problem-statement

A dissertation problem statement follows five components: broader context, what is known, the knowledge gap, the consequence of the gap, and a call for investigation. Each claim should be supported by cited sources, and the statement should avoid proposing a solution.

The research gap is what is missing from the literature, while the problem statement explains why that gap matters in the real world. The problem statement describes consequences for practitioners, organizations, or policy, not just the absence of studies.

A strong problem statement should be grounded in at least three cited sources, with recent works within five to seven years preferred. Applied problems benefit from including practitioner sources such as industry reports or policy documents alongside scholarly literature.

This Skill produces a draft of 200 to 400 words with APA 7th edition citation placeholders. The scope should be narrow enough to be researchable but broad enough to establish significance for the field.

Common mistakes include proposing a solution, relying on personal anecdote without scholarly support, framing the problem as a flaw in existing research rather than a real-world issue, and failing to state the consequence of inaction explicitly.