Q: How can I describe the gap in literature when no previous research has been done on the problem?
The topic of my study is: Impact on groundwater quality due to landfill-leachate. I'm from a country in East Africa, and a student at VUT, RSA. I selected this topic, because the solid waste is a big threat to my community, and nobody even thinks about it now, not even the Government.
However, no research has been done on this topic and therefore I cannot find a gap in literature. Which is better, to find the gap in the literature or do a preliminary/ pilot study and say what you have seen in the problem statement?
A novel idea is always good! Since you are passionate about the problem and there is a need to address it, I think you should go ahead with this topic. From your question, I think you are concerned about how to write the introduction and literature review since there is no existing literature on the topic.
You can begin by providing some background information about the problem and then go on describe the rationale for coming up with this topic. You can provide literature on how landfills may impose problems, why landfill-leachate may impact ground water, etc.
True, there are no studies about this is your country, but what about studies done in other countries? Check if related studies have done in other countries. If you don't find any, you can discuss literature about other things that impact groundwater perhaps. Or, maybe, you could consider literature on other things that landfill-leachate may be impacting. Basically, the topic os good. How you approach the problem and design the study is what is important.
Related reading:
This content belongs to the Conducting Research Stage