The Dominance of Gap-Spotting in Iranian Applied Linguistics Research: Epistemological Orientations and Knowledge Production

Formulating well-defined research questions is widely regarded as fundamental to applied linguistics research. A common strategy for doing so is gap-spotting, whereby researchers justify their studies by identifying and filling gaps in the existing literature. This study examines how this strategy is employed in empirical research articles published in ISC-indexed (and/or Scopus-indexed) Iranian applied linguistics journals. Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of a random sample (n = 210) of research articles published between 2016 and 2024, the study investigates the prevalence of gap-spotting, the ways different types of research gaps function in scholarly argumentation, and how researchers orient knowledge production. The analysis reveals that, despite disciplinary and paradigmatic diversity, most articles rely heavily on gap-spotting to establish significance and formulate research questions, with knowledge gaps dominating (81%) and methodological or theoretical concerns relegated to auxiliary roles. This pattern orients knowledge production toward incremental accumulation, pedagogical effectiveness and validation, situating research within a largely confirmatory, accumulation-oriented epistemology that operates within established theoretical and instructional paradigms rather than critically interrogating their underlying assumptions. The findings highlight an urgent need to diversify research question formulation through problematization, rhizomatic reviews, and critical engagement with underlying assumptions to foster a more pluralistic and socially responsive research culture.