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Finding the right research question isn’t just a challenge—it’s the challenge.
For most of my mentees, it’s where they struggle the most. The uncertainty can feel overwhelming, like driving through thick fog. You can’t see the entire path ahead; you just have a vague sense of the destination.
Here’s the good news: you don’t need the full picture to get started.
Impactful research begins by identifying the right research gap. These gaps are the cornerstone of meaningful discovery, and they often fall into three categories:
- Gaps in Knowledge: What we don’t know yet.
- Gaps in Thinking: What we’ve been thinking all wrong.
- Gaps in Practice: What we’re not applying.
But how do you find them? Let me share how I navigated the fog and helped others do the same.
1️⃣ Gap in Knowledge: What We Don’t Know Yet
Knowledge gaps highlight areas where research is missing or incomplete. They can range from outright unknowns to contradictions in the data.
When I started my research journey, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to explore. I knew I wanted to work in epidemiology, and I had an interest in psoriatic arthritis, but the specifics were unclear.
So, I started small.
I began with a retrospective chart review of patients with psoriatic arthritis from a dataset available at my institution. Curating the data exposed me to the field’s nuances, sparking ideas I hadn’t considered before. For example, I noticed that while multi-morbidity (the presence of multiple coexisting conditions) was gaining attention, little work focused on the specific combinations of comorbidities that might shape outcomes in psoriatic arthritis patients.
This curiosity led to my first “aha moment”: exploring comorbidity clusters rather than just the number of conditions. This shift was significant because it reframed how I approached multi-morbidity. Instead of treating all comorbidities as equal contributors, I began analyzing specific combinations and their unique impact on patient outcomes. This perspective not only deepened my understanding but also laid the groundwork for more nuanced, patient-centered research. That insight became the foundation of my first seed grant and set me on a path toward more meaningful research.
Practical Examples of Knowledge Gaps
1. Knowledge Gap
What we don’t know yet.
Example: What are the long-term effects of X [a new medication] on children?
☞ Highlights the lack of research on this topic altogether.
2. Contradictory Findings
Conflicting evidence that needs resolution.
Example: Does daily physical activity improve academic performance in teenagers? Some studies say yes, others show no clear effect.
☞ Researchers can address these inconsistencies with more robust trials.
3. Evidence Gap
Lack of empirical data.
Example: How effective is a plant-based diet in reducing the risk of heart disease?
☞ Without sufficient longitudinal studies, it’s difficult to establish its full preventive potential.
4. Temporal Gap
Outdated research that needs updating.
Example: The last major study on environmental triggers of autoimmune diseases was conducted in the 1990s. How relevant are those findings today? ☞ New data can reflect changes in environmental exposures or diagnostic practices.
2️⃣ Gap in Thinking: What We’ve Been Thinking All Wrong
These gaps arise when our frameworks or methods need rethinking. My journey with multi-morbidity clusters taught me that the way we approach questions matters as much as the questions themselves.
I applied similar thinking to clinical phenotype clusters, which explored how different disease characteristics come together and influence treatment response. My hypothesis was that in psoriatic arthritis, there are different subgroups, which are very different and need to be studied separately and we should not be lumping them together. The PsA clusters we found revealed that certain subgroups responded differently to therapies, emphasizing the need for more tailored treatment approaches. This insight directly influenced how we approached subsequent research and my interest in conducting pragmatic trials.
It was a shift in perspective—a theoretical gap—and it became the basis for new, patient-centered research. This iterative process of rethinking methods and frameworks became the foundation of my pre-K grant and eventually my NIH K grant.
Practical Examples of Thinking Gaps
Theoretical Gap
Missing frameworks to explain phenomena.
Example: Why do some children with similar dietary habits develop obesity while others don’t?
☞ Developing new theoretical models could bridge this gap.
Methodological Gap
Need for innovative research methods.
Example: Traditional randomized trials don’t always reflect real-world patient populations. Can pragmatic trials provide better insights?
☞ Novel designs or machine learning could fill this gap.
Contextual Gap
Limited understanding in specific contexts.
Example: How does rheumatoid arthritis present in underrepresented ethnic groups?
☞ Context-specific studies can uncover unique disease patterns or treatment needs.
3️⃣ Gap in Practice: What We’re Not Applying
Some gaps aren’t about what we don’t know but about what we’re not doing.
One of the biggest practice gaps I’ve observed involves clinical guidelines that aren’t fully implemented.
For instance, despite evidence supporting a treat-to-target approach for gout, it’s still underutilized in primary care. How often have you seen gout patients being dutifully monitored to get their serum uric acid levels below 5? Chances are not many. In fact, recent studies show that fewer than 40% of gout patients achieve this target in routine care, highlighting a significant gap in implementation of evidence-based guidelines. Research that identifies and addresses these barriers can directly lead to better patient outcomes.
Practical Examples of Practice Gaps
- Practical/Application Gap
Research not translated into practice.
Example: New American Heart Association guidelines recommend lower cutoffs for hypertension in the general population. How well have these been impelemented in clinical practice?
☞ Bridging the gap between clinical guidelines and their practical implementation can lead to better patient outcomes.
My Practical Advice to Find Research Gaps
1. Start with What’s Available
When I began, I didn’t wait for the “perfect” project. I worked with datasets available to me at Mayo Clinic and Vanderbilt, letting those resources guide my questions.
2. Let Curiosity Drive You
Each step revealed new insights that shaped my research direction. The more I immersed myself in the field, the clearer my path became.
3. Seek Mentorship Through Your Work
Your work attracts mentors. Early on, I produced results—like systematic reviews—and used those to connect with top experts in the field.
4. Balance Focus with Intelligent Experimentation
While having a niche is essential, don’t be afraid to explore adjacent fields. My work in bioinformatics and machine learning emerged from this approach and added new dimensions to my research.
Your Next Step
Finding impactful research questions doesn’t require perfect clarity—it starts with small, actionable steps.
Work with what you have. Stay curious. Seek mentors and align your interests with your resources.
Your research journey is like driving through fog. The path becomes clearer with every step forward.
Stop overthinking. Find a gap. Get obsessed. Publish. Repeat.
Start today— let the journey shape your destination.
