Understanding Research Novelty and Research Gaps – Exploring the unknown
In academic research, the concepts of research novelty and research gaps stand as two pivotal pillars dictating the success and significance of a study. Understanding these concepts is fundamental to encapsulate different facets of the research process, determining the originality and necessity of a study.
What Is Research Novelty
Novelty in research can be described as the uniqueness or originality of the idea. It brings freshness in scholarly endeavours by exploring topics, questions, and/or problems that have not been extensively investigated before. The relevance of novelty lies in introducing new ideas, concepts, methodologies or insights, which offer new perspectives to the existing body of knowledge. Demonstrating research novelty not only poses to be a gateway to publishing in prestigious journals but also helps in gaining recognition. Furthermore, it prevents redundancy, ensuring researchers don’t tread already explored paths.
6 Strategies to Find Research Novelty
Researchers seeking novelty often engage in innovative experiments, employ new approaches, propose unique hypotheses or delve into unexplored territories within their field of study. Ensuring research novelty can be challenging as bringing novelty requires objective evaluation of the presented ideas or findings when compared to existing knowledge.
Some strategies to find and ensure novelty in research are as follows:
1. Conducting an Extensive Literature Review
Analysing existing literature uncovers gaps in knowledge, guiding the formulation of new questions or hypotheses, thereby ensuring novelty.
2. Comparing with Previous Studies
Contrasting research findings with previous studies helps determine the originality and significance of the current research.
3. Staying Updated with the Latest Developments
Subscribing to reputable journals in the field helps researchers track and align with developments, maintaining novelty in their work.
4. Assessing Contribution to the Field
Evaluating how much the research contributes to advancing knowledge is a key indicator of its novelty and value.
5. Considering Alternative Methodologies
Introducing novelty can involve exploring new methodologies or tweaking research questions to offer fresh perspectives.
6. Seeking Peer Support
Engaging with mentors, peers and scholarly groups to receive feedback and guidance on introducing novelty into research efforts.
What Are Research Gaps
Research gaps denote identifying gaps or deficiencies within the current literature that necessitate further exploration. These gaps serve acts as the rationale or motivation for a study, thus highlighting its necessity.
How to Identify Research Gaps
Identifying research gaps primarily occurs during the literature review process. Researchers meticulously analyse existing works to determine what aspects remain unexplored or demand further investigation.
Here are some tips to identify research gaps.
1. Review Existing Studies
Thoroughly understand the contributions of previous studies and create a list of your unresolved questions. If your questions remain unanswered in the existing literature, it may indicate a potential research gap.
2. Explore Suggestions for Future Research
Analyse the conclusion or "suggestions for future research" sections of existing studies to identify areas where further research is needed.
3. Trace Seminal Works
Identify influential studies cited repeatedly in the literature to uncover related research.
4. Utilise Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Comprehensive papers like meta-analyses, literature reviews, and systematic reviews offer an overview of existing research, trends, and changes over time in a field.
By using these techniques, researchers can identify areas where further studies are necessary.
Difference Between Research Gap and Research Novelty
While research novelty focuses on introducing unique elements, research gaps identify the areas that demand attention due to their inadequacy in current literature. Here are some differences between research novelty and research gaps.
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Research Novelty |
Research Gaps |
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Focuses on originality and introducing fresh perspectives |
Focuses unanswered questions within the existing body of knowledge |
|
Aims to explore new ideas/ methodologies |
Aims to identify areas needing further investigation |
|
Offers fresh perspectives, builds on existing work and pushes the boundaries of knowledge |
Offer rationale for a new research study, justifying its significance and relevance |
|
Critical for publication in reputable journals and avoiding repetition of existing work |
Essential to justify the need for a new study, indicating the necessity to fill gaps in knowledge |
|
Involves conducting innovative experiments and proposing unique hypotheses |
Highlights areas lacking comprehensive coverage or unaddressed research inquiries |
|
Focuses on the difference between existing research and the new research's originality. |
Focuses on the deficiency or inadequacy in current literature, indicating the need for additional research |
|
Emphasise the creation of something new or different from what already exists, bringing originality to the academic domain |
Establishes the necessity for further study and contributes to the progression of the field by filling existing knowledge gaps |
|
Example: Introducing a new method for cancer diagnosis that has not been explored before |
Example: Identifying a lack of research on the a gene expression in certain type of cancer |
Understanding research novelty and research gaps are indispensable for any researcher striving to make a meaningful contribution to their field. They drive the development and progression of knowledge.
