Summary of "How to find a research gap? AI tools that can help!"

Summary of “How to find a research gap? AI tools that can help!”

This video, presented by Einor, a PhD student at Imperial College London, offers a clear, structured approach to identifying a research gap—a critical first step in many PhD studies. The process is acknowledged as time-consuming and challenging, often taking up to a year, but Einor provides a practical three-step methodology enhanced by AI tools available in 2024 to streamline the task.

Main Ideas and Concepts

Research Gap Importance: Finding a research gap is essential for starting a PhD or academic research project but is often a tedious and lengthy process.
Three-step Methodology: Einor outlines a clear three-step process to identify research gaps efficiently.
Use of AI Tools: Modern AI-powered tools can significantly assist in literature review and research gap identification.
Persistence and Routine: The process requires patience, good note-taking, and consistent effort over time.

Detailed Methodology to Find a Research Gap

Step 1: Identify Core Papers

Find 3 to 4 core papers that are:
- Well-cited and well-known in your research field.
- Cover fundamental concepts and provide a solid foundation.
How to find core papers:
- List keywords related to your research topic.
- Use search tools like Google Scholar or ps.org to find articles.
- Check titles and abstracts for relevance.
- Adjust keywords iteratively as you learn more about terminology in the field.
- Prioritize papers with high citation counts.
While reading:

Look for author suggestions on future research (often found at the end of papers). Take detailed notes of these suggestions and any potential gaps.

Step 2: Expand Research Using Literature Mapping Tools

Use AI-powered tools to explore papers related to your core papers.
Research Rabbit is recommended:
- Input your core papers.
- It creates a mind map showing related articles.
- Enables quick navigation through related literature.
Read and take notes on many additional papers connected to the core papers.
This step is time-consuming but essential to gain comprehensive knowledge of the research landscape.

Step 3: Analyze Notes and Identify Potential Research Gaps

Review all notes and papers read.
Develop ideas where research gaps might exist based on accumulated knowledge.
Validate these potential gaps by searching specifically for literature in those areas.
Refine your research gap until confident it is genuinely unexplored.
Repeat the cycle as needed until satisfied with the research question.

Additional Tips and Tools

Persistence: Finding a research gap is a marathon, not a sprint; it can take up to a year.
Note-taking: Maintain organized notes (spreadsheets, apps like Notion) to track ideas and references.
Additional Tools:
- ps.org: Similar to Google Scholar but with more advanced filtering options (e.g., by university, journal).
- SciSpace: Helps quickly skim and understand papers to decide if they are worth deeper reading.
Use a combination of Google Scholar, ps.org, Research Rabbit, and SciSpace to optimize your literature review.

Summary of the Three Steps

Find core papers using keyword searches and citation counts.
Use literature mapping tools (like Research Rabbit) to explore related papers and deepen your understanding.
Review notes to identify and validate research gaps, refining your focus through iterative searching.

Speaker / Source

Einor – PhD student at Imperial College London and creator of the video content.

This video provides a practical, step-by-step guide for researchers starting their PhD or academic projects, emphasizing the use of AI tools to make the daunting task of finding a research gap more manageable.