2.1.4 Major Approved Styles of Research (and of citing research)

A. Styles of designing research StyleWhat it meansLegal exampleQuantitativeMeasurement with numbers, statisticsSurvey of 400 prisoners on access to legal aidQualitativeDepth through interviews, observationInterviewing victims about experience of domestic-violence proceedingsMixed methodCombination of bothCase-file statistics plus interviews of judgesHistoricalStudy of origin and development of an institutionDevelopment of the Muluki Ain from 1910 BS to the Codes of 2074ComparativeComparison across systemsNepali vs Indian writ jurisdictionDoctrinal (library- based)Analysis of legal textsAnalysis of Section-wise rules of contractual capacityEmpirical (field- based)Study of law in actionStudy of how bail provisions are actually applied in district courts B. Approved citation styles — the standard formats in which research is presented: 1. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (USA, Harvard) — the most widely used legal citation manual. 2. OSCOLA (Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities) — standard in the UK and much of the Commonwealth. 3. Chicago Manual of Style — used in journals of history and social science. 4. APA (American Psychological Association) — dominant in social sciences. 5. ILI (Indian Law Institute) Style — common in South Asian legal writing. A Nepali law student should master at least one consistently; OSCOLA or Bluebook are recommended for international-style papers, and the TU Faculty of Law's own journal conventions for domestic submissions.