10Min Research Methodology - 14 - How to Design a Research Model from Multiple Research Papers? (P2)

Building a research model from a single study can backfire when others replicate the same paper and publish faster. The fix is to design a model grounded in multiple studies by identifying “gaps” and turning them into originality—usually by adding new variables that extend the relationships already tested in prior work. Instead of relying on one set of constructs, the model should be rebuilt around what different papers suggest is missing, underexplored, or worth testing next.

The transcript’s core method is to search for variables that connect logically across the independent variable (e.g., Green HR practices) and the dependent variable (the outcome). New variables can take several forms: a new mediator (explaining how the independent variable produces effects), another outcome variable (what changes as a result), a new moderator (what strengthens or weakens relationships), or even an additional HR practice to broaden the independent side. The key requirement is not just novelty, but theoretical and literature support. A mediator, for example, must have credible evidence that it is influenced by the independent variable and that it, in turn, affects the dependent variable—meaning it must sit on both sides of the causal chain.

To find candidate mediators and other constructs, the transcript recommends using targeted literature searches (e.g., searching for “green HR practices” and then opening relevant PDFs) and then reading the “future research directions” and limitations sections. Those sections often contain explicit suggestions about what should be tested next. For instance, one line of work may focus on employee commitment types—such as normative and continuance commitment—instead of only effective commitment. If a prior study only tested one commitment form, that limitation becomes a gap: the new model can swap in additional commitment dimensions and then examine how Green HR practices influence them.

The same gap-hunting logic extends beyond mediators. If a paper recommends other green-domain constructs—like green marketing, green accounting, green supply chain, or green training—those suggestions can justify adding new independent variables or additional HR practices. The transcript also highlights how a second paper can be used to strengthen the gap: it may recommend multi-dimensional constructs (for example, using individual dimensions of HR practices) and introduce moderators such as servant leadership. Even if that paper does not propose new mediators or moderators directly, its “future work” recommendations can still support why the new model should include additional dimensions or related constructs.

Overall, the workflow is iterative: start with an initial model from one study, then rebuild it using recommendations from multiple papers, and finally search within the literature to locate additional variables that prior authors flagged for future testing. The originality comes from new variables, but the credibility comes from explaining—using citations—why those variables matter, not merely listing them as future research suggestions. The result is a research model that is both publishable and defensible because it is anchored in a broader evidence base rather than a single paper’s design.