Research Design

RESEARCH DESIGN

Name: __________________________________________________________________
Matric No:
Working Experience _______________________________________________

Nature of Work
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Nature of Research Conducted in the Course of Work:

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Research Design
Choice of Topic for Research

The need to create an promote integration of Islamic concepts in developing a legal

framework for regulating companies/human rights institutions/auditing practices.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Why
Who
Where
What
How

Thesis Statement / Hypothesis

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Proposal for Literature Review

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Research Design
Research Methodology
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Empirical Research / Field Study

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Library Research
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Research Design

Internet Research
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Results/Findings
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Analysis and Interpretation of the Findings

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Research Design
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Summary, Conclusions, Applications, and Recommendations for Further Study
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Research Design
PROJECT SCHEDULE

List major activities involved in the proposed project. Indicate duration of each activity by placing a solid
line (-) against that activity under the related month(s).
2007

2008

Project Activities
J

1.

Collection of
materials

2.

Review and
analysis of
materials

3.

Writing up

M A M J

A S

O N D J

M A M J

A S

Notes:

O N D

Research Design
Legal research relates to "the need to find the law which applies to a particular set of
facts." (Cook et al (2005) p.294) This may be in response to an assignment question or a
client's query.
Legal research can be quite challenging and time consuming to do. The answer a person
is looking for may not always be found after conducting one search. Often many
resources will need to be consulted and your search strategy and search terms may need
to be reconsidered along the way. Maintaining a systematic approach will save time.
The law changes quickly either by new legislation being introduced by parliaments or
through new judgments being handed down by the courts. "The law does not stand still:
principles learned today can be obsolete tomorrow." (Cook et al (2005) p.292) To
understand the law at a particular point in time and offer an accurate opinion one must be
aware of these changes and their impact. Conducting thorough legal research will mean
you are conscious of these changes and can therefore respond appropriately in your
assignment or to your client.
The ability to conduct legal research effectively and accurately is a skill that you will use
constantly throughout your law degree and your life in the legal profession. "No matter
what area of legal work you are engaged in, there will always be a need to carry out
research." (Nemes and Coss (2001) p.54) It is also a skill that is identified as a legal
requirement to be admitted as a solicitor or barrister in Queensland.
The quality of assignment or legal opinion is directly related to the quality of the legal
research.
What does a Legal Research Strategy Requires
The ability to formulate a legal research strategy is one of the most important skills of the
law student or practising lawyer. It involves not only finding the law, but also analysing
legal problems and developing legal and practical solutions. When you design a research
strategy you are planning how you will look for information. The more care and thought
you put into your search strategy, the more relevant your search results will be. As a
result, you will also save time.
This planning stage involves considering:

What you are actually looking for (a case, a piece of legislation, a journal article).
Which resources you should use to help you find what you are after.
The parameters/boundaries of your search (which jurisdictions to search, what the
relevant facts of the scenario are and how far back in time you must look).
The search terms you will use when searching and how to combine them to give
you the best results.

What is a well designed research strategy?

Research Design
Methodically recording the materials you have found and the research steps you took to
get there means you won't have to repeat searches or search again resources that you've
already searched. Planning to record the resources you have searched and your search
terms is a good strategy. Taking the time to do this will:

Save you time in the long run.

Ensure you find information from a variety of sources.
Result in you locating a larger amount of relevant information.

A well-designed search strategy means one will

" be able to reach that point in researching a legal problem of getting up from the desk
knowing that one has done all that is to be done, or can be done with available resources."
(Watt (2004) p. ix)
Basic Steps of Effective Legal Research
1.
Identify the problem
Legal problems do not always fit into definite areas of law, such as Contract Law or
Criminal Law. Sometimes more than one area of law can be involved in a legal problem.
These steps will help you classify the problem:

Assemble the facts.

Identify the terms used in the problem (for use when searching).
Decide what legal issues they represent.

By ensuring the issues are defined you will locate more precise answers when searching.
Legal terminology can be difficult, for example:

Everyday words (such as agent) can have specific legal meanings.

Everyday concepts (such as conversion) can have special words that need to be
used instead, depending on the context of the issue.

Clarify terms and identify synonyms using a:

legal dictionary
legal encyclopaedia

These words can then be used when searching. The definitions will also help you develop
your understanding of the issues by placing the problem into a legal framework for
further analysis. You will also get an indication of where you will need to look for
answers, whether in case law resources, legislation or resources providing commentary.
Then define the issues and prioritise them for detailed examination.

2.

Research the law

Research Design
Start by planning legal research strategy:
When researching the law you are looking to find what law applies to a particular set of
facts or circumstances. There is no single technique that is right for finding the law in all
situations, but 3 approaches can be applied to help you find the law.

Subject approach (secondary resources)

Case law approach (primary sources)
Statute approach (primary sources)

Proceeding from general information (secondary sources) to more specific, authoritative

information (primary sources) is a good approach to use.
Secondary sources of law consist of material that provides commentary on the primary
sources of law or assist in locating the law. They include:

Case citators
Case digests
Journal articles
Legal dictionaries
Legal encyclopaedias
Looseleaf services
Textbooks

Primary sources of law are the authoritative sources of law as made by law making
bodies. They include:

Case Law also known as Common Law or Judge-made Law

Legislation also referred to as Acts of Parliament or Statutes and Subordinate
Legislation or Delegated Legislation.

3.
Apply the law
In a positive manner apply the law to the facts. Using plain English to express your
thoughts, you will need to indicate the best course of action to take and the likely
outcome of taking that course.

Deal separately with each issue specifically raised by the facts.

Refer to the points of law extracted from the various cases, legislation or texts.
List authorities for and against the argument.
Always reach a conclusion.

Statements setting out principles of law should be supported by authoritative resources,

preferably primary sources. Secondary sources may be cited, if authoritative.
Cost effective, efficient legal research requires:

Planning legal research strategy before commencing researching.

Research Design

Technical research skills knowledge of the different resources available, when

to use them and how to search them.
Lateral thinking the ability to think more broadly or narrowly about a topic.
Accuracy.
Attention to detail.
Skill in analysing and judging the facts and the results found.

It is time to stop searching when:

The commentary becomes repetitive.

Have read the same point in a number of sources.
Noticed that the same cases/legislation/articles keep appearing.
Discovered updated primary authority and must revise the earlier ideas.

Once concluded finding the information, it is time to start evaluating the results and
developing a practical, legal solution.

10