Systematic discovery
Define databases, keywords, Boolean strings, publication years and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Use backward and forward citation tracking to avoid a narrow evidence base.
WORKFLOW STAGE 01
Research gap & objectives.
A strong paper begins with an unresolved problem supported by current evidence—not simply a new dataset, model combination or location.
Evidence MatrixNovelty TestResearch QuestionsObjective Alignment
Build the gap from evidence.
The gap must be traceable to recent literature, meaningful to the field and testable within the available data, time and resources.
Evidence matrix
Record study objective, dataset, sample size, method, baselines, metrics, findings, limitations and stated future work for every central paper.
Gap classification
Determine whether the unresolved issue is methodological, empirical, theoretical, contextual, data-related, validation-related or implementation-focused.
Contribution test
Compare the proposed contribution with recent baselines. Novelty should change capability, evidence quality or understanding—not only terminology.
Questions & objectives
Each research question must map to an objective, method, dataset or experiment, evaluation metric and expected result.
Scope control
Confirm data access, sample adequacy, compute, ethics, software, timeline and required expertise before finalizing the title and claims.
Technical alignment check.
Use this mapping before beginning implementation.
| Research problem | Specific limitation, affected context and practical or scientific consequence. |
|---|---|
| Gap evidence | Multiple recent sources demonstrating what remains unresolved. |
| Objective | Action-oriented and measurable: develop, evaluate, compare, quantify or validate. |
| Research question | Answerable through the proposed data and analysis—not opinion-based. |
| Hypothesis | Directional or non-directional prediction with identifiable variables where appropriate. |
| Contribution | Method, dataset, validation, theory or application advancement supported by results. |
Avoid: claiming novelty because a familiar model is applied to a new dataset, citing only old studies, converting future work into a gap without verification, or writing objectives that the experiments cannot evaluate.
Need help validating your research gap?
Share your topic and key papers for a focused gap and feasibility review.