Welcome to the Leiden Law School Methods Portal! This portal supports the flourishing of empirical legal and sociolegal scholarship at Leiden University and beyond by providing information on a broad range of empirical research methods, tools, and tips.

The portal is intended for any scholar, legal or nonlegal, junior or senior, who is interested in studying law and legal phenomena. The Methods Portal provides an orientation to the research process and key questions, possible research methods, and data analysis tools. It also provides links to relevant courses, training modules, colleagues within Leiden Law School who are using empirical legal research methods, and other resources to help advanced learners deepen their understanding. We hope that the methods portal gives you an accessible starting point for your research journey and points you toward further learning, conversation, and collaboration.

Getting started

As mentioned the portal follows the research process, starting with the design and ending with the writing of the results. By clicking on one of the four main components of the research process, the portal will guide you to a number of entries about methods and other themes that may arise during these different stages of your research project.

Ask an expert

If you have any doubts or would like to discuss your research with an experienced scholar, you can consult the data base of experts. You will find legal researchers of various backgrounds who have experience with a range of methods. On their personal pages, they explain where their methodological expertise lies, and what sorts of questions they can be contacted for.

Send us your feedback

The methods portal is a living portal: we regularly update the information and respond to user questions. This means that we invite you to make suggestions and submit questions to show us how the portal can better suit your needs. Please contact us at: llsmp@law.leidenuniv.nl