Justifying Your Gap
27 Feb 2026 · 0 min
0:28
A research gap is real when multiple independent studies all point to the same need for further work. Your dissertation committee will expect you to justify it explicitly, not just assume it's obvious.
A research gap is real when multiple independent studies all point to the same need for further work. Your dissertation committee will expect you to justify it explicitly, not just assume it's obvious.
And if you find that seven people have said not one article of seven authors, but seven different studies have said certain things need to be done, that's most likely a gap, and there's justification for doing it. And that's another important thing about a gap. Your committee is going to want to see that there's justification for doing this. If you're struggling with finding a gap or just having difficulties in fine tuning it, join our free dissertation Help community. I'll see you there.
