4 Points Of Difference Between Doctrinal And Empirical Research Every Student Should Know

There are many ways one can carry out research. While we often have a very simple, straightforward understanding of what it means to research, there are many methodologies and tools to consider. Much of the decision depends on the discipline you are engaged in, the research area you have to do, and the kind of resources you have.

One of the things you will have to determine is whether you wish to conduct doctrinal or empirical research. You may have heard of these terms before, but they are much more than what we often think of them. One of the things you will have to justify while defending your proposal is the research methodology for which the understanding of doctrine and empirical research is imperative.

Let us explore the differences between the two to develop a clear idea of what they entail:

1. The definitional aspect

   You don’t have to think hard to gather what these two methodologies cover. As the name suggests, Doctrinal research refers to doctrines or basic principles or tenets governing the discipline upon which you base your research. You shall investigate deeply into the length and breadth of the principle(s) and how it affects or is affected by the problem in question. On the other hand, empirical research is called so because it considers empirical data to answer research questions. The researcher goes beyond the legal doctrines and gathers data from the ground to corroborate their findings.

2. The nature of sources of data

   The second point of difference lies in the sources of data. The researcher generally employs a variety of sources of data in these methodologies. Take, for example, doctrinal research. Here, the researcher analyses the existing literature on the topic. The existing literature is an umbrella term encompassing an entire universe of data derived from books, court cases, theses, legislation, newspapers, journals, webpages, and whatnot. These sources are called secondary because the data derived from them are not direct, i.e., the researcher hasn’t collected the data themselves. Rather they are analyzing and concluding from the data gathered by someone else.

   On the other hand, empirical research requires the researcher to go into the field and collect first-hand data. These forms of data are considered primary data because the researchers have collected them. They can be collected through several tools, the use of which depends on the requirement of the research. These tools include interviews, surveys, laboratory experiments, and observations. All of these tools themselves can be further divided into various categories.

3. Purpose of the methodology used

   As I noted before, you will have to justify the use of a particular methodology. To do that, you must know what purpose each of these two methodologies serves. Doctrinal research generally supplements the existing literature. It may indulge in an unexplored area, but the sources relied upon are secondary, and the inferences are based on them. Generally, the idea is to solve a particular problem by looking into the existing literature and determining whether the solutions offered therein are sufficient. Many scholars go for doctrinal research purely for convenience but note that it is not always accepted just because you want to do it. Empirical research aims at generating new data and determining the ground reality.

   For example, there is a law prohibiting the sale of cigarettes near colleges, but you want to assess the ground reality. That is where you will employ empirical research; you shall go around colleges and collect data from students, locals, and vendors regarding the law’s implementation. Also, it is not that empirical research is exclusive to doctrinal study and does not at all employ doctrinal methods; it does, but the doctrinal data is only supplemental.

4. Respective challenges

   Just because you chose a particular methodology doesn’t mean that there is an easy road ahead. Each of these methodologies comes with challenges. In doctrinal research, for example, the reliability of sources can be a contentious issue since the sources are highly theoretical and may be biased. As a result, you may read a lot of literature to be able to form an objective viewpoint.

   Moreover, what happens in books and real life are different things. The difference may not be easily gleaned from doctrinal research. Despite having a high mark of objectivity, empirical research has shortcomings. It is exhausting in terms of energy, money, and time and data collection may be a problem. For example, you want to collect data from a tribal community, and the community members are unwilling to coordinate. Moreover, empirical research requires data analysis through statistical means, which can be challenging to understand.

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