Methodology of Legal Research
Objectives
Introduction to the course: What is needed to be an effective researcher? Preparing for Legal Research; What is Legal Research? What are the different types of research, and how to make choices about what to research? Sources for Legal Research; The methodology in legal research; Research Proposal; How does one go about finding materials? Literature Search and Literature Review; Research Questions; Writing the thesis; Writing your PhD Thesis; Referencing and plagiarism: Citations - why, what, when, how to, who?
General characterization
Code
22112
Credits
10
Responsible teacher
Margarida Lima Rego, Jeremy Sarkin
Hours
Weekly - 2
Total - 26
Teaching language
English.
Prerequisites
Not Applicable
Bibliography
Alasuutari P. (1995) Researching Culture: Qualitative Method and Cultural Studies. London. SAGE.
Biggam J. (2011) Succeeding with Your Master¿s Dissertation. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Feak C. & Swales J. (2009) Telling a Research Story: Writing a Literature Review. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Hart C. (1998) Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Imagination. London: SAGE.
Phillips E. & Pugh D. (1992) How to Get a PhD. 2nd edition. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Rudestam K. & Newton R. (1992) Surviving Your Dissertation. London,: SAGE.
Silverman D. (2012) Doing Qualitative Research: a practical handbook. 4th edition. London: SAGE
Swales J. & Feak C. (2004) Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. 2nd edition. University of Michigan Press. Swales J. & Feak C. (2012)
Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. 3rd edition. University of Michigan Press.
Booth, Wane C., Colomb Gregory G & Williams Joseph M. The craft of research 3rd Edition (2008) Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Cresswell, John W. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Method Approaches 4th Edition (2014) Thousand Oaks: SAGE
Watkins, Dawn and Burton, Mandy Research Methods in Law (2013) Oxford: Routledge
Chatterjee, Charles Methods of research in law (2000) London: Old Bailey Press
Hoffman, Marci & Rumsey International and Foreign Legal Research: A coursebook (2008) Leiden: Mirtinus Nijhoff Publishers
Knowles, John & Thomas Philip Effective Legal Research 2nd Edition (2009) London: Sweet & Maxwell
Watt, Robert Concise legal research 4th Edition (2001) Sydney: Federation Press
J.D.S. Armstrong & Christopher A. Knott, Where is the Law: An Introduction to Advanced Legal Research (2d ed. 2006).
Frank S. Bae, Searching the Law (3d ed. 2005).
Robert Berring, Legal Research Survival Manual (2002).
Morris L. Cohen & Kent C. Olson, Legal Research in a Nutshell (9th ed. 2007).
Alan L. Dworsky, User¿s Guide to the Bluebook (2006).
Stephen Elian, Legal Research: How to Find and Understand the Law (2002).
J. Myron Jacobstein, et al., Fundamentals of Legal Research (7th ed., 2002).
Jacob M. Jacobstein et al., The Noter Up: An Update Service to Fundamentals of Legal Research and Legal Research Illustrated (reprint ed., 2007).
Laurel Currie Oates, Just Research (2005).
William H. Putnam, Pocket Guide to Legal Research (2008).
Amy E. Sloan, Basic Legal Research Workbook (2005).
Morris R Cohen: An Introduction to logic and Scientific Method (Allied Publishers)
William Goode and Paul K Hatt: Methods in Social Research (Surjeet Publications)
¿Legal Research and the Social Sciences¿ 2006 Law Quarterly Review, 122, 632 Oxford Encylopedia of Legal History
David Ibbetson: ¿Historical Research in Law¿ in The Oxford handbook of Legal Studied (eds) Petercone and Mark Tushnet (OUP 2003).
Teaching method
The course engages with the students' own particular thesis focus. It takes them on the journey of research and writing. Students conduct research and writing each week. They present their finding s each week and they comment on the work of others. It prepares them to be effective researcher and how to prepare for legal research. It is ensuring they have the skills to undertake PhD research.
Evaluation method
Students have to hand in weekly assignments. A minimum grade of 16 for each assignment is necessary to pass the course.
Subject matter
12 sessions with Prof. Jeremy Sarkin with a focus on developing a PhD project:
- Introduction to the course: What is needed to be an effective researcher?
- Preparing for Legal Research
- What is Legal Research? What are the different types of research, and how to make choices about what to research?
- Sources for Legal Research
- The methodology in legal research
- Research Proposal
- How does one go about finding materials?
- Literature Search and Literature Review
- Research Questions
- Writing the thesis
- Referencing and plagiarism: Citations - why, what, when, how to, who? Styles
- Planning and writing a thesis and submitting it for examination
- Referencing section
13th session with Prof. Margarida Lima Rego aimed at discussing the next stage of the PhD Programme.