21 What does Lena say a literature gap mainly involves?
A A topic that has never been researched
B Weaknesses or unanswered issues in existing research
C A shortage of published journal articles
22 What example of a research gap does Lena give about urban transport studies?
A Lack of funding for research
B Contradictory statistical results
C Ignoring environmental effects
23 What is meant by a methodological gap?
A Studies conducted in different countries
B Limitations in research methods used
C Errors in data collection
24 Why does Lena say having many studies on a topic is useful?
A It reduces the amount of reading required
B It helps identify patterns and missing areas
C It guarantees reliable conclusions
25 What does the tutor say about the number of sources?
A Students must use at least thirty sources
B Students should summarise as many studies as possible
C Quality of analysis is more important than quantity
Questions 26–28
What type of literature gap does each example describe? Choose the correct letter, A–D.
Types of gap
A Methodological gap
B Geographical gap
C Temporal gap
D Theoretical gap
26 Studies focus on short-term results rather than long-term outcomes 26 ……………………
27 Research relies mainly on one theory while ignoring others 27 ……………………
28 Most studies use surveys but few use interviews 28 ……………………
Questions 29–30
Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
29 Students must explain why the literature gap is 29 …………………… .
30 Lena uses 30 …………………… software to organise her research articles.
Keys
21 B
22 C
23 B
24 B
25 C
26 C
27 D
28 A
29 significant
30 reference management
Transcripts
Part 3: You will hear two students discussing how to identify gaps in research and how to present a literature map.
LENA: Hi Tom, have you started the research assignment about mapping literature gaps? We only have a few weeks left before the final deadline, and Professor Smith is quite strict.
TOM: Yes, I have done quite a bit of reading, but I am really struggling with it. I am completely unsure how to spot a genuine gap in the literature.
LENA: Well, many students misunderstand the concept. It is definitely not just a topic that has never been researched. That is almost impossible to find these days. And it doesn’t mean there is a shortage of published journal articles either. Actually, it is about finding weaknesses or unanswered issues in existing research.
TOM: Oh, I see. So a gap can exist even if there are hundreds of studies on a specific topic?
LENA: Exactly. Take urban transport studies, for example. There is a massive amount of literature available. It’s not that they suffer from a lack of funding for research, nor do they usually show contradictory statistical results. The real gap is that they often ignore environmental effects completely, focusing only on economic efficiency.
TOM: That makes sense. The tutor also mentioned methodological gaps during the last lecture. What does that involve exactly?
LENA: Well, it doesn’t refer to studies conducted in different countries. That would be a geographical gap. And it isn’t about careless errors in data collection by the researchers. Rather, it highlights limitations in the research methods used by the authors, such as relying too heavily on outdated questionnaires.
TOM: I want to focus my project on online learning in higher education, but there are absolutely loads of papers already published since the pandemic.
LENA: That shouldn’t discourage you. Having many studies doesn’t guarantee reliable conclusions, and it certainly doesn’t reduce the amount of reading required for the assignment. But it is incredibly useful because it helps identify patterns and missing areas across the broader literature.
TOM: I am also worried about the bibliography. How many sources do we actually need? Must we use at least thirty sources to get a good grade?
LENA: No, there isn’t a strict upper limit or a minimum number like that. And you shouldn’t just summarise as many studies as possible either, which is a common mistake. The tutor stressed that quality of analysis is more important than quantity. Ten deeply analysed papers are better than thirty superficial ones.
TOM: Okay, that is a relief. Let’s try to categorise the types of gaps to make it clearer for my notes. What about when studies focus solely on short-term results over a few weeks, rather than looking at long-term outcomes over several years?
LENA: Ah, when the time frame or duration is the main issue in the research design, that is known as a temporal gap.
TOM: Got it. And what if the research relies mainly on one dominant theory while completely ignoring other valid perspectives?
LENA: In that case, because the conceptual framework used by the researchers is too narrow to explain the whole picture, we classify it as a theoretical gap.
TOM: I see. Another common issue I’ve noticed in my reading is when most studies use broad online surveys, but very few use in-depth personal interviews.
LENA: Yes, because that relates directly to how the primary data was gathered from the participants, it represents a methodological gap. You could easily base your project on that.
TOM: Good idea. We also have to write a justification section at the end of the report, right?
LENA: Exactly. It is not enough to just point out what information is missing. The university guidelines state clearly that students must explain why the literature gap is significant to the wider academic field. You have to prove that filling this gap actually matters.
TOM: How are you organising all your reading material? I have just been taking notes manually in a notebook, and it is getting incredibly messy.
LENA: You really should digitise your workflow to save time. Personally, I use reference management software to organise my research articles, format my citations, and track recurring ideas efficiently.
TOM: Thanks, Lena. That is really helpful advice. Let us compare our literature maps next week over a coffee.
