Research flop possibly leading to blame being placed internally (4-8)
I believe the answer is:
self-reproach
'blame being placed internally' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'research flop possibly' is the wordplay.
'possibly' indicates an anagram.
'research'+'flop'='researchflop'
'researchflop' with letters rearranged gives 'SELF-REPROACH'.
'leading to' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for self-reproach that I've seen before include "Blame directed at oneself" , "Finding fault with one's own actions" .)