Lack of vs A lack of

Are there any differences between the uses/meanings of "lack of" and "a lack of" for example in the following?

1. There is a lack of interest in the topic
2. There is lack of research on the subject

Thanks

Solution 1:

In OP's particular example I think there's no doubt the article would normally be included, but there's nothing particularly unusual about the version without it.

But I do think there's a stronger case for saying that in constructions where "the/a lack" is the grammatical subject, including the article stands out as "idiomatically uncommon". The easiest way I can think of to illustrate this is through Google Books...

but lack of funding (caused the project to founder) - about 1490 written instances
but a lack of funding (etc.) - about 532 hits

As implied, that disparity is just a quirk of established idiomatic preference. I don't think there are any contexts where there could be a semantic difference.

Solution 2:

The use of the indefinite article indicates singularity. "A lack of"indicates " a particular lack of"(Thefreedictionary.com).If you use "lack of"you refer to "lack or absence in a general way. Your examples require "a".