As you conduct any type of academic research, finding a research gap will become central to your endeavour. Journal editors will remind you of the importance of having a relevant research gap. If you’re writing your dissertation, your supervisor will push you to identify a research gap to define your research objectives and questions. Through a review of the literature, a researcher will be able to identify existing research gaps. This post discusses the different types of research gaps with some examples applied to management and marketing.
1. Evidence/Contextual Gap (Contradictory Evidence Gap)
An evidence or contextual gap occurs when study results allow for conclusions in their own right but are contradictory when examined from a more abstract point of view. This highlights the inherent complexity of research. Evidence gaps are quite common, particularly since studies focus on specific contexts or methodologies. These gaps lead to findings that, while valid in their own right, appear to contradict each other when viewed holistically.
Example: Imagine studies on the effectiveness of a new marketing approach to run campaigns on social media. One study might show significant improvement in consumer engagement, while another shows no impact on performance metrics. This contradiction highlights an evidence gap, requiring further investigation to understand the contextual factors influencing the outcomes.
Contextual gaps must be the easiest to find, however, they also tend to be the weakest types of gaps. If you’re aiming to publish in top-tier journals or are looking for higher marks in your dissertation project, having a contextual gap is normally not enough.
2. Knowledge Gap (Knowledge Void Gap)
A knowledge gap refers to a desired research finding that does not exist. It represents a complete lack of information or understanding in a particular area. These gaps often emerge when new phenomena are observed or when existing theories prove insufficient to explain certain observations.
Example: The emergence of a completely new technology that is disruptive in nature will likely present a significant knowledge gap. Researchers must embark on exploratory studies to gather fundamental information about how this technology is being used by consumers and the potential that it can have among marketers. Knowledge gaps will initially start with conceptualisations of what the technology could do, and exploratory work to try to determine if there is any evidence that supports those conceptualisations.
3. Practical-Knowledge Gap (Action-Knowledge Conflict Gap): Bridging Theory and Practice
This gap arises when professional behaviour or practices deviate from research findings or are not covered by research. It highlights the disconnect between theoretical knowledge and its practical application. Often, research findings are not readily translated into actionable strategies or are ignored by practitioners.
Example: Research might demonstrate the effectiveness of a particular intervention in improving sales conversion online. However, if marketing professionals are not trained in implementing this intervention or if the intervention is not accessible to most marketers, a practical-knowledge gap exists.
4. Methodological Gap (Method and Research Design Gap)
Using a range of research methods to generate new insights or to avoid distorted findings is a common practice in academic research. After all, when looking at a particular phenomenon, triangulation and validation of findings are needed. This highlights the importance of methodological rigor and innovation in research. Existing methods might be inadequate for addressing complex research questions or might introduce biases that distort the findings.
Example: Traditional survey methods might fail to capture the granularity of sensitive topics like how students are using ChatGPT to help or do their assignments. Researchers might need to explore alternative methods, like qualitative interviews or participatory research, to gain a deeper understanding of the value and different use cases for this new technology.
5. Empirical Gap (Evaluation Void Gap)
An empirical gap arises when research findings or propositions need to be evaluated or empirically verified. This type of gap highlights the importance of testing theoretical claims with real-world data. Without empirical evidence, research findings remain speculative.
Example: A new marketing predictive model might predict certain consumer behaviours. However, without empirical testing using historical data or experimental studies, the model’s validity remains uncertain.
6. Theoretical Gap (Theory Application Void Gap)
This gap occurs when theory should be applied or extended to certain research issues to generate new insights. This is, in my opinion, the most important research gap for top academic journals and academic work like dissertations. If you manage to identify and frame your research around a strong theoretical gap, the likelihood of getting accepted in a top marketing journal or achieving top grades in your dissertation will increase.
Example: A theory might explain consumer behaviour over time (e.g. the theory of planned behaviour or the EKB model is often used to explain the process or stages consumers go through when making decisions). However, what happens when consumer behaviour stops being explained by the factors mentioned in the theory? Could adding an additional factor to the theory (i.e. extending the theory) help with its predictive powers? Or is there an angle in the theory that has been unexplored over time, either because researchers in the past did not have the methods or access to the data, and now it’s possible to access, therefore providing more evidence on the understudied factors mentioned in the theory?
Mind the gap
In my experience of supervising hundreds of students, initial research questions might stem from curiosity or general interest in a particular topic. But this does not mean that there is a gap there. Once you have defined the topic/area you are interested in, conducting a literature review will be essential to refine your quest to one of the research gaps discussed in this post. Oftentimes, the initial question that you had in mind might have already been researched substantially, and that’s when a shift to push the boundaries of what we know will lead to a more focused and refined set of research questions.