The CaRS Model can help you articulate the significance of your research, especially in places like literature reviews, research proposals, and introduction sections. The model consists of three strategic "moves” that help you establish the research context, identify an opportunity for contribution, and present the focus of your study. This approach encourages you to connect your work to existing knowledge while highlighting how your research extends, refines, applies, or reframes current understanding. Using this framework helps readers understand why your research matters and how it contributes to knowledge in your field.
Move 1: Establish Context
This “move” provides background information and context for your reader to understand your topic and what scholars have already said about it. Your goal is to explain the current state of scholarship in the field and answer the question, “Why is this general research area important?”
Sample Language for Establishing a Research Topic:
-
_______ has been extensively studied.
-
Interest in ______ has been growing.
-
Recent studies have focused on ______
-
_______ has become a major issue in the field.
TIP: For more ideas about the type of language to use in different scenarios, visit the Manchester Academic Phrasebank.
Move 2: Describe the Gap
This “move” explains the motivation for your research. Drawing on the context established in Move 1, you show where your work can offer a novel perspective, new evidence, innovative application, or deeper understanding of an issue. This may involve addressing an unanswered question, bringing attention to overlooked voices, examining an emerging phenomenon, or reconsidering established assumptions.
Sample Language for Describing a Gap
-
Previous studies have not examined ______ (something is missing)
-
Such work has been unsatisfactory because _______ (something is wrong)
-
One question that needs to be asked, however is _______ (something is unclear)
-
Research on _______ has mostly been restricted to _______ so ______ (adding something)
Move 3: Fill the Gap
This “move” shows readers how your research responds to the gap or limitation identified in Move 2. To do this, writers often describe the purpose of the study, present their research question(s) or hypotheses, explain their methodological approach, outline the structure of the research, or, in some disciplines, briefly preview their main findings. The goal is to highlight what gaps or limitations still exist in the scholarly conversation.
Sample Language for Filling in the Gap
-
The purpose of this research is to _____
-
The project aims to _____
-
The evidence collected from this study demonstrates _____
-
My work outlines/examines ____
Adapted from: Swales, John and Christine Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2013. Print
CaRS in Action
Move 1: Stress is a seemingly ever-present factor in the lives of university students, and many have difficulty regulating stress and functioning to their fullest potential. Many individuals choose to relieve their stress by listening to music, and stress relief as a result of music listening has been researched through both physiological and self-perception studies. Music listening decreases physiological stress by indirectly decreasing cortisol levels (a hormone linked to high stress levels) through a down-regulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis (Linnemann, Ditzen, Strahler, Doerr, & Nater, 2015). Studies focused on self-perceived stress levels found that listening to music with the goal of relaxation is significantly more effective than listening to music for the purpose of distraction according to self-report measures (Linnemann et al., 2015). Move 2: While the positive relationship between music listening and stress relief has been supported within the general population, little research has been done to examine music’s effect on the mental health and stress levels of university students in particular. University students exhibit a higher rate of both stress-induced depression and anxiety than the general population due to the pressures of completing complex programs while often living away from home for the first time (Hanser, 1985, p. 419; Regehr, Glancy, & Pitts, 2013). As a result, student stress relief is a critical part of ensuring student wellbeing, especially with student mental health at the forefront of many recent discussions among university faculty, staff, and students. Move 3: This investigatory survey is the first step in a multi-stage study on how undergraduate residents at Conrad Grebel University College use music in relation to stressful situations, and how stress relief through music listening is perceived. We hypothesize that students will report stress-relief as one of the primary reasons they choose to listen to music, and that they will report choosing music they enjoy when they need to relieve stress. Patterns observed in student responses will be used to determine specific research questions for further investigation, and research on student stress relief could help to inform university policy makers on ways to create healthier campuses.
Can I use GenAI for This?
GenAI may appear helpful for identifying research gaps, summarizing scholarly conversations, or suggesting the contribution of your study. However, these tasks require careful reading and analysis of the literature. AI-generated claims, summaries, and references may be inaccurate, incomplete, or fabricated. Use your reading and analysis of the literature, rather than AI-generated content, to identify gaps and articulate your study’s contribution.