ask/engine
Platform

Research gaps

A research gap is a named unknown — a question the belief layer cannot answer yet, surfaced instead of hidden.

How it works

Analysis raises a gap when it can see the absence, and the type says what's missing:

  • missing_breadth — too few studies or participants behind a belief.
  • thin_counter_evidence — nobody has looked for the other side.
  • topic_asymmetry — some studies probed the topic deeply while others barely touched it, so the cross-study comparison is uneven.
  • stale_evidence — the newest support is old; the belief needs re-verifying, not quiet trust.
  • post_ship_verification — a shipped fix's quiet window passed with no new unprompted corroboration; a follow-up study can ask users directly. You read its readout yourself — no verdict is derived from it.

A gap is tied to one signal and moves openacceptedapplied, or dismissed.

What you can do

Act on a gap by turning it into research: AskEngine drafts a study whose objective and learning targets aim at closing it. A gap only ever drafts one study, and the draft stays yours to edit and publish. Gaps not worth chasing, dismiss — that is a real answer, not neglect.

When it's quiet

No open gaps does not mean full coverage. A gap exists only where analysis can see an absence; the unknowns nobody has framed yet stay invisible.

From your agent

  • list_research_gaps — every gap with type, status, and its signal.
  • draft_study_from_gap — turn a gap into a draft study, idempotently.