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.
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.