Research Gap
After choosing the research problem area, we need to identify the research gap.
Research all builds on existing academical knowledge and common sense.
two of the main approaches to identify a research gap,
two of the main approaches to do that are ;
1. Deductive Approach
The concept of the Deductive Approach is to start from General to specific.
You start from a well established (theories, studies ) to draw a specific conclusion in the form of hypotheses.
The purpose of the research is to test the theory and develop almost certain conclusions.
The deductive Approach is a cumulative type of research; that has already a reasonably discrete body of research that has grown around a particular approach,
it tends to tests very specific problemes generated by existing theories, in the form of implied hypotheses, against data.
1. inductive Approach
it is the opposite. In the inductive Approach, we start from specific to general.
you can start on an issue, or a problem that you do not think has been sufficiently addressed by the existing literature. Exploring the best way to treat a particular problem.
To make the idea simple and straightforward, we take an abstract example ;
Chickens lay eggs
Ducks lay eggs
Parrots lay eggs
Chickens, ducks, emus and parrots are birds.
Birds Lay eggs
strategies that can follow in this Approach is to
- Identify a Body of work (General) that addresses a particular problem or has developed a specific theoretical approach. Look for what missing, or problemes not addressed yet.
- (as an approach develops, it tends to generate more questions than answers ) read the Discussion section in any journal articles, and read author suggestions of how to take the research forward.
As an example of that, is what Darwin suggest about such unique orchids, while he is research insect pollination of orchids.
Charles Darwin received a package of orchids from the distinguished horticulturist James Bateman, from Madagascar.
The "astonishing length" of the whip-like with a nectary a foot long.
From his observations and experiments, Darwin surmised in his 1862 book Fertilization of Orchids that there must be a pollinator moth with a proboscis long enough to reach the nectar at the end of the spur.
In 1867 Alfred Russel Wallace published an article in which he supported Darwin's hypothesis, remarking that the African sphinx moth "That such a moth exists in Madagascar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthopan
- For empirical studies, consider re-test the theory by changing the factors around the study. The best example that comes to my mind is the experiment of Michael Stevens from the Vsauce channel; he re-test the theory of the famous Stanford Prison Experiment.
- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KND_bBDE8RQ&t=180s ).
1. inductive Approach
it is the opposite, to start from specific to general. Start on an issue or a problem that you do not think has been sufficiently addressed by the existing literature. Exploring the best way to treat a particular problem.
research starts from questions of
-what we already know
-what we do not yet know (current problem ), then exploring the best way to treat this particular problem.
If you can already see the answer to your problem without doing any actual empirical work, then what you are doing is not really research (it is merely confirming your initial opinion).



