Category Archives: research warrant

the problem with gap talk

Posted on July 5, 2021 by pat thomson

Gap talk. You know, the “this research fills a gap in the literature” line. Most of us have made this statement at some point in our academic life. It’s the most common starter for journal papers, proposals and theses, according … Continue reading →

Posted in gap-spotting, research warrant, thesis warrant, warrant | Tagged academic writing, CARS, gap, gap talk, Pat Thomson, research warrant, warrant | 6 Comments

addressing ‘the gap’ in the field

Posted on March 11, 2019 by pat thomson

One of the conventions of academic life is the work of justification. To justify. To say why we are going to do what we are going to do. We regularly have to justify why we want to research something and … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, deficit positioning, gap-spotting, next step, research warrant, stance, thesis warrant, warrant, what if | Tagged gap-spotting, next step, Pat Thomson, warrant, what if | 8 Comments

refining your research topic – starting the phd

Posted on November 27, 2017 by pat thomson

Where do research topics come from? The research topic you have at the start of your PhD may come from work you did in your Masters. It may come from a professional or policy context, perhaps your own professional work … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, doctoral research, doctoral researcher, research design, research proposal, research question, research warrant, starting the PhD | Tagged Pat Thomson, reading, research topic, starting the PhD | 1 Comment

what is a ‘research warrant’? #knowhow

Posted on August 7, 2015 by pat thomson

The notion of a warrant is important in research. It helps to know what the term means, particularly if you get asked a question about your research warrant in, say, a conference presentation or supervision tutorial. Most dictionaries define a … Continue reading →