Graduate Education Research Guide

Is a Gap Worth Researching?

 It is important to keep in mind that just because you identify a gap in the research, it doesn't necessarily mean that your research question is worthy of exploration. You will want to ensure that your research will have valuable practical and/or theoretical implications. In other words, does answering the research question improve existing practice and/or inform professional decision-making, or could it revise, build upon, or create theoretical frameworks informing research design and practice?

Finding Gaps

Gaps can be missing or incomplete:

• Population or sample: size, type, location etc…
• Research methods: qualitative, quantitative, or mixed
• Data collection or analysis
• Research variables or conditions

Conduct a thorough literature search to find a broad range of research articles on your topic. Search research databases; you can find recommended databases for your subject area in research guides by subject for your course or program.

Identifying Gaps

Conducting an exhaustive literature review is your first step. As you search for journal articles, you will need to read critically across the breadth of the literature to identify these gaps. You goal should be to find a ‘space’ or opening for contributing new research. The first step is gathering a broad range of research articles on your topic. You may want to look for research that approaches the topic from a variety of methods – qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods.

 If you do not find articles in your literature search, this may indicate a gap. If you do find articles, the goal is to find a gap for contributing new research. Author's signal that there is a gap within an article by using phrases such as:

• Has not been clarified, studied, reported, or elucidated
• Further research is required or needed
• Is not well reported
• Suggestions for further research
• Key question is or remains
• It is important to address
• Poorly understood or known
• Lack of studies