Towards Scientific Guidelines for Interdisciplinary Research in the Field of Law

Abstract

This paper sets out to explore the absence of criteria in the field of law, to guide the legal researcher’s choice to use interdisciplinary knowledge to explain or clarify certain types of subject-matter, under consideration in the field of law. It advances the view that interdisciplinary research proves desirable because it allows for connections and delineations to be made between different disciplines in an integrated way, that serve to clarify, broaden or benefit legal knowledge about a subject-matter in the field of law. This is particularly important for the legal researcher, when considering subject-matter in the field of law that requires insights from other disciplines, to bolster its legal understanding. However, assessing the appropriateness of the choice to use interdisciplinary knowledge, in a research context to clarify or explain subject-matter in the field of law could require that the use of interdisciplinary knowledge not be made. Even in such circumstances, it is an exemplar of interdisciplinary knowledge, informing research in the field of law.