Starting off on a research journey often begins with a fundamental question – what should I study?
This question becomes especially haunting when researchers – even those who are employed by professional dissertation writing services, and especially those early in their careers, seek to find a unique and innovative research topic.
The key to a successful researcher lies in identifying a gap in the existing body of knowledge within your field – an unexplored area where your contributions can truly make a difference.
In today’s post, we will share some straightforward insights to help you spot these knowledge gaps and discover the perfect starting point for your research.
What is a Research Gap?
Let’s start by first clarifying the concept of a research gap. When you fish around in the papers or books related to your areas of interest, you may notice certain domains that offer substantial potential for further investigation yet remain untouched by previous researchers.
In simpler terms, these are ideas or aspects that have not been explored or examined by others. A research gap, often referred to as a literature gap, encompasses these unexplored or insufficiently explored territories within a field that hold promises for additional research.
Why Is It Important to Pick Out a Research Gap?
Imagine having invested your time, effort, and resources into conducting research, diligently compiling your findings, only to discover that another researcher has already published something strikingly similar.
Such a situation can be incredibly disheartening! Therefore, it becomes imperative to proactively identify those issues within your research domain that remain unexplored. This proactive approach not only ensures that your investments are channeled into the right projects but also substantially boosts the likelihood of your research findings finding a place in the world of published knowledge.
Challenges Faced While Identifying Research Gaps
Identifying research gaps and formulating original and innovative topics can prove to be a complex task, fraught with several challenges.
Here’s a compilation of potential obstacles you might encounter when trying to spot these gaps within your selected area of study:
§ Combatting Enormous Amount of Information
Managing a volume of information can be challenging, particularly when exploring a specific area of interest. It’s common to encounter numerous unanswered questions, leading to a sense of overwhelm and confusion about where to direct your research products.
§ Searching in an Organized Way
The process of systematically searching for relevant information can pose difficulties for some researchers. Without proper organization and note-taking, valuable ideas can slip through the cracks and be lost.
§ Questioning the Established Norms
Many researchers may lack the confidence to challenge established norms and question the existing body of knowledge within their field. This hesitation can deter them from critically examining and scrutinizing the claims made by others in their work.
Identifying the Gaps in Literature
You might be curious about how to generate innovative research questions with or without taking help from dissertation writing services. While there isn’t a fixed formula for uncovering gaps in current knowledge, your inquisitiveness, creativity, imagination, and discernment can all play pivotal roles in identifying them.
Here are six essential tips to identify research gaps for your future dissertations:
§ Seek Inspiration from Established Literature
When working on identifying the gaps in the literature, engage yourself in the pages of books and scholarly articles related to your chosen field of interest. Not only will this exercise deepen your comprehension of the extensive body of work within your discipline, but it will also open avenues for identifying research gaps.
As Professor Don Davis, a recognized economist at Columbia University, aptly advises, “Immerse yourself in the literature of your field, acknowledge the contributions made by previous researchers, but do not be intimidated by it. Challenge the status quo.”
During your reading journey, consider pondering over the following questions:
ü What relevance does this research hold for my own work or the broader domain of study?
ü How can this particular article assist me in formulating precise research inquiries?
ü Does the author’s argument demand further elucidation or refinement?
ü What unexplored aspects or queries has the author left unaddressed?
ü Is there an alternative perspective worth exploring?
ü What external factors might have impacted the reported findings?
ü Are the methodologies or techniques employed in the research outdated or no longer endorsed by contemporary standards? Could there be an opportunity to validate these findings using more current approaches?
While perusing research articles, pay particular attention to the Introduction section, where authors explain the significance of their research topic and elucidate the gaps they aim to fill through their study.
Additionally, take note of any directions or suggestions for future research proposed by the authors, as these can be a rich source of inspiration. Consider supplementing your reading with meta-analyses and review papers, which provide comprehensive insights into the historical developments and emerging trends within your field of interest.
This approach will familiarize you with the issues explored in previous research and shed light on the contemporary questions that pique your curiosity.
§ Consult Your Research Mentor
Engage in meaningful conversations with your research advisor to address challenges and navigate the complexity of your chosen field. Sharing your thoughts and exploring the collective wisdom of your academic mentor can serve as a wellspring of inspiration for your research endeavors.
Expressing your ideas and seeking their insights can aid in pinpointing your research focus and potentially uncovering any flaws in your methodology. When you stumble upon a compelling research question, don’t hesitate to initiate a dialogue with your advisor, as their valuable suggestions can provide crucial direction and refinement to your proposed study.
§ Leverage Digital Tools to Explore Current Trends
Utilize digital resources to stay abreast of prevailing topics and highly cited research papers within your domain. Websites such as Essential Science Indicator can provide insights into the most referenced papers, emerging subfields, influential authors, and the geographical distribution of research activity.
Additionally, platforms like Google Trends can shed light on popular queries relevant to your research area, facilitating the identification of unexplored niches in your field.
The Key Takeaways
Selecting a research project is a significant commitment, one that demands your genuine interest and passion. It’s crucial to ensure that the research idea you finalize aligns with the available time frame, as well as other essential factors like funding, equipment, and infrastructure.
Undertaking an overly ambitious project can be challenging due to limitations in time and resources, while research with insufficient impact may face rejection from funding committees or journal editorial boards.
Identifying exceptional and intriguing research problems may not follow a precise method, but you can use the suggestions in this article to guide your decision-making process.
Continuously explore and inquire until you discover that extraordinary research problem you’ve been searching for. I wish you the best of luck with your research endeavors!
