> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nested-knowledge.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nested-knowledge.com/best-practices/best-practices-by-review-type/gap-analyses.md).
# Gap Analyses
Learn about the best practices for conducting gap analyses.
Here the best practices in conducting a gap analysis are covered.
For step-by-step instructions in **Nested Knowledge**, see the [Gap analysis](/guides/guidance-by-review-type/gap-analysis.md) guide. The guidance below applies regardless of the software you use.
### Define Your Coverage Dimensions Before You Search
Decide up front what you're mapping coverage against for example, population, intervention, outcome, geography etc., since these dimensions become your tagging categories later. Deciding them after screening means recategorizing everything you've already processed.
### Search Broadly, And Resist Narrowing Prematurely
A gap analysis's value depends on seeing the full landscape. Narrowing your search to reduce volume can hide the exact gaps you're trying to surface. For example an under-researched area and an unsearched one look identical in your results if the search itself excluded it.
### Distinguish An Absence Of Evidence From Evidence You Didn't Find
Before reporting a gap, confirm it reflects genuinely limited research rather than a search or database limitation. A gap analysis's credibility rests on this distinction being made explicitly, not assumed.
### Present Coverage, Not Conclusions
A gap analysis describes where evidence is dense or thin—it doesn't conclude whether an intervention works, since it isn't designed to assess study quality or effect direction. Keep the writeup descriptive, and flag conclusions about effectiveness as outside its scope.
### Next Steps
---
# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.
## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:
```
GET https://docs.nested-knowledge.com/best-practices/best-practices-by-review-type/gap-analyses.md?ask=&goal=
```
`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.