Ethics in Legal Research

The essay grapples with one of the most controversial issues about legal research, namely its complex ethical and methodological dimension—here argued to be comparative—assessing the high scientific value of studying law. After clarifying what differentiates such a field of research from other natural and social studies, the authors address the presence of secondary interests and the need to use personal data for scientific purposes, as relevant situations which could undermine the reliability of any legal research or allow its thoroughness at the risk of interfering with human rights. The adherence to a rigorous and effective method in investigating national and foreign law, and the compli…