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The Research Gap (Literature Gap)

Everything you need to know to find a quality research gap

By: Ethar Al-Saraf (PhD) | Expert Reviewed By: Eunice Rautenbach (DTech) | November 2022

If you’re just starting out in research, chances are you’ve heard about the elusive research gap (also called a literature gap). In this post, we’ll explore the tricky topic of research gaps. We’ll 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.

Overview: Research Gap 101

• What is a research gap
• Four common types of research gaps
• Practical examples
• How to find research gaps
• Recap & key takeaways

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’s 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’s say your research aims to identify the cause (or causes) of a particular disease. Upon reviewing the literature, you may find that there’s a body of research that points toward 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.

Now that we’ve defined what a research gap is – an unanswered question or unresolved problem – let’s look at a few different types of research gaps.

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:

• The classic literature gap
• The disagreement gap
• The contextual gap, and
• The methodological gap

Need a helping hand?

1. The Classic Literature Gap

First up is the classic literature gap. This type of research gap emerges when there’s a new concept or phenomenon that hasn’t been studied much, or at all. For example, when a social media platform is launched, there’s 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, etc.

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’ll be exploring completely new territory . This means you’ll have to draw on adjacent literature (that is, research in adjacent fields) to build your literature review, as there naturally won’t 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.

2. 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 95% of studies find one result and 5% find the opposite result wouldn’t quite constitute a disagreement in the literature. Of course, it’s hard to quantify exactly how much weight to give to each study, but you’ll need to at least show that the opposing findings aren’t simply a corner-case anomaly .

3. The Contextual Gap

The third type of research gap is the contextual gap. Simply put, a contextual gap exists when there’s 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’re gonna go this route, you need to ensure that there’s a plausible reason why you’d expect potential differences in the specific context you choose. If there’s no reason to expect different results between existing and new contexts, the research gap wouldn’t 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.

4. The Methodological Gap

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’d argue that the methodology of existing studies is lacking in some way , or that they’re 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 constructs or variables have evolved over time.

Practical Examples

Let’s take a look at some practical examples so that you can see how research gaps are typically expressed in written form. Keep in mind that these are just examples – not actual current gaps (we’ll show you how to find these a little later!).

Context: Healthcare

Despite extensive research on diabetes management, there’s a research gap in terms of understanding the effectiveness of digital health interventions in rural populations (compared to urban ones) within Eastern Europe.

Context: Environmental Science

While a wealth of research exists regarding plastic pollution in oceans, there is significantly less understanding of microplastic accumulation in freshwater ecosystems like rivers and lakes, particularly within Southern Africa.

Context: Education

While empirical research surrounding online learning has grown over the past five years, there remains a lack of comprehensive studies regarding the effectiveness of online learning for students with special educational needs.

As you can see in each of these examples, the author begins by clearly acknowledging the existing research and then proceeds to explain where the current area of lack (i.e., the research gap) exists.

How To Find A Research Gap

Now that you’ve got a clearer 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 in a separate post . But, for now, I’ll 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’s 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 goldmine for this sort of thing. Importantly, make sure that you’re 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’ve 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’ll 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 shortlist of ideas and evaluating them as candidate topics . But remember, make sure you’re looking at recent articles – there’s no use going down a rabbit hole only to find that someone’s already filled the gap 🙂

Let’s Recap

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this post. Here are the key takeaways:

• A research gap is an unanswered question or unresolved problem in a field, which reflects a lack of existing research in that space.
• The four most common types of research gaps are the classic literature gap, the disagreement gap, the contextual gap and the methodological gap. 
• To find potential research gaps, start by reviewing recent journal articles in your area of interest, paying particular attention to the FRIN section .

If you’re keen to learn more about research gaps and research topic ideation in general, be sure to check out the rest of the Grad Coach Blog . Alternatively, if you’re looking for 1-on-1 support with your dissertation, thesis or research project, be sure to check out our private coaching service .

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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33 Comments

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VERY HELPFUL

We’re very grateful for your guidance, indeed we have been learning a lot from you , so thank you abundantly once again.

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Research gap about career choice given me Example bro?

I found this information so relevant as I am embarking on a Masters Degree. Thank you for this eye opener. It make me feel I can work diligently and smart on my research proposal.

This is very helpful to beginners of research. You have good teaching strategy that use favorable language that limit everyone from being bored. Kudos!!!!!

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From research discovery to gap finding

ResGap is an application that helps you identify research gaps quickly and easily, specifically it:

• Provides a quick and comprehensive overview of your research topic.
• Finds the most cited publications, authors, journals and refereed outlets in your research area.
• Visualises how topics in your area have evolved over time, showing topics that have increased or decreased in appearance.
• Identifies research gaps by comparing different sets of literature (i.e. academic vs practitioner publications).

ResGap showcases research where the application was used:

ResGap showcases research conducted in a variety of research areas with diverse collaborators across the globe. This research applies the ResGap tool and associated methodologies, e.g. entity-linking, machine learning, text mining, natural language processing, etc.

Browse examples below:

• environmental accounting
• interdisciplinary research maps
• digital disruption and digital transformation
• trending topics in the top Information System journals from 1996 to 2017

Follow the ResGap blog for current updates.

Researchers

Whether you are a senior researcher or are just embarking on an academic career, ResGap can speed up your data analysis for literature reviews.

ResGap can help you to identify, for example:

• which are the most important topics within an area of study
• how research trends evolve over time
• which topics are being explored extensively, and which are possibly being overlooked
• which are the “hot” topics for top journals

Institutions

ResGap helps organisations determine where new research should be focused. The tool helps identify gaps and helps build a case for the development or expansion of research centres or departments.

Curricula are continuously evolving and must reflect the most up to date research. ResGap can highlight trends in the relevant literature, helping to identify learning objectives which may be overlooked or inadequately covered in course materials. As a ResGap user, you will have access to a bank of data covering 6,000+ published articles (from 1999 to 2017), enabling you to track the progression & popularity of published topics, which should inform curriculum development.

Empower your academic work and research with an automated, intelligent and efficient assistant which can help you identify relevant research gaps.

With ResGap you can simply, efficiently and reliably identify research trends, finding which topics in your area of interest are salient, emergent or waning. Efficiently comparing literature at scale while drawing reliable conclusions which assist you in your academic research, ResGap can help you uncover unmet research needs and more.

Our portal shows research trends of topics appearing in Information Systems journals (basket of 8). ResGap consolidates and groups data on over 6,000 actual publications (from 1996 until 2017). This data is then be used to generate a range of accessible graphics and models, allowing you to track the most important topics within your area of study over time.

Once signed into ResGap, you will also have access to a literature-comparison tool which was developed to identify gaps in different sets of literature and offers a wide variety of applications and features.

Dr. Mauricio Marrone – Founder

An Associate Professor at Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia) with interests in Information Systems, Research Methods, Innovation Diffusion and Text Analytics, Mauricio originally developed ResGap as a means to identify gaps in the research in his field. It soon became apparent that the portal had broader applications.

Tim Chard – Developer

Assoc. prof. mark dras – advisor, yvonne black – outreach manager.

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Study Shows Older Black Ohioans Face Retirement Gap

By rita beamish , june 01, 2024 12:00 am.

New research by AARP Ohio and Case Western Reserve University shows startling gaps between the financial well-being of Ohio’s older Black residents and their white counterparts, likely due to inequities entrenched over generations. The study on racial and economic disparities will be released this summer. It’s part of a broader effort by AARP Ohio to reduce inequities across the state and help people become more financially resilient, says Nicole Ware, the group’s associate state director for advocacy and community engagement. Among the study’s key findings:

• Black residents 50-plus were nearly twice as likely as their white peers to say they were not prepared for retirement.
• Older Black Ohioans were three times more likely to say they were “finding it difficult to get by.”
• Fifteen percent of older Black Ohioans had expenses or emergencies in the previous 12 months that led them to tap their retirement savings, compared with 4.5 percent of older white residents.

The gap in retirement preparedness was among the most striking findings in the AARP Ohio study, says Francisca García-Cobián Richter, a Case Western research associate professor of applied social sciences, who led the research. That gap was also apparent in small group discussions the researchers conducted to supplement the data analysis. “I’m working two jobs as a person that is way past the retirement age,” one woman told the researchers. Nationally, Black families in the U.S. have only about 15 percent of the median wealth of white families, data shows, and the wealth gap widens with age. Across the U.S., Black workers ages 51 to 64 are less likely to have a retirement account than their white counterparts, according to a 2023 report from the Government Accountability Office. The median balance for those who do have one is far lower than that of older white adults.

For the report, the Case Western researchers analyzed the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey and 2018–2022 data from the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking. The researchers collaborated with the Urban League, a nonpartisan civil rights group, on the group discussions. Sixteen African Americans, all over 50, participated in those sessions, which were held in September 2023. From income levels to housing stability to employment, “the gaps we continue to see are really large,” Richter says. She and other researchers say the findings were tied to decades of discriminatory policies, such as racially restrictive covenants and real estate redlining, as well as historic discrimination in education and employment and by financial institutions. The AARP report comes as Ohio’s population grows older and more diverse. The share of Ohioans age 50-plus grew from 29 percent in 2002 to nearly 38 percent in 2022. Changing the status quo? AARP Ohio initiated its study to help shape its legislative advocacy and inform its work to address long-standing racial and age disparities, Ware says. By spotlighting the racial financial gulf, AARP hopes the new research will be a catalyst to move conversations toward solutions, she says. The report outlines a range of policy proposals aimed at reducing inequality, from creating a state-facilitated retirement savings program to making housing more affordable. When it comes to housing, the study found that among Ohioans age 50 and over, about half of Black households own a home, compared with 8 in 10 white households. And close to a fourth of Black households pay rent amounting to more than 30 percent of their income—a standard measure of affordable housing—compared to 8.5 percent of their white peers. Richter says closing the gaps between white and Black Ohioans will benefit the state as a whole by unlocking more human capital. She pointed to comments from a church pastor during one of the group discussions: “Being poor is expensive.” People can’t afford to retire, and they have a sense of hopelessness, the pastor added. Learn more about the study at aarp.org/oh . Rita Beamish, based in California, is a former Associated Press reporter and San Francisco Chronicle editor. She has written for the Bulletin for 15 years.

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Gap, Abercrombie Results to Show if Mall Shoppers Are Splurging

Shoppers looking for early Black Friday sales checkout at a Gap Store in Times Square on the Thanksgiving holiday in New York City, U.S., November 24, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

By Savyata Mishra and Juveria Tabassum

(Reuters) - Results from U.S. mall-based apparel chains this week will give a clearer picture of whether Americans are splurging on clothes and accessories heading into summer following mixed results from big retailers Walmart and Target.

Abercrombie and American Eagle are set to see revenue rise for at least their fifth straight quarter, while Gap is expected to post a marginal growth in comparable sales after five quarters of declines, betting on in-season merchandise to drive demand at full price.

"We are seeing green shoots in traditional apparel driven by fashion newness, like wide-leg bottoms. While category growth remains tepid, we are seeing a wider gap between share gainers and losers," said Mari Shor, a senior equity analyst at Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

While a focus on fresh styles is expected to pull customers to these brands this summer, cleaner inventories have also helped companies offer fewer goods at discounts, boosting margins.

The expectation of strong demand for apparel companies comes as shoppers hesitate to splurge on big-ticket discretionary items like electronics and home furnishing.

Earlier in the month, Walmart reported a blowout quarter and raised its annual forecast on the back of demand for groceries as well as non-essential goods.

Walmart leads the total apparel retail market in the U.S. in terms of market share, according to data from research firm GlobalData, followed closely by Target.

Off-price retailers including TJX Cos and Ross Stores, which also delivered strong quarterly results, together hold 5% share of the U.S. apparel retail market. Gap's Old Navy brand held 1.3%.

Walmart's CEO John Furner said on a post-earnings call that apparel and online fashion categories stood out in the quarter.

Meanwhile, Target gave a dismal quarterly performance with only apparel being one of the few bright spots for the company.

"This gives us some optimism that we could see a better balance of spending between discretionary and frequency categories in the years ahead," Target CEO Brian Cornell said on an earnings call last week.

U.S. data also pointed to Americans feeling better about stretching their budgets as a strong labor market helps them navigate sticky inflation, propping up retail sales over the last few months.

"Consumers have become a lot more picky about what they buy and so are shopping around more, which is leading to a patchwork of winners and losers," said Neil Saunders, managing director of research firm GlobalData.

Abercrombie, whose shares have risen nearly 70% this year, is set to report first-quarter results on Wednesday before the market opens and American Eagle after the market closes. Gap is set to post its quarterly results on Thursday.

(Reporting by Savyata Mishra and Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru; Writing by Aishwarya Venugopal; Editing by Anil D'Silva)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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Gap Surges as Apparel Maker's Turnaround Strategy Pays Off

Gap Surges as Apparel Maker's Turnaround Strategy Pays Off

FILE PHOTO: Shoppers looking for early Black Friday sales checkout at a Gap Store in Times Square on the Thanksgiving holiday in New York City, U.S., November 24, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

By Granth Vanaik

(Reuters) -Shares of Gap soared about 28% on Friday after the apparel retailer lifted its full-year sales target, indicating that its effort to revitalize the business by bringing in newer styles is starting to bear fruit.

The stock is on track to its biggest one-day percentage gain since November and has risen over 37% this year, including Friday's gains. This follows a growth of over 85% in 2023.

Gap's upgraded outlook gives Wall Street fresh proof that CEO Richard Dickson's turnaround strategy - to introduce trendier styles across its brands and ramp up marketing efforts to attract picky shoppers - is paying off less than a year after he joined the struggling mall retailer from Mattel.

"(Dickson's) personnel, product, and operating changes have already re-invigorated a company that had been floundering for years," said Morningstar analyst David Swartz.

The Banana Republic owner now sees annual sales slightly up from last year, compared with prior expectations of roughly flat sales.

Gap's eponymous brand posted 3% comparable sales growth in the first quarter, while the Old Navy and Athleta banners posted 3% and 5% increases, respectively.

"While it is still early days for Gap’s turnaround plan, the Gap brand feels fresh again. It is on-trend and gaining cultural cache," said Emarketer analyst Zak Stambor.

The average rating of 20 analysts on Gap's stock is "hold", with a median price target of $23, according to LSEG data. As many as 10 brokerages lifted their price targets on Friday. The stock was last trading at $28.65.

Gap's median price-to-earnings multiple (P/E) for the next 12 months, a common benchmark for valuing stocks, is about 15, below its two-year average of 17, according to LSEG. That compares to an industry median PE of about 13.

Retailers including Walmart, Target and Gap's peer Abercrombie & Fitch have indicated in their recent results that apparel demand has begun to pick up after a slowdown last year.

Gap has gained share in a competitive market where the consumer remains extremely choosy, said Mari Shor, an equity analyst at Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

(Reporting by Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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• News for Gap

Gap’s Unsustainable Performance Justifies Sell Rating Amidst Rising Costs and Market Challenges

Lorraine Hutchinson , an analyst from Bank of America Securities, reiterated the Sell rating on Gap ( GPS – Research Report ). The associated price target was raised to $18.50.

Lorraine Hutchinson has given his Sell rating due to a combination of factors that cast doubt on the sustainability of Gap’s recent performance. Despite Gap’s first-quarter earnings surpassing expectations, Hutchinson is concerned about the company’s ability to maintain its sales growth, which is critical for margin expansion in the second half of the year. This concern is exacerbated as Old Navy, a significant contributor to Gap’s success, faces tougher year-over-year comparisons. Moreover, while the increase in gross margin is a positive development, it is accompanied by raised guidance for selling, general, and administrative expenses (SG&A), which may offset the benefits of margin expansion. The Sell rating also reflects the anticipation of a more challenging second half of the year for Gap, with the fourth quarter poised to experience a substantial impact on sales due to the previous year’s extra week and associated timing shifts. Hutchinson suggests that after a period of stringent inventory management leading to current high gross margins, there is limited scope for further improvement. This plateau, combined with increased SG&A costs and the market challenges foreseen for Old Navy, underpins Hutchinson’s view that Gap’s stock valuation might not hold up, justifying the underperform rating and the price objective set below the current market price.

In another report released on May 28, UBS also reiterated a Sell rating on the stock with a $9.00 price target.

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Gap (GPS) Company Description:

Gap, Inc. operates as a global apparel retail company. It offers apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women and children. The company operates through segments: Gap Global, Old Navy Global, Banana Republic Global, Athleta, and Intermix. The Gap Global segment includes apparel and accessories for men and women under the Gap brand, along with the GapKids, BabyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody and GapFit collections. The Old Navy Global segment offers clothing and accessories for adults and children. The Banana Republic Global segment provides clothing, eyewear, jewelry, shoes, handbags and fragrances. The Athleta segment offers fitness apparel for women. The Intermix segment features styles from various designers. Gap was founded by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher in July 1969 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

Read More on GPS:

• Gap Earnings: GPS Stock Jumped on Q1 Beat, Solid Outlook
• Gap Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results, Raises Full Year Guidance
• Gap call volume above normal and directionally bullish
• Gap Inc (GPS) Q1 Earnings Cheat Sheet
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