Free to start· first gap free

Find a research gap you can defend

Already have your papers? Upload them and we compare them for you. Only have a topic? Type it in and we find published studies on it, then compare those. Either way, each gap shows the studies behind it, quotes you can check, and a study you could propose to fill it.

Find gaps in my papers →Find gaps in my topic ↓

Up to 3 studies free, no account. Your first gap is free too.

Built for master's and PhD students writing a thesis, dissertation or journal article. Researchers and undergraduates use it too.

From a stack of papers to a gap statement your supervisor accepts

The problem

You've read 30 papers and still can't name the gap

Many students find their gap by rereading notes and hoping something stands out. "More research is needed" won't get a proposal approved, and a gap you can't point to in the literature won't survive your viva or a reviewer.

How the tool solves it

Gaps built from your own synthesis

You start by analysing your studies: the tool codes every paper and groups the findings into cross-study themes. The Gap Finder then compares those themes across all your papers and looks for specific patterns:

✓findings that contradict each other
✓designs, samples or measures that dominate
✓populations and settings that never appear
✓theory that is missing or untested

What you walk away with

A gap you can explain in one paragraph

Each gap comes with a title, a type, counts from your studies, the quotes that make it visible and a study you could run. Check the quotes in seconds, choose the gap that fits your question, and paste it into your proposal or review.

How it works: analyse first, then find the gap

A gap only means something against what the studies already cover. So the tool maps your literature before it looks for what is missing.

Free
Analyse your studies
Upload or paste up to 3 papers. Each one is coded and the findings are grouped into themes across studies, with a theme-by-study matrix.
Free
See your first gap
Under your themes, the Gap Finder compares them across every paper and shows one gap in full: its type, the quotes behind it and a study you could run.
Advanced Project Pass
Unlock all 5 gaps
Add the rest of your studies, up to 50, and get all 5 gaps for your proposal, each with quotes and a suggested study, added to your Word report.

Start with my studies →

What does the Research Gap Finder do?

The Research Gap Finder reads the themes, codes and quotes from a thematic synthesis of your reviewed studies and identifies exactly 5 research gaps. Each gap is labelled with one of seven types from Miles (2017) and Müller-Bloch & Kranz (2015), names the studies it is based on, quotes them word for word, and proposes a study with a design, population, setting and example research question. It only makes claims about the studies you upload, not about literature it has not seen.

Last updated September 2026.

Best for: Literature review chapters and thesis proposals
Input: Research papers, uploaded or pasted, 3 to 50 studies
Output: 5 typed gaps, source studies, verified quotes, a suggested study
Access: Advanced Project Pass, $15 one-time, 30 days, 3 generations
Free to try: The synthesis of 3 studies and your first gap, no signup

Example output

Two of the 5 gaps from a review of 24 studies on telehealth work (illustrative).

Survey designs dominate; practitioners' own accounts are missing

Methodological gap

21 of the 24 studies measure workload with Likert surveys, and only 3 report what tele-triage nurses say about the work in their own words.

“Workload was assessed using the NASA-TLX administered at the end of each shift” (Okafor et al., 2021)

Suggested study: reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with 15 to 20 tele-triage nurses. Example question: how do nurses experience making clinical decisions without seeing the patient?

Contradictory findings on hybrid team productivity

Evidence gap

4 studies report productivity gains and 3 report collaboration breaking down, and none examines team autonomy as a possible explanation.

Suggested study: comparative case study of high- and low-autonomy hybrid teams.

Access

How to access the Research Gap Finder

Free$0

Synthesise 3 studies, see your themes and the first research gap in full. The other gaps stay locked.

Thesis Sprint Pass$9

Synthesise up to 20 studies with CSV and universal CAQDAS exports (.qdpx). No Gap Finder.

Advanced Project Pass$15

Needed for this tool

Gap Finder (3 generations), up to 50 studies, Theoretical Underpinnings and 7 Ask Your Data questions.

Passes are one-time payments with 30 days of access, no subscription.

Start free with 3 studies
Open the analyser in Literature review mode. Upload or paste 3 research papers and run the analysis. No account or card. You see your themes and theme-by-study matrix. Under them, click "Show my first research gap" to see one gap from your studies in full, free, with the titles of the others.
Get the Advanced Project Pass
Click "Unlock all 5 gaps" under your free gap, or buy the pass on this page. It is a one-time $15 for 30 days and covers up to 50 studies. Your analysis is saved in this browser, so you can pick it up after paying.
Add the rest of your studies and run again
Gaps are only as good as the set of studies behind them, so add every paper in your review before generating.
Scroll to "Advanced Project Tools" and click "Identify 5 Research Gaps"
It sits under your themes. Generation takes about a minute. Each pass includes 3 generations, so you can regenerate after editing your themes. The gaps are added to your Word report.

Start free with 3 studies →or watch it run on sample data first

New to gap analysis? Our guide What is a research gap and how to find one in your literature review explains the seven gap types with examples.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Research Gap Finder free?

Your first gap is free. Analyse up to 3 studies with no account, and the tool shows one research gap from them in full, with its quotes and a suggested study, plus the titles of the others. All 5 gaps, regeneration and up to 50 studies are part of the Advanced Project Pass, a one-time payment of $15 for 30 days.

How does the AI find research gaps in a literature review?

It works from your synthesis rather than from the open web. First each study's findings are coded and grouped into cross-study themes. The Gap Finder then compares those themes, codes and quotes across every paper to find contradictory findings, issues raised but barely studied, over-used designs and missing populations or settings. It returns exactly 5 distinct gaps and only makes claims about the studies you uploaded.

What types of research gaps does it identify?

Seven types, following Miles (2017) and Müller-Bloch and Kranz (2015): evidence gaps (contradictory or inconclusive findings), knowledge gaps, practical-knowledge gaps, methodological gaps, empirical gaps, theoretical gaps and population gaps. Each gap is labelled with one type, and the 5 gaps span at least 3 types when your studies support it.

Can I trust the gaps, or does it make up sources?

Every gap lists the studies it rests on, using your own study labels, and includes 1 to 3 quotes from those studies. Each quote is checked word for word against the text you uploaded, and any quote that does not match is removed before you see it. Treat the gaps as a well-evidenced starting point: read the quoted passages and decide which gap fits your research question.

What do I get for each gap?

A specific title, the gap type, a 3 to 5 sentence description with counts where the data allows (for example "only 3 of the 24 studies"), the studies and quotes behind it, and a proposed study: design, population, setting and an example research question.

How many studies do I need to find a research gap?

The tool runs from 3 studies, but gaps about absent populations or dominant methods only show up across a fuller set, so upload every study in your review. The Advanced Project Pass covers up to 50.

Should I upload whole papers or only the findings?

Either. Upload the full PDF and the tool keeps the methods, findings, discussion and conclusion sections, which is what gap analysis needs. You can also paste the findings section by hand.

Can I use it for my thesis proposal or dissertation?

Yes, as an evidenced first draft of your gap statement. Check each quoted passage, rewrite the gap in your own argument, and report AI assistance the way your university requires. The Word report keeps the sources and quotes together so your supervisor can follow the reasoning.

Does the Research Gap Finder work on interview data?

No, it is built for published studies. For your own interviews or surveys, the Advanced Project Pass offers a participant demographics table, theme comparison by participant group and a code saturation curve instead.