Use this template to plan and draft your Methodology Justification assessment and to design the methodology section of your capstone project.

A. Working Title and Research Question

·        Working title:

·        Main research question:

·        Any sub‑questions:

B. Objectives and Scope

1.     What are the main objectives of your research? (e.g. clarify, evaluate, compare, propose reform):

2.     What is the scope?

·        Jurisdiction(s):

·        Time period:

·        Subject focus (e.g. specific provision, type of case, group affected):

C. Methodological Approach

Indicate your primary approach(es) and explain briefly:

·        Doctrinal / black‑letter:

·        Comparative:

·        Socio‑legal / empirical:

·        Critical (e.g. feminist, critical race, post‑colonial):

Explain why this approach (or combination) is suitable for your question:

D. Sources and Data

1.     Primary legal sources:

·        Cases:

·        Legislation / regulations:

·        Treaties / international instruments:

2.     Secondary legal sources:

·        Textbooks / monographs:

·        Journal articles:

·        Law reform / policy reports:

3.     Empirical or socio‑legal data (if any):

·        Existing studies and datasets:

·        New data you propose to collect (interviews, surveys, document analysis) – subject to feasibility and ethics:

E. Methods of Analysis

Describe how you will analyse your materials:

·        Doctrinal analysis (e.g. synthesis of case law, interpreting legislation):

·        Comparative technique (e.g. functional comparison, context‑sensitive analysis):

·        Qualitative methods (e.g. thematic coding of interview transcripts or documents):

·        Quantitative methods (e.g. basic descriptive statistics from datasets):

·        Theoretical or conceptual frameworks (e.g. human rights principles, feminist theory):

F. Ethical and Practical Considerations

1.     Ethical issues (especially for empirical work):

·        Need for ethical approval?

·        Informed consent and confidentiality (if relevant):

·        Sensitivity to vulnerable groups or topics:

2.     Practical constraints:

·        Time, word limit, access to data, language barriers:

G. Limitations

Reflect honestly on limitations:

·        What will not be covered (and why)?

·        What types of claims cannot be made (e.g. no broad statistical generalisations from a small qualitative study)?

H. Justification Summary

In a short paragraph, bring the elements together:

·        Why is this methodology appropriate and defensible for your research question?

What kind of contribution do you aim to make (doctrinal clarification, policy insight, critical perspective, etc.)?