The purpose of the Empirical Legal Studies Hub is to guide interested researchers in conducting empirical research. Here you can find information on the different available empirical methods and connect with local Erasmus School of Law experts in these methods. You will be guided on how to choose the right method for your research question. Furthermore, you can find useful materials and links to get acquainted with the different methods and tools which are used in such research.
When it comes to entering a new research field, it is also important to know where your work can be published. Therefore, here you can also find guidance on publication strategy including the relevant journals and how to make your research more visible.
Empirical research at Erasmus School of Law follows ethics guidelines, therefore it is also important to be aware of the ethical approval requirements and procedure. Here you can learn all about it.
Before starting your empirical work
Think about your publication strategy. Where you want to publish will also influence the way you need to design your research. For example, while psychology journals will allow deception of participants, it will not be accepted in economics journals.
A module on Publication Strategies for Legal Scholars is available to watch. Erasmus School of Law has recently introduced a journal ranking list that is meant to serve as a guide for researchers in their publication choices. Learn in advance about the Open Access policies of the different journals to also take this aspect into account when considering different journals for your research. Open Access is not only societally important but also increases your visibility as a researcher! You can check the OA rules of journals.
Seek Ethics approval from the Erasmus School of Law Research Ethics Review Committee (RERC). All the information about the procedure and a link to the online application form can be found here. As part of your application, you will be required to submit a Data Management Plan (DPM). In addition, get familiar with the Dutch Integrity Code and follow the Dilemma Game to resolve in advance different integrity dilemmas you might be facing in the course of your research.
Think about your publication strategy. Where you want to publish will also influence the way you need to design your research. For example, while psychology journals will allow the deception of participants, it will not be accepted in economics journals.
Methods
In this section, we will introduce the empirical methodologies used by researchers at Erasmus School of Law. We will also provide some useful information for those who would like to start using these methods in their research.
All empirical research is characterized by a similar empirical cycle. The empirical research cycle consists of formulating the best possible potential answer to a research question (theory) and confronting this imagined answer with observations from social reality (empirics). The research design (method) determines the manner in which the theory is confronted with the observations. The fit between the theory and the observations or the lack thereof determines the conclusions and the potential avenues for follow-up research.
Activities
ECELS organizes activities for both experienced empirical legal studies scholars as well as for legal scholars at various levels of understanding of empirical legal studies. Both experienced empirical scholars as well traditional legal scholars have a great deal to gain from participating in ECELS’ activities. By interacting with legal experts with broad and deep expertise in legal institutions and mechanisms, empirical scholars can bolster the practical relevance of their research. Likewise, traditional legal researchers can learn how to correctly interpret empirical insights for their domain, identify their strengths and weaknesses and even start designing empirical legal studies themselves.
ECELS and the Public and Private Interests Centre will organize a workshop series where the PhD candidates from the sector plan can present their research and receive feedback from senior researchers and their peers. The goal of these Development Workshops is to support the PhD candidates in their research; guide them in their academic work; and train them to present their research to a critical audience. In those workshops, PhD candidates will receive and provide written feedback on their own and peers’ chapters. This not only assists candidates to improve and critically reflect on their own work, but also helps them adopt an open yet critical view on research which is not necessarily directly connected to their research.
Upcoming event November 1st, 2021: Erasmus Graduate School of Law Review Day (organised by Erasmus Graduate School of Law).
A series of meetings which is intended to develop researchers’ passive understanding of empirical work. Each meeting will be devoted to one specific methodology. An empirical paper will be read, and different aspects will be discussed: the connection between the research questions and the methodology, the strengths of the chosen methodology, its weakness, which other methodologies could be employed to answer the research question. Even though (initially) targeting the PhD candidates, it is broadly open to all researchers interested in using empirical legal studies insights. During those meetings it will also be possible to discuss empirical papers published by Erasmus School of Law researchers.
ECELS organizes bi-annual workshops in cooperation with the Erasmus School of Economics. The theme of the workshop varies, but in the centre is always a legally relevant question which is mainly researched though empirical methods, but sometimes also providing a stronger theoretical analysis. Every workshop brings together researchers from a variety of fields (law, economics, psychology etc.) and leads to stimulating discussions. Past workshops covered topic such as health care regulations, and criminal justice systems. Applied methods were experimental, econometrics, computational, etc. The workshops are open for a wide audience.
Upcoming (online) event December 3, 2021: Crime and Computational Methods (for registration click here).