Exploring the Depths: A Comparative Analysis of Doctrinal and Non-Doctrinal Legal Research

Abstract

Legal research incorporates systematic findings on an identified topic and investigates the law to improve it. Researchers adopt both doctrinal and non-doctrinal legal research methods when researching the law. The right approach will ensure the effective fulfilment of research questions. Hence, this paper compares doctrinal and non-doctrinal legal research regarding their nature, scope, aims, essential tools, advantages, limitations, and interrelationships. These differences assist law researchers in deciding the most suitable type of legal research when dealing with their respective research questions. This paper also highlights that law researchers often use the non-doctrinal method within the doctrinal research framework to strengthen their suggestions and provide additional significance in pursuing law reform. The study's findings aim to assist law researchers, particularly novice researchers, in choosing the right type of legal research when developing papers.