

ii. Suggestions for Future Research

The integral part of a dissertation writing task, along with suggestions for future research, is the section where you can identify your potential research gap for problem statements. Researchers mention directions for future research in the conclusion, which can help find the gaps. But remember, you always need to explore those gaps further and make sure they are not already filled after that work. After all, others are also looking for literature gaps.

iii. Research Shortcomings Section

Researchers also mention the shortcomings of their work in the discussion or conclusion chapter of their dissertations. Those shortcomings often include the need for further research; you will most probably get an idea of which topic to dig deeper into. Once you find a topic worth exploring, move on to the next stage of finalising the research statement. 

2. Characterisation of Research Gap

Characterisation, or deciding a category your potential literature gap falls into, can be beneficial for you in completing the rest of the steps necessary to complete the identification process. 

Suppose you know the type of your research gap; that means you can tell if your gap is conceptual, methodological, evidence gap, theoretical gap, or if a certain population is neglected. 

Once you know the gap category, you can plan your next steps toward research gap identification. For example, if your gap is methodological, you will be required to explore papers with different methodologies and see if that methodology is covered well enough or not. If you find multiple types of research gaps, you can decide the best one that fits your interests and explore that further. 

Consult with one of our 650+ PhD Experts.

Ready to elevate your dissertation game? Let our experts do the heavy lifting!

AI lacks the depth your degree requires. Our human experts deliver tailored research and authentic academic insights.

Consult with an Expert, It's free

3. Verification of Research Gap

Once you locate the research gap and characterise it, it’s time for verification if the gap still exists or has already been closed. To verify the potential for research, you can start by reading the cited articles/sources. But remember, if you find the gap after a rigorous literature review and you know there is nothing left worth exploring, you can continue with that topic; there is no need for verification. 

If you found the gap after reviewing a little literature, you should verify it further. To verify the research gap, you should conduct forward research, starting from the cited articles, seminal works, or relatively close sources. You can also search the relevant databases like Web of Science, Jstor, or SAGE Knowledge database. 

If you find resources that have covered the potential gap, you still need to read those sources thoroughly and decide whether the researcher has covered it properly or not. Plus, you can read their section dedicated to future research suggestions to get a better evaluation of the gap. 

4. Presentation of Research Gap

After you find the literature gaps and do your research, it's time to write the research proposal and get approval for your topic for further research. You need to present the research gaps properly so the committee can read and understand them well. 

There are two possible approaches to utilise in order to present research gaps in the research proposal:

1. Parallel presentation:

Parallel presentation presents the literature gaps in the discussions section. Because the synthesis and research gap localisation go along with each other, demonstrating the gaps in the discussion chapter seems a more natural approach. 

2. Sequential presentation:

The sequential presentation approach requires the scholar to write the research gaps after the synthesis so the readers can locate them easily. Sequential presentation seems to be a more structured approach than parallel presentation. 

Both of these approaches complement each other very well and can be appropriate for presenting the research gaps in the literature review. Scholars, while presenting the literature gaps, should make a well versed and informed decision regarding the choice of approaches. Their choice of approach may have a positive or negative effect depending on the topic's requirements. 

What Are 7 Types of Research Gaps?

To complete the second step of your gap identification process, characterisation, you need to be aware of types or categories of literature gaps. 

Here Are Seven Types of Research Gaps:

1. Evidence Gap 

The evidence gap exists when there is a lot of information available, but there is a lack of authentic evidence to support the claims. For example, if there exist some theories of learning psychology but those are not backed by concrete evidence, that would be considered an evidence gap. 

Note: The evidence must contain EPC’s evidence reports in the future research section.

2. Knowledge Gap

 The difference between the current knowledge about a field and the required knowledge to make informed decisions is known as the knowledge gap. In other words, the understanding of a subject or concept and the need for further research.

3. Practical-Knowledge Conflict Gap

When there is a conflict between the knowledge and practical application of theories, it's called a practical-knowledge conflict gap. For example, there is a difference between having knowledge of something and doing it in real life.  

4. Methodological Gap

When current research methods are unable to explore the topic comprehensively, or a certain methodological approach is ignored completely, that gap will be considered a methodological gap. 

5. Empirical Gap

Empirical gaps are spotted with the absence of proper empirical evidence. These gaps indicate the need to collect, experiment, and observe new data in order to conduct your research. 

6. Theoretical Gap

A theoretical gap is a lack of theory or phenomenon that could have better explained the topic. These gaps may arise with the development of new events or evidence or if an existing theoretical framework fails to explain a certain concept or phenomenon. 

7. Population Gap

The population gap refers to the understudied and underserved population. An example of a population gap is a population of a certain caste, ethnicity, age, or gender that was neglected in previous research. 

These research types create confusion and contradiction in the minds of beginner researchers regarding which of these gaps should be identified as a qualified gap. 

Additional Tips to Identify Research Gaps

Here are some additional tips to help you find research gaps to formulate your problem statement for the dissertation:

1. Do Literature Review Thoroughly

You should read literally everything about the topic, such as relevant research, journal articles, or books. If you do not go through all the existing literature, you won’t feel confident about your selected topic, plus it might not get approved on the basis of “the topic doesn’t fill the research gap”. 

While reviewing the existing literature, make sure to note down some relevant questions about the subject in your mind. If the literature under review fails to answer the question, that could be a potential gap. 

2. Critically Analyse the Potential Gaps

Once you find some potential literature gaps, you should not select them immediately. Instead, you should study them further. A literature gap in one source might have been covered by some other researcher. That means the gap might have already been filled. To make sure the gap still exists, analyse your identified research gaps. 

3. Discuss Gaps With Your Supervisor

Discussing the potential research gap with your current stage in the literature review is quite an underrated thing. Discussing the whole scenario with your supervisor can give you clarity of mind if you feel stuck on something. If you feel your selected topic perfectly matches the criteria, still getting it reviewed is of no harm. 

4. Attend Field Related Seminars

Seminars are sometimes of great value; people in your area of research attend them, and having discussions is the best way to learn about your topic better. Imagine getting the gap without reviewing tons of literature. Your most crucial step can be completed in a few hours of a seminar. 

Even if you don’t find a gap, you will still be able to find new ways to find new sources or have discussions with fellow researchers about their process of finding literature gaps.  

5. Engage With Practitioners 

Engaging with industry experts, practitioners, and stakeholders can help you find a topic with practical application. The best topic can have the potential to contribute to solving real-world problems or have some practical application. 

Summary

To conclude the guide, finding the research gaps is a very systematic process that requires special focus and practice. Properly identifying the literature gaps is necessary to craft a perfect problem statement and carry out the research process. There are four detailed steps involved in identifying the gaps: localisation, characterisation, verification, and presentation. 

Having the proper information about what research gaps are and what their types are can ease the identification process for you. To assist you in locating research gaps for your dissertation, we have compiled this detailed guide on “Research Gaps”, covering their definition, types, and steps to identify them for your thesis research project. Hopefully, this article will play an important role in helping you find gaps in research through a literature review.

Ready to elevate your essay game? Let our experts do the heavy lifting!

We have most qualified and experienced writers in our team who have years of experience in academic writing. Choose your preferred writer that matches with your subject area. You can also ask our customer support team to allocate the best writer from our team.

Help Me Secure A+ Get a Free Consultation Call