What are the different research design /ways that I can approach my Law dissertation?

In-Brief:

• Developing a plan in which data gathering and data analysis are conducted to carry out the Research.
• A Conceptual Framework must be developed to ensure the reliability and authenticity of a research project.

Introduction

The best-approached model that has been approached in a Legal PhD Dissertation is the public-private partnership (PPP) model. Education in law is a professed de-facto combination of liberal and professional. Anyhow, most of the education systems in law and order across the world have failed in guiding students for profession and create a relaxing effect in law students. Several attempts have been made over a different time period, to improve the legal education system in India. Furthermore, a part of legal education is always insignificant in the higher education system of India. Therefore, the legal education system in India is weak both in both quality and quantity. The aim of this research study is to meet the following steps.

1. To determine the basis for the PPP in the legal education system.
2. To expand the best framework to implement PPP in the legal research system of India.
3. To propose a legal framework that is robust to restructure the legal education system for global India.

Research design

Research design is nothing but developing a plan in which the research will be done in relation to data gathering and data analysis. A research plan contains the following steps.

• Discover a research topic and problem
• Prepare research question and hypothesis
• Selecting methodology for research
• Identify the importance of the research
• Find and use a theory
• Accomplishing a Literature Review

A.Identify a Research Topic and Problem

Defining a research topic broadly at the beginning of the research provides a structure of reference throughout the period of the research process that helps the researcher to be on track. A Research Topic can be described in a short and understandable sentence – for example, Drug use in prisons. The most challenging thing in defining the research problem is that the research problem should be unique and the research work should not be duplicated from other researches.

B.Formulate the Research Question and Hypothesis:

After identifying the research topic and problem, the next step in the research design is to prepare a research question and a hypothesis to conduct the research. Both methodologies make use of research questions but hypotheses are used only for Quantitative Research. Preferably, a researcher will begin the research by talking to people who are familiar in the field, and then, based on the data gathered, the research question is designed.

Discovering research questions after starting the research unlikely leads to precise research, but preparing dynamic research questions is a good idea. When preparing qualitative research questions, the most common method is to form one main question and many sub-questions. Quantitative Research questions vary according to whether the researcher wishes to assess participants involved in research once to provide a descriptive account or the researcher wants to establish involvement in order to learn its effect and introduce a causality between the involvement and the effect.

C.Choose a Research Methodology:

Once the research question has been formed, the researcher must think in detail about what methodology is to be chosen and which methodology will best answer the research question, and then Choose that Methodology.Qualitative Research Methodology: In qualitative research, importance is placed on people’s feelings, their insights.Quantitative research methodology: In quantitative research methodology, various research methods can be used. Two of the commonly used approaches are descriptive and experimental research.

D.Define the Significance of the Research:

The next process in the research design is to describe the significance of the research. This is a main step of research, as it relates to the choice of the research problem, which should describe an important issue, assist in solving that issue, and not copy already existing research.

F.Find and Use a Theory:

In both Quantitative and Qualitative Research, the hypothesis can be used to direct grouping and interpreting data and to recommend justification for the observations and findings of the research. Researchers often examine hypotheses and answer research questions in quantitative research.

G.Carry Out a Literature Review:

An important stage in research design is doing a literature review, which the researcher must conduct to study in detail to explore the research topic. Review of literature involves interpreting, analyzing, assessing, and summarizing written material.

Different approaches to socio-legal research

The socio-legal method seems to occupy space between two ends of a methodological field. At one end, a strict doctrinal approach depends mainly on the well-versed analysis of judicial and legislative decisions from the top most courts. On the other end, important legal studies and legal economic analyses refrain from the concerns, hypotheses, and informants of the external point of view. While background analysis is increasingly the rule in legal scholarship, external informants are important to a socio-legal approach.

Researchers must focus on the importance of developing a conceptual framework that will make sure the reliability and veracity of a research project.

Research Methods in Law:

1. Quantitative approaches in socio-legal research: Quantitative methods usage in Socio-Legal Research is ever-growing.
2. Participant Observation: Observation of participants is a type of research that could be considered as absolutely conflicting to the collection of Quantitative Data.
3. Interviews: The researcher must focus on conducting semi-structured and free interviews.
4. Analyzing qualitative data: Challenges are posed in qualitative data for merging creativity and rigidity in their analysis.
5. Research Ethics: Significant ethical issues may emerge during socio-legal research. Ethical issues and ethical thinking in social studies are the important things that are to be considered.

Conclusion

There are many reasons for conducting Legal Research. Some people use legal research to find out the sources of law that are pertinent for understanding a legal problem and then identifying a solution for the problem. It is evident that lawyers who are practicing law must conduct realistic and legal research in an efficient manner because of the cost insinuation for their clients. Others might use legal research as a means to extend the knowledge of features of law and the function of the legal structure that are of great concern.

References:

1. Nirmal, 2018, Legal Educaion in India : Problems and Challenges
2. Kristina Simion, 2018, Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches to Rule of Law Research
3. MHRD, 2019, Research methodology in socio-legal research
4. Miodrag Jovanović, 2019, Legal Methodology & Legal Research and Writing
5. Mike McConville, Wing Hong Chui, 2020, Research Methods for Law Edited by