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Mulugeta Girma Advisee

Groups

Short note
1. Tittle
 Shall not include abbreviation
 Shall be original
 Shall be not greater than 20 words
 Shall be indicative and showing expected outcome
 Shall indicate the possible methodology used
2. Abstract
 Is your abstract show the gap of the study?
 Is your abstract show the general objective?
 Is your abstract indicate your research design, target population, sample frame and
sample size and method of analysis
 Is your abstract indicate expected outcome ( in the case of proposal) result and
conclusion in the case of full report
 Is the key words are the variables used in the study and used reputedly
 Is your total word ( in case of proposal 250-300) in the case of completed thesis (500-
750 words)
 Is your abstract written in one paragraph ?
 Is your abstract result and decision did not include statistical jargons and abbreviations
in general? (if so good) if there is shall be avoided )
3. Background/introduction checklist
A. Are you following deductive reasoning?
B. Have you reviewed findings done at the global level, regional, and national levels and
the context of the area of the study?
C. Have you reviewed 10-15 recent articles and used them as sources?
D. Is the total word between 750- 1500?
 E. Is the article consider most recent 2018-2023 and consider local findings too?
4. Statement of the problem
I. Have you reviewed well that shows the following gaps at the global, regional, and
national levels?
A. Evidence gap: -A startling exception creates an evidence gap when a new
research finding contradicts widely accepted conclusions. This gap is
caused by inconsistencies in previous research findings.
B. Data gap: - These are gaps in the data available on a particular subject. For
example, there may be a need for more research to collect data on a specific
population or to develop new measures to collect data on a particular
construct or gap on existing vs. expected or benchmarks.
C. Knowledge gap:- These are gaps in knowledge or understanding of a
subject, where more research is needed to fill the gaps. For example, there
may be a lack of understanding of the mechanisms behind a particular
disease or how a specific technology works.
D. Conceptual gap: - these are gaps in the conceptual framework or
theoretical understanding of a subject. For example, there may be a need for
more research to understand the relationship between two concepts or to
refine a theoretical framework.
E. Theoretical Gap:-The type of gap known as a theoretical gap is one that
deals with the gaps between theory and earlier research. For instance, A gap
conflict might exist if different theoretical models are being used to describe
the same fact or phenomena, much like a methodological gap conflict.
Scholars could evaluate which of those theories is more superior in terms of
the gap in the existing body of knowledge. When analyzing previous
research on a phenomenon or fact, theoretical gaps are frequently used.
F. Practical knowledge gap: These are gaps in the application of research
findings to practical situations. For example, there may be a need for more
research to understand how to implement evidence-based practices in real-
world settings or to identify barriers to implementing such practices. Or in
simple This kind of gap serves as an inspiration for new research in the field.
 When an expert behaves differently than what they propose, a practical-
knowledge (action-knowledge) conflict results. In this situation, the purpose
of the research might be to determine the scope of the conflict and its causes.
G. Methodological gap: - These are gaps in the methods used to study a
particular subject. For example, there may be a need for more research to
develop new research methods or to refine existing methods to address
specific research questions. Alternatively, a methodological gap is the kind
of gap that addresses the contradiction that arises because of the
methodology’s influence on study findings. This gap examines the issues
with the research methodologies used in the earlier studies and presents a
brand-new research direction that deviates from those research methods. It
is emphasized that it may be beneficial to use a variety of research methods,
particularly if particular study topics have been investigated using a single
or common method
H. Empirical gap:- The kind of gap that addresses gaps in previous research
is an empirical gap. This gap relates to study conclusions or claims that
need to be assessed or experimentally confirmed. For instance, concerns
that no study has clearly attempted to examine a subject or topic from an
empirical method are frequently addressed by the empirical gap.
I. Population: - A common gap discovered by researchers is a population gap.
There are always populations that are underserved and understudied. This
gap is the type of population-related research Population such as gender,
race and age that is either not well represented in the evidence base or is
under-researched
J. Industry :- area of the sector done early time
K. Geographical gaps :- place where the research conducted
Summery

research Gap Types Type of Research gap used

Evidence Gap Study results are incongruent and do not support conclusions in their own
right if seen from a more abstract perspective,
 Knowledge Gap The desired research results are not available.
Practical-Knowledge Professional behavior or procedures differ from research conclusions or
Conflict Gap are not investigated by research.
Empirical Gap Empirical testing of research conclusions or hypotheses is required.
Theoretical Gap To develop new insight, theory should be applied to specific research
problems. A gap exists because there is a lack of theory.
Methodological Gap It is vital to use a variety of research methods to produce new insights or
to prevent inconsistent results.
Population Gap Research pertaining to the population that is not sufficiently represented
or under-researched in the evidence base or earlier research
The above gaps also summarized in to four major gap group

I. The classic literature gap

II. The disagreement gap
III. The contextual gap, and
IV. The methodological gap

I. 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.
II. 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.
III. 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 going to 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 is 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.
IV. 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.

II. Have you reviewed 20-25 articles that show the gap well from the global to the
local level?
III. Have you used and properly cite all works?
IV. Is the total word between 1500- 2000 intervals?
V. Is all articles most updated (2018-2023)?
1. Research question
A. Is your research question has theoretical support
B. Is your research can be tested or replicable
C. Does it addressed the gap mentioned in the statement of the problem?
2. Research objective
A. Is the general objective rationalized in the statement of the problem
B. Is the specific objective and research question have one-to-one relation and revers
one into an action verb?

Research significant
 1. Have you included all stakeholders?
2. Have you written it in paragraph form?

Research scope

Is your study include the following scope and answer the following why it is restricted, with
justification (remember all question in defense raised taking your scope as a base, and all answer
for defense is included in this section it is also called the Iron Curtain of the study )

1. Variable scope ( dependent and independent variables and its main content from where it
adopted why and why not other if related issues found)
2. Theoretical scope (the foundation of the study in terms of model or vertical framework)
3. Literature scope ( main contents and review period of limitation for example 2016 -2023
only )
4. Population scope
5. Methodological scope (sample, method of analysis and why…
6. Measurement scope (number of items, from where it took and why?
7. Research period (time framework) and geographical scope and why ?

Literature review

1. Introduction

This shall include major contents available and sub-topics reviewed in the study. It shall not be
greater than 1 paragraph or 100 word

2. Definition of concept

At least two major definitions and all dependent and independent variable definitions (1000-2000
words)

3. Theories on the topic you study ( 3000-5000 words)

4. Compare and contrast by reviewing the literature in detail ( 1000 words)
5. The relationship between the independent and dependent variables (5000-10000 words)
6. Empirical literature review

Follow this one by adding one column next to the country that shows key finding
Review 20-40 articles and put all ascending order of year conducted shall include a description of
the whole issues in 5000 words at the top of the table and below the table

7. Local context research done ( review in 1500 word )

8. Conceptual framework development ( 1000 -2000 words)

Your literature review shall be 20,000 to 30,000 words

3. Methodology follows pdf guideline
1. Description of study area
2. Research philosophical stance
3. Research approach
4. Research design
5. Sources of data
6. Sampling ( population , sample frame , sample size )
7. Scale, measurement, and items used
 8. Model specification
9. Method of analysis
10. Reliably and validity
11. Ethical consideration

Practical example on how to write gaps of the

study
Steps to Write Research Gaps in your Research
Below are the steps, which would help you to identify research gaps in your study and the method
of writing research gaps in your research proposal, thesis or dissertation with the help of
examples.

1-Discuss some of the Previous Research

You must first mention some of the earlier research in the literature that does not address the specific
topic of the research before you can examine the gaps in the preceding literature. The contributions
should be related to the already identified contradictions, gaps, and issues.
There have been various aspects of _______ that have been studied in the past, including (1) (cite
two to three articles), (2) (cite two to three articles), and (3) (cite two to three articles).

2-Identify Important Gaps

The next step is for researchers to pinpoint any significant gaps, contradictions, or controversies in
the literature. This helps to demonstrate the need for more investigation into the subject matter.
This task may be completed in a timely manner.

However, in addition, this research (write your research topic) covers a number of unexplored
features that recently have drawn research interest in other disciplines (cite two to three relevant
articles)

In the perspective of ___________ , several of these unexplored________ seem significant and

worthy of investigation. An investigation of these issues is important
because ___________ . Additionally, the main subject of earlier empirical research has been
___________. On ___________ , very little research has been conducted.

3- Write Concluding Statement

The researcher must also clearly express the objectives of the manuscript that he is writing as well
as the contributions it makes to the body of knowledge. The statement that identifies gaps,
contradictions, and/or arguments in the literature should flow logically into this statement.

In the previous research and literature, the researcher found four significant gaps. First, the
researcher found what appeared to be a theoretical hole in earlier studies on _____. Several facets
of ______ have been covered in earlier study, including (1) _______ (cite two to three relevant
papers), (2) _______ (cite two to three relevant articles), and _____ (3) . (cite two to three relevant
articles).

Second, a population gap is evident after reviewing earlier research. A gap exists with _______ . In
the earlier studies, this population group has received insufficient attention. Additionally, _______
includes a number of unexplored dimensions that recently have drawn research interest from
different fields. (cite two to three relevant articles).
Third, the researcher found what appears to be a knowledge gap in the earlier research concerning
_________. Additionally, there are inconsistencies and contradictions in the results of earlier studi
es that did not deal with the topic of_____. In the perspective of____, several of these undiscovere
d _______ inconsistencies in the earlier studies seem significant and warrant inquiry. An
investigation of these problems is crucial because _______.

Finally, the researcher found an empirical gap in the earlier studies. The earlier literature is lacking
in thorough research. Prior study has mostly concentrated on________ . Very little research has
been conducted on_______ to adequately assess the issue. By addressing the gaps in _______, we
aim to offer a new investigation into management practices with the federal government in this
study. The study examines the effects of four factors: (1) ______ , _____ (2) ,____ (3), and
______ (4) .

Remember your Reference must be automatic

Remember I need questionnaire with proposal

Without including and following this guideline, do not send me any

proposal!