Introduction
At its most basic, empirical legal research is legal research that uses statistical techniques and analysis.
John Baldwin and Gwynn Davis in Chapter 39 of the Oxford Handbook of Legal Studies state, "...empirical research in law involves the study, through direct methods rather than secondary sources, of the institutions, rules, procedures, and personnel of the law, with a view to understanding how they operate and what effects they have."
Shari Seidman Diamond in her article Empirical Marine Life in Legal Waters: Clams, Dolphins, and Plankton, 2002 U. Ill. L. Rev. 803, 805 (2002) further states, "What makes research empirical is that it is based on observations of the world. These facts may be historical or contemporary, based on legislation or case law, the results of interviews or surveys, or the outcomes of secondary archival research or primary data collections."
Places to Start
ProQuest Databases: The ProQuest Statistical Datasets allows users to create their own datasets. The ProQuest Statistical Insight source allows users to find published tables of statistics.
- ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United StatesStatistical data from federal and state agencies and private organizations. Information available on banking, crime, education, energy, labor and employment, vital statistics, and more.
- Others
- Wolfram AlphaWolfram Alpha helps you get knowledge and answers— not by searching the web, but by doing dynamic computations based on a vast collection of built-in data, algorithms, and methods.
- The World Wide Web Virtual Library - StatisticsGreat one stop shop for starting your empirical research.
- Statistics Resources and Big Data on the InternetA comprehensive listing of statistics and big data resources and sites on the Internet, arranged alphabetically.
Recommended
- The Oxford Handbook of Empirical Legal ResearchLeading scholars provide accessible and original discussions of the history, aims, and methods of empirical research about law, as well as its achievements and potential. Information about the development and institutional context of empirical legal research, critical accounts of empirical research on many aspects of the legal world, as well as methods of empirical research, and its place in the law school curriculum.
- Books, Journals and ArticlesMore resources from our library are listed here.
Search the Library Catalog
Try a keyword search for your desired topic along with the term "statistics" (e.g., housing statistics or criminal statistics) or try a subject search.
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