Empirical research with judicial officers: The biography of a research project
This article examines the history of a large multi-year, national empirical research project into the Australian judiciary undertaken by the two co-authors. We consider the different phases of the project, discuss what worked and what did not, and offer some suggestions for future research involving...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Oñati Socio-Legal Series |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/1726 |
| _version_ | 1797384819970146304 |
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| author | Sharyn Roach Anleu Kathy Mack |
| author_facet | Sharyn Roach Anleu Kathy Mack |
| author_sort | Sharyn Roach Anleu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article examines the history of a large multi-year, national empirical research project into the Australian judiciary undertaken by the two co-authors. We consider the different phases of the project, discuss what worked and what did not, and offer some suggestions for future research involving judicial officers and their courts. The research project entailed negotiating collaboration with and access to judicial officers and court staff on a national, state and local basis. Reflecting on this experience confirms the importance of collaboration with the courts and judiciary and researcher independence from them. Collaboration provides extensive access, supporting a long term, multi-method research design, and providing findings that are original, robust and valuable to the judiciary. It is equally important to maintain researcher independence: to ensure that courts and government commit to researcher control of data, its analysis and application, recognising that the courts cannot censor findings, presentations or publications. Collaboration and independence require generating and maintaining long term relationships, so that research leads to robust original scholarship that benefits judicial officers, courts, and the publics they serve.
Este artículo examina la historia de un amplio proyecto nacional de investigación empírica plurianual sobre el poder judicial de Australia emprendido por las dos coautoras. Se examinan las diferentes fases del proyecto, se discute lo que funcionó y lo que no, y se ofrecen algunas sugerencias para futuras investigaciones en las que participen funcionarios judiciales y sus tribunales. El proyecto de investigación implicó negociar la colaboración y el acceso a los funcionarios judiciales y al personal de los tribunales a escala nacional, estatal y local. Reflexionar sobre esta experiencia confirma la importancia de la colaboración con los tribunales y el poder judicial y la independencia del investigador respecto a ellos. La colaboración proporciona un amplio acceso, apoyando un diseño de investigación a largo plazo y multimétodo, y arroja resultados que son originales, sólidos y valiosos para el poder judicial. Es igualmente importante mantener la independencia del investigador: garantizar que los tribunales y el gobierno se comprometan a que el investigador controle los datos, su análisis y aplicación, reconociendo que los tribunales no pueden censurar las conclusiones, presentaciones o publicaciones. La colaboración y la independencia requieren la creación y el mantenimiento de relaciones a largo plazo, de modo que la investigación dé lugar a sólidos conocimientos originales que beneficien a los funcionarios judiciales, a los tribunales y al público al que sirven. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:44:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90d31b236041474da0a75e422e0dd790 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-5971 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:44:13Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oñati Socio-Legal Series |
| spelling | doaj.art-90d31b236041474da0a75e422e0dd7902023-12-20T10:53:53ZengOñati International Institute for the Sociology of LawOñati Socio-Legal Series2079-59712023-12-0113S1S30S5710.35295/osls.iisl.17262495Empirical research with judicial officers: The biography of a research projectSharyn Roach Anleu0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7892-0099Kathy Mack1Flinders UniversityFlinders UniversityThis article examines the history of a large multi-year, national empirical research project into the Australian judiciary undertaken by the two co-authors. We consider the different phases of the project, discuss what worked and what did not, and offer some suggestions for future research involving judicial officers and their courts. The research project entailed negotiating collaboration with and access to judicial officers and court staff on a national, state and local basis. Reflecting on this experience confirms the importance of collaboration with the courts and judiciary and researcher independence from them. Collaboration provides extensive access, supporting a long term, multi-method research design, and providing findings that are original, robust and valuable to the judiciary. It is equally important to maintain researcher independence: to ensure that courts and government commit to researcher control of data, its analysis and application, recognising that the courts cannot censor findings, presentations or publications. Collaboration and independence require generating and maintaining long term relationships, so that research leads to robust original scholarship that benefits judicial officers, courts, and the publics they serve. Este artículo examina la historia de un amplio proyecto nacional de investigación empírica plurianual sobre el poder judicial de Australia emprendido por las dos coautoras. Se examinan las diferentes fases del proyecto, se discute lo que funcionó y lo que no, y se ofrecen algunas sugerencias para futuras investigaciones en las que participen funcionarios judiciales y sus tribunales. El proyecto de investigación implicó negociar la colaboración y el acceso a los funcionarios judiciales y al personal de los tribunales a escala nacional, estatal y local. Reflexionar sobre esta experiencia confirma la importancia de la colaboración con los tribunales y el poder judicial y la independencia del investigador respecto a ellos. La colaboración proporciona un amplio acceso, apoyando un diseño de investigación a largo plazo y multimétodo, y arroja resultados que son originales, sólidos y valiosos para el poder judicial. Es igualmente importante mantener la independencia del investigador: garantizar que los tribunales y el gobierno se comprometan a que el investigador controle los datos, su análisis y aplicación, reconociendo que los tribunales no pueden censurar las conclusiones, presentaciones o publicaciones. La colaboración y la independencia requieren la creación y el mantenimiento de relaciones a largo plazo, de modo que la investigación dé lugar a sólidos conocimientos originales que beneficien a los funcionarios judiciales, a los tribunales y al público al que sirven.https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/1726courtsjudicial officersresearch collaborationtribunalesfuncionarios judicialescolaboración en las investigaciones |
| spellingShingle | Sharyn Roach Anleu Kathy Mack Empirical research with judicial officers: The biography of a research project Oñati Socio-Legal Series courts judicial officers research collaboration tribunales funcionarios judiciales colaboración en las investigaciones |
| title | Empirical research with judicial officers: The biography of a research project |
| title_full | Empirical research with judicial officers: The biography of a research project |
| title_fullStr | Empirical research with judicial officers: The biography of a research project |
| title_full_unstemmed | Empirical research with judicial officers: The biography of a research project |
| title_short | Empirical research with judicial officers: The biography of a research project |
| title_sort | empirical research with judicial officers the biography of a research project |
| topic | courts judicial officers research collaboration tribunales funcionarios judiciales colaboración en las investigaciones |
| url | https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/1726 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sharynroachanleu empiricalresearchwithjudicialofficersthebiographyofaresearchproject AT kathymack empiricalresearchwithjudicialofficersthebiographyofaresearchproject |